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A three-time state champion from North Hagerstown, Md., Aaron Brooks announced on Twitter Feb. 1 that he had verbally committed to Penn State. Having also considered Arizona State, Iowa State, Maryland and Michigan, Brooks chose the Nittany Lions with the goal of winning four na- tional champi- onships. "I felt like that's where I can become the best person and best wrestler and wrestle in the best environment," he told the (Hager- stown) Herald-Mail. "It's just perfect." Brooks is on track to join the team for the 2019-20 season and projects at either 174 or 184 pounds. The consensus choice as the No. 1 182-pounder in the country, Brooks holds a career high school record of 154-2. He had built a 19-0 mark halfway through his senior season be- fore breaking his foot in the semifinal of the Hub Cup in early January. With head coach Cael Sanderson in attendance for the event, Brooks fought through and went on to win the tournament, pinning his final op- ponent in 90 seconds and earning Outstanding Wrestler accolades for the second year in a row. He hasn't competed since. A return for the Maryland state championships in March, during which Brooks would be competing for a fourth consecutive crown, hasn't been ruled out. Although Brooks' high school ca- reer is winding down to its final few weeks, he won't be joining Penn State for another year. He plans to spend one postgraduate year at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. In addition to his folkstyle pursuits, Brooks is also a world-class freestyle competitor. Three times he has won a Fargo na- tional championship, and this past September he won a Cadet World title, competing in Athens, Greece. Next, he's eyeing a spot on the 2020 Olympic team at 74 kilograms. He'll use the year at the OTC to compete freestyle before heading to University Park to begin NCAA com- petition. When he arrives on campus, he will look to continue his interna- tional wrestling career with the Nit- tany Lion Wrestling Club. In addition to an accomplished ca- reer on the mat, Penn State is also getting what his high school coach describes as a "very humble [and] unassuming kid." "The thing that impressed me the most was that he was matside for every kid on our team that was wrestling," North Hagerstown head coach Greg Slick told the Herald-Mail in 2016. "He's got such a deep concern for his teammates, as well as that competitive will to win. "He's a very special wrestler, a spe- cial athlete. The national champi- onship is wonderful, but I'm impressed with his desire to be a good teammate. That's the cool part for me to watch – but the wrestling is pretty cool, too." –T.O. Maryland state champ commits to Nittany Lions BROOKS Although there is a possibility he might not be Sanderson's postseason option at 197, Anthony Cassar upended No. 1- ranked Kollin Moore, 5-2, handing the re- turning Big Ten champion his first loss of the season. The result put the entire outcome of the dual on the shoulders of the heavy- weights. Ohio State's Kyle Snyder, a two-time NCAA champ and an Olympic and world freestyle gold medalist, needed to beat Nevills by 13 or more points in order to give the Buckeyes the win or the tiebreaker. But Nevills wasn't having it. He scored the bout's first takedown, and although he wasn't able to maintain the lead, he fell only by decision, 15-10. That result secured a 1-point team win for the Nittany Lions. "On this night, they won the battle," Ohio State head coach Tom Ryan said. "There are two more times that we'll be in these battles, and we have to win them. ... We're bummed, they're excited, but at the end of the night it has no impact on who wins the national tournament or the Big Ten tournament." Therein lies the contradiction of the regular season. Penn State triumphed in the dual meets, finishing undefeated in Big Ten competition for the third regular season in a row and laying claim to a sig- nificant title. But in this sport, it's only the beginning. They'll meet again on Michigan State's campus for the second go-around, and even that isn't the end game. Last year, the Buckeyes edged Penn State for the Big Ten tournament crown, but it was the Nittany Lions who prevailed in St. Louis, claiming their sixth national title in seven seasons. By many measures, the dual meet sea- son is just a prelude to the postseason. "It's one of three battles," Ryan said. "You've got the dual meet, you've got Big Tens coming up and then the NCAAs, so it's one of three battles. ... You've got to be ready for these moments." And the opponents that gave Penn State two of its three closest fights of the sea- son will also be pushing them in the up- coming tournaments. ■

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