Published Mar 20, 2021
Penn State wrestlers go 4-for-4 in NCAA finals as Lions finish second
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David Eckert  •  Happy Valley Insider
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The team title was claimed by Iowa by the time the first of Penn State's four NCAA finalists stepped on the mat, but plenty of drama was still yet to unfold.

The Nittany Lions went a perfect four-for-four in the finals, as Roman Bravo-Young, Nick Lee, Carter Starocci and Aaron Brooks each claimed their first NCAA titles Saturday night, with three of those victories coming in sudden victory.

"I think the guys just believed," Penn State coach Cael Sanderson said. "They wrestled really well. Obviously, you're in the NCAA finals, you can wrestle great and still not win...Our guys did a really nice job. They just believed and found a way.

"I think we have some really special guys."

That showing wasn't enough for Penn State to claim a fifth straight team title, though, with Big Ten foes Iowa claiming that crown, earning 129 points to the Nittany Lions' 113.5.

"Obviously we need a little bit more of a team effort," Sanderson said. "If you have four national champions and you're not winning the tournament, you've got to have more point scorers. But it also just speaks to how good Iowa is. They've got a really good team this year and they competed really well and won a lot of tough matches."


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Roman Bravo-Young, 133 Pounds 

Roman Bravo-Young battled top-seeded Daton Fix of Oklahoma State to a scoreless first period, but did his hard work in the second period. After Fix chose to start the period on bottom, Bravo-Young rode him out for the entire two minutes.

With Bravo-Young in a strong position thanks to a heavy riding time advantage and a 1-0 lead after a third-period escape, controversy struck. Bravo-Young was penalized twice for stalling, which sent the match to sudden victory.

There, Bravo-Young earned the bout's only takedown to etch his name in Penn State history forever.

"I was hanging on there at the end, just moved my feet and hit an angle," Bravo-Young told ESPN. "I don't care what happened in that match. A national title is a national title."

"Today before this match, I wrote national champion 50 times in a row," he said. "It was in my head. I visualized it."

Nick Lee, 141 Pounds 

Another one seed stepped onto the mat against a Nittany Lion, and another one seed left beaten in sudden victory.

Nick Lee bested top-seeded Jaydin Eierman of Iowa, 4-2, in sudden victory, scoring the only two takedowns of the bout.

Eierman went into the third period with a 1-0 lead, and Lee chose to start the period in the neutral position. He earned a takedown, but Eierman escaped to send the bout into sudden victory.

There, Lee finished the job, crediting his discipline on the mat and his ability to limit his excitement — two traits he showcased in his post-match interview with ESPN, when asked what the victory meant to him.

"It means I won this year, but we'll go into the next year and see what happens," he said.

Carter Starocci, 174 Pounds 

Carter Starocci wasn't about to leave the dramatics to his teammates.

Facing redshirt senior top seed Michael Kemerer of Iowa, Starocci made it three wins in three for the Nittany Lions, with all of them coming in sudden victory.

After both wrestlers earned escapes to sent the bout to sudden victory, Starocci earned the definitive takedown to make him a national champion as a redshirt freshman, and earn revenge for a loss in the Big Ten finals.

"I'm the best," he said. "I am, that's what I believe.

"When you come to Penn State, you perform at the biggest level and it's no surprise."

Aaron Brooks, 184 Pounds 

The top seed at 184 pounds, Aaron Brooks got his first NCAA title without the need for much drama.

He bested No. 2 Trent Hidlay of NC State with a 3-2 decision after Hidlay was hit by a stalling call in the third period.

There was a nervous moment for Brooks late, after Hidlay nearly took him down at the edge of the mat. NC State challenged but no takedown was awarded, and Brooks survived to complete his unbeaten season.

"It's been a great season," Brooks told ESPN. "But I just want to stay focused. I had to get him coming forward, it was kind of hard. He got hit for stalling, which was good."

Rounding It Out 

125 pounds — No. 23 Robbie Howard began his tournament with an upset win over No. 10 Malik Heinselman of Ohio State. A tough 2-1 defeat to No. 7 Taylor LaMont of Utah Valley sent Howard to the consolations, where he bested Chattanooga's Fabian Gutierrez, 9-7, before getting pinned by Minnesota's Patrick McKee. He finished the tournament at 2-2.

157 Pounds — No. 12 Brady Berge started well, earning a 12-4 major decision over No. 21 Andrew Cerniglia of Navy. He then beat Kaleb Young of Iowa, 3-2, to reach the quarterfinals. Unfortunately, he was forced to withdraw from a bout with Jesse Dellavecchia of Rider due to an injury that ended his tournament.

165 Pounds — No. 23 Joe Lee was the only Nittany Lion not to earn a first round victory, falling to No. 10 Travis Wittlake of Oklahoma State, 8-1. He lost in the first round of the wrestle backs, 10-4, to No. 26 of Andrew Nicholson of Chattanooga, finishing 0-2 for the tournament.

197 Pounds — No. 15 Michael Beard earned a place on the podium as a redshirt freshman with a seventh-place finish. He advanced to the quarterfinals with a 14-4 major over No. 18 Jacob Koser of Navy and a 17-9 major over No. 31 Owen Pentz of North Dakota State. There, he fell to No. 26 Jake Woodley of Oklahoma, 8-3. Beard started his consolation effort with a 9-1 major decision against No. 13 Tanner Sloan of South Dakota State. A 5-0 defeat to No. 7 Rocky Elam of Missouri placed Beard in the seventh place match, which he won, 10-8, over No. 9 Stephen Buchanan of Wyoming in sudden victory. He finished the tournament at 4-2

285 Pounds — No. 9 Greg Kerkvliet also earned a seventh place finish. He defeated No. 24 Johnathan Birchmeier of Navy by tech fall, and earned a major decision over Jordan Wood of Lehigh to advance to the quarterfinals, where he was bested by top seed Gable Steveson, 9-4. In the wrestle backs, he earned a major decision over No. 29 Austin Harris of Oklahoma State, then fell to No. 4 Cohlton Shultz of Arizona State, 14-8. Wrestling for seventh, he earned a 13-1 major over No. 21 Tate Orndorff of Ohio State. Kerkvliet finished the tournament at 4-2.

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