Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1511150
4 8 D E C E M B E R 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 Penn State wrestler Aaron Brooks has added another title to his already dazzling resume. The Nittany Lion senior won the 86-kilogram (189-pound) bracket at the U23 World Cham- pionships, which took place Oct. 23-29 in Tirana, Albania. The four-time All-American and three-time NCAA champ at 184 pounds beat the defending U23 86-kg champ, Tatsuya Shirai of Japan, by technical fall, 10-0, in the final. Brooks was the aggressor from the start of the title match, taking a 2-0 lead over Shirai one minute into the first period. The Nittany Lion standout dominated the opening period, amass- ing 3 takedowns en route to the tech fall. Brooks was 5-0 at the prestigious event. He beat Turkey's Ismail Kucuksolak, 5-1, in his open- ing bout, then stopped Owen James Martin of Canada by technical fall, 10-0, in the second round. He went on to top Moldova's Ivan Ichizli, 7-0, in the quarterfinals to set up a date with Arslan Bagaev of the Individual Neutral Athletes (Russia and Belarus) in the semis. Brooks won that match 5-4, setting up his battle with Shirai for the gold medal. By winning the U23 world title, Brooks has qualified for the Team USA Team Trials, which will take place April 19-20 at the Bryce Jordan Center. Penn State is bumping Brooks up to 197 pounds this season, with incoming transfer Bernie Truax IV taking over at 184 pounds for the Nittany Lions. Big Ten Network Will Carry Seven PSU Dual Meets The Penn State wrestling team will be fea- tured in seven of the Big Ten Network's 24 tele- vised dual meets during the 2023-24 season. The top-ranked Nittany Lions lead off BTN's coverage when they play host to Lehigh at Rec Hall on Dec. 3. The broadcast will start at 2 p.m. The match against the Mountain Hawks is the only dual meet during the 2023 portion of the schedule that will be shown on BTN. The 2024 portion, however, features six chances to watch the Nittany Lions. BTN will air Penn State's visit to Michigan beginning at 6 p.m. on Jan. 19 and will also carry the Lions' match against Maryland starting at noon on Jan. 28. The network will air four Penn State matches in February. That list includes dual meets against Ohio State (6:30 p.m., Feb. 2), Iowa (9 p.m., Feb. 9), Rutgers (7 p.m., Feb. 12) and Nebraska (4 p.m., Feb. 18). The matches against the Buckeyes, Scarlet Knights and Cornhuskers will all take place in State College, with the Rutgers match being held at the Bryce Jordan Center. The eagerly awaited match against the Hawkeyes will be at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City. BTN will also carry the Big Ten Champion- ships March 9-10 from the Xfinity Center in College Park, Md. The ESPN family of networks will air a num- ber of college wrestling matches this year, too. However, it was not known as of early November whether the Nittany Lions would be among the teams that will be televised. FloWrestling will air the Lions' appearance at the Journeymen Classic tournament on Nov. 12. However, Flo will not stream any of the team's dual meets during the 2023-24 season. — Greg Pickel Aaron Brooks Wins U23 World Championship 184 pounds A new face will slot in for Penn State at this weight class. Cal Poly transfer Bernie Truax IV, who wrestled at 197 pounds a year ago, is moving in and dropping down to fill a vacancy in the Nittany Lions' lineup. In four college seasons to date, the Oceanside, Calif., native is 64-25 overall and 20-4 in dual meets. Last season, Truax went 19-4 and qualified for na- tionals for the third year in a row. He finished fourth at NCAAs. Truax is an aggressive wrestler who likes to score and push the action. He should fit perfectly into this program. Expect another All-America season, at the very least. Flo lists him as the No. 2 wrestler at 184, behind only Northern Iowa's Parker Keckeisen. 197 pounds Fifth-year senior Aaron Brooks will go for a fourth consecutive NCAA ti- tle this year. He won the first three at 184 pounds, but the recently crowned U23 world champion at 86 kilograms is moving up a weight. He is still expected to dominate. Brooks has faced minimal resistance during the past few seasons. He will face new competitors at the weight class, but he should still have little difficulty during the bulk of his matches and is the top-ranked wrestler in this weight class according to Flo, which also rates him as the No. 4 pound-for-pound grappler in the college ranks. 285 pounds Senior Greg Kerkvliet is entering his fourth season at Penn State and aims to add his fourth All-America honor to his resume. A year ago, the Inver Grove Heights, Minn., native was 19-3 and placed second at the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments. Both finishes were career bests. Flo ranks Kerkvliet No.1 at heavy- weight. In the pound-for-pound rank- ings, he is No. 8. ■ Brooks defeated defending champion Tatsuya Shirai of Japan by technical fall to claim the U23 world crown at 86 kilograms. PHOTO BY DANIEL ALTHOUSE