Penn State's Aaron Brooks continued his magical run Friday night at the U.S. Olympic Trials, where he will face off against the Magic Man for a spot in the Summer Olympics. Meanwhile, Jason Nolf defeated a legend, and the two former Nittany Lions will clash for the title as the trials conclude Saturday at Penn State.
After a day of intense competition at the Bryce Jordan Center, Penn State wrestling will be represented in three of the six men's freestyle championship series. In fact, all three of his matches in the finals will be against Penn State and the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club. The best-of-three finals will determine who will represent Team USA in Paris. Here's what's going to happen at State University on Saturday.
Aaron Brooks does it again.
Brooks, a four-time NCAA champion at Penn State, has won some great games in his career, and Friday night's game was one of the best. In the final match of the night, the Freestyle Challenge 86kg final, Brooks came back from a 6-3 deficit with 25 seconds left to defeat Zahid Valencia 7-6. Brooks earned a high-profile date in the best-of-three championship series with former Penn State star David Taylor, a three-time world champion and Olympic gold medalist.
Brooks and Valencia had a truly epic battle, albeit with a controversial result. Valencia conceded a takedown in the second period and fell behind 3-1, but made a four-point move of his own to take a 5-3 lead. Valencia started the attack on his own mat and finished it on the mat next to him. Penn State's coaches challenged the decision but lost, giving Valencia an extra point and a 6-3 lead.
But at this point, no one is considering Brooks, who started his comeback with 25 seconds left. Brooks got a takedown to cut the gap to one point, and he tied it with a step-out point. With six seconds left, Valencia, which should have won the match against Thailand based on their criteria, was called to take Brooks' jersey. This penalty provided the deciding point in Brooks' dramatic 7-6 victory.
Brooks will be looking to face Taylor in the Championship Series for the second year in a row. Last year, Taylor defeated Brooks 6-0, 5-4 in the World Championship Qualifying Final X to win his third World Championship.
Jason Nolf breaks the legend
Nolf, a three-time NCAA champion at Penn State, had an impressive 3-0 victory over seven-time international champion Jordan Burrows in the 74kg freestyle semifinals. Nolf had a special moment of celebration in front of his home crowd, who seemed to enjoy making Burrows the temporary villain.
Nolf had two scoring opportunities taken off the board by challenges, including a come-from-behind takedown with six seconds left in the first period. Perhaps energized, Nolf exploded at the second period whistle and scored a decisive takedown. Burrows, 35, was unable to provide any offensive power in the final three minutes, then shook hands with Cael Sanderson and Bo Niccal in the Penn State corner. Some fans booed Burrows, a scene that began earlier in the day.
After winning the challenge tournament, Nolf advanced to Saturday's best-of-three championship finals where he faced fellow Nittany Lion Wrestling Club resident Kyle Dake. Dak won a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics and is a four-time world champion.
Penn State fans were frustrated Friday night during Burroughs' game against Mitchell Mazenbrink. Mitchell Mazenbrink was a high-octane Nittany Lion who bulldozed his way into the NCAA finals at 165 pounds, winning his first match at the Trials with a resounding victory. However, Burrows controlled the game, scoring the first seven points and converting Mesenbrink's offense into points. However, the match became a test in the second half as Burrows shoved Moesenbrink's head after Moesenbrink pinned Burrows' ankle out of bounds. Messenbrink scored two points on the push, Burrows won 8-3, and the fans booed him into the tunnel.
Penn State vs. Penn State Finals
If Brooks vs. Taylor wasn't enough, Penn State fans will get to see another Nittany Lion show in the 65kg freestyle final as Zane Retherford takes on Nick Lee. The wrestlers have combined for five NCAA titles, with Retherford winning three from 2016-18 and Lee winning a pair from 2021-22. They were also the top seeds in the heavyweight division. Retherford, 28, advanced to the semifinals by default as the 2023 world champion. Lee, the top seed in the challenge tournament, won gold at this year's Pan American Championships.
Lee had a dynamic match against Andrew Alires in the semifinals, outscoring him and winning 11-9. Retherford then defeated Ohio State's Jesse Mendez in a close 3-2 decision to win three games as the No. 11 seed in his division on Friday. However, the winner of Retherford Lee is not guaranteed a trip to Paris. To get there, the winner will need to earn a spot in the U.S. weight class at the final Olympic qualifiers in Turkey in May.
NLWC's Thomas Gilman advances to face Spencer Lee
Nittany Lion Wrestling Club's Thomas Gilman faces a difficult return to the Olympics. The former Iowa wrestler, who is currently training in State College, will face fellow former Iowa wrestler Spencer Lee in the 57kg final. The former Hawkeyes begin a best-of-three series Saturday morning. The winner must fight in Turkey in May to qualify for the U.S. Olympic weight class. Gilman, a bronze medalist at the Tokyo Games, looked sharp with three takedowns in a 6-0 win over Dayton Fix in the semifinals. Lee turned even sharper in his 13-6 win over Zane Richards.
NLWC representative Jen Page tried Macy Kelty in the women's 62kg challenge final, but ultimately lost 9-8.
Next up is the Nittany Lions.
Penn State's Greg Kerkvliet, who won Friday's opener with technical superiority, faced two-time world medalist Nick Gwiazdowski in the 125kg freestyle semifinals. Gwiazdowski scored twice in the second period to break a 1-1 tie and win 5-1.
Penn State's four-time national champion Carter Starocci, who won his last title despite a leg injury early Friday morning, opened with a dynamic 12-4 victory over Pat Downey in the 86kg freestyle. War has come. However, after losing 6-4 to Trent Hidley in the second round, Starocci suffered an injury default in the repechage match and ended his trial.
Levi Haynes, who went undefeated to win the 157-pound NCAA title, lost two decisions in the 74-kilogram freestyle at his first Olympic trials. And her teammate Beau Bartlett, a 141-pound NCAA runner-up, suffered a heartbreaking loss in the 65-kilogram freestyle repechage. Bartlett was initially awarded a late takedown for a 4-3 win over Joey McKenna, but the takedown was overturned on review and McKenna won 3-2.
AllPennState is your destination for Penn State news, opinions and perspectives on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles, and an impressive catalog of articles. Follow him on Twitter @MarkWogenrich.
