PENN. STATE. PERFECT. - Nittany Lions Cap off Team Title with 5-0 Run in NCAA Finals
SOURCE: gopsusports.com
March 19, 2022

 


Bravo-Young, Lee, Starocci, Brooks, Dean all claim individual crowns to add to team title

DETROIT, Mich. - The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team, under the guidance of head coach Cael Sanderson, added five individual champions to its 2022 NCAA Wrestling Championship team title. The Nittany Lions went a perfect 5-0 in the national finals to cap off a dominant weekend in Detroit.

Senior Roman Bravo-Young (Tucson, Ariz.), senior Nick Lee (Evansville, Ind.), sophomore Carter Starocci (Erie, Pa.), junior Aaron Brooks (Hagerstown, Md.) and junior Max Dean (Lowell, Mich.) all claimed individual championships in a Penn State Perfect final session.

Penn State won the team title earlier in the day, clinching during session 5 thanks in large part to All-American Greg Kerkvliet's (Inver Grove Heights, Minn.) big win in consolation semifinals. The Nittany Lions amassed 131.5 points, nearly 40 more than second place Michigan's 95.0. Iowa finished third with 74.0. Sanderson was named 2022 NCAA Championship Tournament Coach of the Year by the National Wrestling Coaches Association after the tournament ended.

Penn State entered the finals having already clinched the 2022 NCAA Championship. The title is Penn State's 10th overall and the ninth since Sanderson's arrival in Happy Valley for the 2009-10 season. The Lions have won nine of the last 11 contested NCAA championship tournaments (2020 was cancelled by the NCAA).

Senior Roman Bravo-Young (Tucson, Ariz.), the No. 1 seed at 133, met No. 2 Daton Fix in Penn State's first national title bout. The duo worked the middle of the mat for the first minute before Bravo-Young instigated a quick scramble with a low shot. After a reset, Bravo-Young moved in with a low shot that led to a takedown and a 2-1 lead for the Lion at the 1:45 mark. Fix, trailing 2-1 after the opening period, took down to start the second stanza. He escaped to a 2-2 tie and action resumed in neutral. Fix nearly connected on a single at the :55 mark but Bravo-Young slid out of trouble and forced a stalemate and the bout moved to the third tied 2-2. Bravo-Young chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 3-2 lead. Fix initiated a scramble at the 1:20 mark but no one scored. Bravo-Young nearly worked through a high shot seconds later but Fix was able to force a stalemate with :42 on the clock. Bravo-Young worked defense for the remaining seconds and posted the 3-2 victory, claiming his second NCAA title in a row. Bravo-Young went 5-0 with a major and a pin. Bravo-Young ended the season with a 22-0 record. He leaves Detroit as a four-time All-American and a two-time national champion. Bravo-Young is 80-9 over his career.


Senior Nick Lee (Evansville, Ind.), the No. 1 seed at 141, took on No. 15 Kizhan Clarke of North Carolina in the finals. Clarke came out firing and took Lee down quickly to open up a 2-1 lead after a quick Lee escape. After each wrestler attempted a throw, action returned to neutral, all in the first minute. Lee took the lead seconds later, taking Clarke down for a 3-2 edge with 1:30 left in the opening period. Lee then put together a strong ride, building up over 1:00 in riding time. Clarke got hit for a stall warning and Lee finished on top to lead 3-2 with 1:40 in time after one. Lee chose down to start the second and quickly escaped to a 4-2 lead. Lee added another takedown and opened up a 6-2 margin with 1:30 on the clock. The Lion worked his riding time over 2:00 while looking to turn the Tar Heel grappler. Lee picked up a stall point with :30 left and, finishing on top, led 7-2 with clinched riding time (3:09) after two. Clarke chose neutral to start the third period. Lee stayed on offense. He stepped back from a slight Clarke shot and then worked his way around him for another takedown and a 9-2 lead. Clarke added a late escape, but Lee's dominance allowed him to roll to a 10-3 victory and become a two-time NCAA Champion. Lee went 5-0 in Detroit with a major and a pin. He ended his season with a 22-0 record. Lee leaves his final NCAA tournament as a five-time All-American and a two-time national champion. Lee ends his stellar Penn State career with a 118-13 record.

Sophomore Carter Starocci (Erie, Pa.), the No. 1 seed at 174, battled No. 2 Mekhi Lewis of Virginia Tech in his tile match. Lewis got in on an early single, forcing Starocci work try and work off the single leg. The Lion was able to force a stalemate and reset at 2:08. The duo battle evenly for the next minute and the clock ticked below the 1:00 mark. After a scoreless first period, Starocci chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. Lewis used a quick shot to take Starocci down and take a 2-1 lead with 1:38 on the clock. Starocci worked his way to an escape and a 2-2 tie at 1:05. Lewis chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 3-2 lead. Starocci bulled in on a high double and worked Lewis down for a takedown and a 4-3 lead at the 1:20 mark. Starocci controlled Lewis until the :49 mark when Lewis escaped to a 4-4 tie. The duo battled for the last seconds and the match went to sudden victory tied 4-4. Starocci forced Lewis into a stall warning as the clock hit 1:00. Starocci was in on a double as the period ended but time ran out, sending the match to sudden victory. Starocci was down first and escaped in :06, taking a 5-4 lead. Lewis was down next and Starocci controlled Lewis until the last seconds. Lewis escaped but not in time and Starocci posted the 5-5 (TB-2 RT) victory to become a two-time NCAA Champion. Starocci went 5-0 with a pin to win. He ends his season with a 23-0 record and leaves Detroit as a two-time All-American, two-time NCAA Champion.

Junior Aaron Brooks (Hagerstown, Md.), the No. 2 seed at 184, faced off against No. 1 Myles Amine of Michigan in the title bout. Amine took a slight shot and Brooks nearly countered with a single, but the Wolverines skipped out of trouble and the bout continued in neutral at the 2:05 mark. Brooks' pressure forced Amine to the outside circle as the clock moved to the 1:20 mark. Brooks continued to move in on offense and turned a single into a double and took Amine down for a 2-0 lead with 1:09 on the clock. Brooks finished the period with a strong ride and led 2-0 with 1:09 in riding time after one. Amine chose down to start the second and Brooks controlled the action on offense, maintaining top position as he worked his time edge up over 2:00. Brooks got called for stalling at the :44 mark but maintained top position. Amine got called for stalling trying to work his way off the mat and Brooks finished the period on top to lead 2-0 with 3:09 in time after two. Brooks chose down to start the third and muscled his way to a reversal and a 4-0 lead with 1:45 on the clock. Brooks maintained control until the 1:10 mark when Amine escaped. Brooks continued to shoot and forced a scramble that led to an Amine takedown at the :07 mark. But Brooks, with riding time, posted the convincing 5-3 victory and become a two-time NCAA Champion. Brooks went 5-0 with three majors to win another crown. Brooks ends his season with a 21-1 record and leaves NCAAs as a three-time All-American and a two-time NCAA Champion.

Junior Max Dean (Lowell, Mich.), the No. 1 seed at 197, took on No. 6 Jacob Warner of Iowa in the last of Penn State's five title bouts. Dean and Warner worked the center circle for the first minute in neutral. Action continued with both men working for control with no advantage gained and the clock hit the :50 mark still scoreless. Tied 0-0, Warner chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. Dean worked the center circle, looking for a chance on offense but Warner was able to match his efforts and the clock moved down below :40. Trailing 1-0, Dean chose down to start the third period. The Nittany Lion escaped quickly and tied the bout at 1-1 with 1:40. Dean countered a slight Warner shot at the :40 mark and took a 3-1 lead with a fast shot, taking Warner down with :32 on the clock. Warner managed a late escape, but Dean's late burst was the difference. Dean posted the 3-2 win to earn his first NCAA title. He went 5-0 in Detroit to win the title. Dean ends the season with a 23-1 overall record. He leaves Detroit as a three-time All-American and a newly minted NCAA Champion.

Sophomore Greg Kerkvliet (Inver Grove Heights, Minn.), the No. 4 seed at 285, took fourth and is Penn State's sixth All-American of 2022. Kerkvliet rolled to the semifinals by pinning No. 29 Brandon Metz (4:17) in the first round, majoring No. 13 Tate Orndorff of Ohio State 10-1, and posting a 7-1 win over No. 12 Christian Lance of Nebraska in the quarterfinals. In the semis, he battled No. 1 Gable Steveson of Minnesota tough before dropping an 8-3 decision. Kerkvliet closed out his All-America run during Saturday's Session 5 with a big win over Michigan's Mason Parris and placed fourth with a 4-1 mark, with the Parris win helping clinch Penn State's team title.

Senior Drew Hildebrandt (Granger, Ind.) went 1-2 at 125, sophomore Beau Bartlett went 1-2 at 149 and senior Brady Berge (Mantorville, Minn.) went 2-2 with a pin at 157 for Penn State, with all three ending their tournament runs in Friday's third session.

Penn State and Michigan will leave Detroit as the only two teams with six All-Americans in 2022. This marks the second time Penn State crowned fully half, five, of a season's national champions, going five-for-five in the NCAA finals. The Nittany Lions were also perfect in 2016 (Zain Retherford, Jason Nolf, Vincenzo Joseph, Mark Hall, Bo Nickal).

The Nittany Lions went 5-0 in the national finals and finished the tournament with a 33-7 mark. Penn State collected 16.5 bonus points off seven majors, one technical fall and four pins. Since 2011, Penn State is 32-13 in the NCAA finals. Penn State has crowned 53 total national champions in its history, 34 under Sanderson. Penn State has had multiple national champions in all but three of Sanderson's years as a head coach.

The Nittany Lions have won ten NCAA titles overall, owning a championship from 1953. The Nittany Lions won four-straight titles in 2011, '12, '13 and '14 and again in 2016, '17, '18 and '19. Penn State has won nine of the last 11 contested NCAA Championships (all since Sanderson's arrival at Penn State and he is in his 13th season this year). Sanderson's 13-year head coaching ledger for team finishes at NCAAs since arriving at Penn State is as follows: 2010 (9th), 2011 (1st), 2012 (1st), 2013 (1st), 2014 (1st), 2015 (6th), 2016 (1st), 2017 (1st), 2018 (1st), 2019 (1st), 2020 (no tourn.), 2021 (2nd), 2022 (1st).


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