Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1499919
3 8 J U N E / J U L Y 2 0 2 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M WRESTLING P enn State is not done adding med- als to its already crowded trophy case inside the Lorzeno Wrestling Complex. With the Nittany Lions fresh off a pair of individual national titles, plus another team championship at the NCAA Tour- nament in March, the past, present and future of coach Cael Sanderson's program collided at the U.S. Open tourney, which took place April 25-30 in Las Vegas. Defending NCAA champion Aaron Brooks took the 86-kilogram Senior Di- vision title at the annual freestyle tourna- ment, which serves as part of the qualify- ing process for the World Championships. Brooks defeated former Arizona State star Zahid Valencia 10-6 in the final, and he also beat former Nittany Lion national champion Mark Hall in the semifinals. The victory earned Brooks a date at the Final X event June 10 in Newark, N.J. There, the Nittany Lion senior will bat- tle another Penn State alum, two-time NCAA champion and Olympic gold med- alist David Taylor. Brooks and Taylor will face off in a best-of-three series to see who will represent the United States at Worlds, which are set to take place Sept. 16-24 in Belgrade, Serbia. Former Lions Nick Lee (65 kg) and Ja- son Nolf (74 kg) also won U.S. Open titles. Lee will face former Cornell standout Yianni Diakomihalis at Final X, while Nolf draws Nittany Lion Wrestling Club standout Kyle Dake, another four-time NCAA champ during his time at Cornell. The NLWC will also be represented at Final X by Thomas Gilman (57 kg), Zain Retherford (70 kg) and Kyle Snyder (97 kg). Other current and former Lions who competed at the U.S. Open in the Senior Division but did not win include Hall, who finished third in the 86-kg weight class; senior Beau Bartlett, who was fourth at 65 kg; senior Carter Starocci, who lost in the semifinals to former Oklahoma State three-time national champion Alex De- ringer and then medically forfeited his next two consolation matches to finish sixth at 79 kg; and Morgan McIntosh, who was sixth at 92 kg. The U.S. Open also showcased several future Nittany Lions, with three com- mitted wrestlers winning U20 titles. Ty- ler Kasak, a 2023 recruit, won the 65-kg title, 2024 wrestler Luke Lilledahl took first place at 57 kg, and incoming transfer Mitchell Mesenbrink won the 74-kg class. Zack Ryder, a 2024 commitment, captured the 80-kg division in the U17 tournament. All four now are favorites to reach Worlds in their respective age groups, but additional qualifiers remain. Penn State Gains Three, Loses Two Via Portal Penn State is not just winning on the mat this offseason. The Nittany Lions PENN STATE WRESTLERS SHINE AT U.S. OPEN TOURNAMENT G R E G P I C K E L | G R E G . P I C K E L @ O N 3 . C O M Three-time NCAA champion Aaron Brooks defeated former Arizona State wrestler Zahid Valencia, a two-time NCAA champ, in April to claim the U.S. Open freestyle title at 86 kilograms. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL