NCAA Wrestling: Penn State Crowns 2 Three-Time Champs
When Penn State's Aaron Brooks was a kid, his father brought home a wrestling DVD to show his sons. Brooks knew nothing about the sport but was intrigued when his father said, "This is the greatest wrestler of all time."
Brooks watched that DVD of Cael Sanderson and said, "I want to be like that dude."
"Next thing you know," Brooks said Saturday night at the NCAA Wrestling Championships, "I'm wrestling for him."
Under Sanderson's guidance, Brooks became a three-time NCAA champ, blazing through the 184-pound weight class at nationals. Brooks was one of two Penn State wrestlers who became three-time champs during an epic weekend in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Carter Starocci (174) also won his third NCAA title, giving Penn State six three-time champions in program history. However, the Lions otherwise ran into buzzsaws, with Roman Bravo-Young sustaining the most surprising loss.
The senior, who sought to complete Penn State's trio of three-time national champs, instead saw Cornell's Vito Arujau end his 56-bout win streak.
The Lions went 2-3 in the finals, with Levi Haines (157) and heavyweight Greg Kerkvliet falling short of their first titles.
For the second consecutive year, the Lions' five finalists wrestled knowing they already had clinched a team title. In fact, Penn State sealed its 10th NCAA title in 12 years before junior Beau Bartlett took the mat in the 141-pound consolation semifinals.
In the consolation round, Bartlett responded with a pair of wins to take third for his first NCAA medal. Shayne Van Ness, the 12th seed at 149, completed perhaps the most stirring tournament of Penn State's nine qualifiers by placing third as well. He went 5-1, losing only to champ Yianni Diakomihalis of Cornell. And Max Dean (197) completed his career by placing seventh.
With two champs and a eight All-Americans, tying a school record, Penn State won the team title by its largest margin in school history. The Lions totaled 137.5 teams points; second-place Iowa finished with 82.5.
A recap of Penn State's championship bouts.
133: Vito Arujau (Cornell) dec. Roman Bravo-Young 10-4
Bravo-Young, who had not lost since the 2019 NCAA tournament, ran into an aggressive speedster in Arujau. The Cornell junior shot himself out of the whistle, taking a 6-1 lead after one period and continuing the pressure in the second. Arujau wrestled a brilliant bout in ending what had become the nation's longest win streak at 56 bouts.
Bravo-Young finished his career with two NCAA titles, four medals and a 100-9 record. It was an exceptional run.
157: Austin O'Connor (North Carolina) dec. Levi Haines 5-2
The Penn State freshman's remarkable run to the final ended against a sixth-year senior who won his second national championship. O'Connor rode Haines for nearly two minutes, then scored two takedowns in the third period to seize control of the bout.
Haines' season heralds a phenomenally bright future. Sanderson considered redshirting the true freshman, chose to pull it in January and let the newcomer fly. Haines won 24 consecutive bouts and a Big Ten title on his way to a 25-2 season that teammates loved watching.
"Watching Levi do his thing gets me fired up," Carter Starocci said Friday night. "I feel like running through a steel wall watching him wrestle."
174: Carter Starocci pin Mikey Labriola (Nebraska) 2:46
Starocci bid a likely farewell to Penn State with an exclamation point, pinning Labriola in the second period to become the program's fifth three-time national champ.
Starocci was unstoppable at nationals — and all season, really — and should be a Hodge Trophy candidate. The way he stuck Labriola was gorgeous.
Starocci, a redshirt junior, conceivably could become the program's first five-time national champ. But he also long has discussed winning Olympic freestyle gold, a path he'll likely pursue next year. After that, look for Starocci in MMA. Or ancient Rome.
"I wish this was back in the Roman days where you go through everybody instead of half of the side of a bracket and the winner on the other side," he said.
184: Aaron Brooks dec. Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa) 7-2
Brooks methodically plowed through his bracket and onto his third NCAA title, doing so from the third seed that measured his limited matches this season rather than his body of work. Brooks slow-burned his opponents all weekend, demonstrating his power, patience and drive. Even with a comfortable lead, Brooks took shots to the end.
Brooks (17-1) capped a memorable season that included 12 bonus-point victories, five of them technical falls. He is eligible to return next season and attempt to become Penn State's first four-time champion.
Hwt: Mason Parris (Michigan) dec. Greg Kerkvliet 5-1
In their seventh meeting, Parris broke a 3-3 tie for the national championship. Parris got the better of this rivalry all season, defeating Kerkvliet three times, including for Big Ten and NCAA titles. On Saturday, Parris countered an early Kerkvliet shot with a defining takedown, then turned to his ride.
Kerkvliet made an aggressive decision to take top in the third period and try to turn Parris, but the Michigan senior wouldn't allow it, even willing to give up a late stalling point.
Kerkvliet, a two-time All-American, finished his season 19-3. He's just a redshirt sophomore and, with Parris graduating, should be a favorite next season.
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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. And consider subscribing (button's on the home page) for more great content across the SI.com network.