Penn State's Aaron Brooks Delivers Stunning Comeback Win at the U.S. Olympic Wrestling Trials
Brooks rallies late to defeat Zahid Valencia in a controversial finish. He will meet former Nittany Lion David Taylor for an Olympic bid.
Penn State's Aaron Brooks continued his magical run Friday night at the U.S. Olympic Trials and will face the Magic Man for a trip to the Summer Olympics. Meanwhile, Jason Nolf took down a legend, and two former Nittany Lions will square off for a title as the Trials conclude at Penn State on Saturday.
After an electric day of competition at the Bryce Jordan Center, Penn State wrestling will be represented in three of the six men's freestyle championship series. In fact, all three finals will be all-Penn State/Nittany Lion Wrestling Club matchups. The best-of-three finals will determine who represents Team USA in Paris. Here's what's coming Saturday in State College.
Aaron Brooks does it again
Brooks, Penn State's four-time NCAA champ, has won some stunning bouts in his career, with Friday night's among the best. In the evening's final bout, Brooks rallied from a 6-3 deficit with 25 seconds left to overtake Zahid Valencia 7-6 in the 86 kg freestyle challenge bracket final. Brooks earned a marquee date with former Penn State star David Taylor, a three-time world champ and Olympic gold medalist, in the best-of-three championship series.
Brooks and Valencia wrestled an absolute gem, albeit one that ended controversially. Valencia, who gave up a takedown in the second period to fall behind 3-1, launched himself into a four-point move to take a 5-3 lead. Valencia began the offensive on his mat and finished it on the neighboring mat. Penn State's coaches challenged the call and lost, giving Valencia another point and a 6-3 lead.
At this point, though, no one counts out Brooks, who began his comeback with 25 seconds left. Brooks scored a takedown to cut his deficit to one point, then tied the score on a step-out point. With 6 seconds left, Valencia, who would have won a tie bout based on criteria, was called for grabbing Brooks' jersey. That penalty delivered the deciding point of Brooks' dramatic 7-6 victory.
Brooks gets a shot at Taylor in a championship series for the second straight year. Last year, Taylor defeated Brooks 6-0 and 5-4 at the world-championship qualifier Final X. Taylor went on to win his third world championship.
Jason Nolf topples a legend
Nolf, a three-time NCAA champ at Penn State, pulled off spectacular win in the 74 kg freestyle semifinals, defeating seven-time international champ Jordan Burroughs 3-0. Nolf took an extra moment of celebration before the home crowd, which seemed to enjoy turning Burroughs into a temporary villain.
Nolf had two scoring opportunities removed from the board by challenges, including a go-behind takedown with 6 seconds left in the first period. Perhaps energized, Nolf exploded off the second-period whistle to score the clinching takedown. Burroughs, 35, couldn't find his offense for the remainder of the 3-minute period and shook hands with Cael Sanderson and Bo Nickal in Penn State's corner afterward. Some fans booed Burroughs off the mat, a scene that began earlier in the day.
After winning the challenge tournament, Nolf advanced to Saturday's best-of-three championship final against fellow Nittany Lion Wrestling Club resident Kyle Dake. Dake won bronze in the Tokyo Olympics and is a four-time world champ.
Penn State fans soured on Burroughs earlier Friday night during his bout against Mitchell Mesenbrink, the high-octane Nittany Lion who bulldozed his way into the NCAA final at 165 pounds and won his first Trials bout in dominant fashion. But Burroughs controlled this match, scoring the first seven points and turning Mesenbrink's offense into points. The bout got testy late, however, as Burroughs gave Mesenbrink a shove to the head after Mesenbrink held Burroughs' ankles out of bounds. Mesenbrink received two points for the shove, Burroughs won 8-3 and fans booed him into the tunnel.
Another Penn State vs. Penn State final
If Brooks vs. Taylor isn't enough, Penn State fans will get another all-Nittany Lion show in the 65 kg freestyle final, where Zain Retherford takes on Nick Lee. The wrestlers have combined for five NCAA titles: Retherford won three from 2016-18, and Lee won a pair in 2021-22. They also were the top seeds in the weight class. Retherford, 28, had a bye into the semifinals as the 2023 world champion. Lee, the challenge tournament's top seed, won gold at the Pan-American Championships this year.
Lee wrestled a dynamic semifinal bout against Andrew Alirez, outlasting him for an 11-9 victory. And Retherford scored a tight 3-2 decision over Ohio State's Jesse Mendez, who won three bouts Friday as the weight class' No. 11 seed. The Retherford-Lee winner isn't guaranteed a trip to Paris, however. To get there, the winner must qualify the U.S. for the weight class at a final Olympic qualifier in Turkey in May.
NLWC's Thomas Gilman advances to face Spencer Lee
Thomas Gilman of the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club faces a difficult finish to return to the Olympics. The former Iowa wrestler, who now trains in State College, meets another former Iowa wrestler, Spencer Lee, in the 57 kg final. The former Hawkeyes will begin their best-of-three series Saturday morning. The winner must compete in Turkey in May to qualify the U.S. for the weight class at the Olympics. Gilman, a bronze medalist in Tokyo, looked sharp in scoring three takedowns for a 6-0 semifinal win over Daton Fix. Lee was even sharper in a 13-6 win over Zane Richards.
Jen Page, who represents the NLWC, tested Macey Kelty in the women's 62 kg challenge final, ultimately falling 9-8.
Next time for these Nittany Lions
After winning by technical superiority in his Friday opener, Penn State's Greg Kerkvliet ran into two-time world medalist Nick Gwiazdowski in the 125 kg freestyle semifinals. Gwiazdowski broke a 1-1 tie in the second period with a pair of scores for the 5-1 victory.
Earlier Friday, Carter Starocci, Penn State's four-time national champion who won his last title with a leg injury, opened with a dynamic 12-4 win over Pat Downey at 86 kg freestyle. But after a 6-4 loss to Trent Hidlay in the second round, Starocci ended his Trials by taking an injury default in the consolation round.
Levi Haines, who went unbeaten to win the 157-pound NCAA title, lost a pair of decisions at 74 kg freestyle in his first Olympic Trials. And teammate Beau Bartlett, the 141-pound NCAA runnerup, lost a heartbreaker in the 65 kg freestyle consolations. Bartlett initially was awarded a late takedown for a 4-3 victory over Joey McKenna, but the takedown was overturned upon review, and McKenna won 3-2.
AllPennState is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on Twitter @MarkWogenrich.
