Penn State wrestler Aaron Brooks wins U23 World Championship
Penn State wrestler Aaron Brooks has added another title to his already dazzling resume. The Nittany Lion senior won the 86-kilogram (189 pounds) bracket at the U23 World Championships on Tuesday in Albani. The four-time All-American and three-time NCAA champ at 184 pounds beat the defending U23 86-kilogram champ, Tatsuya Shirai of Japan, by technical fall, 10-0, in the finals.
“Brooks opened up a 2-0 lead one minute into the first period,” a Penn State news release says. “He dominated the opening period, notching a total of three takedowns, one four-pointer and a leg lace to end the bout, posting the 10-0 tech fall to win his world title.”
Brooks was 5-0 at the prestigious event. He beat Turkey’s Ismail Kucuksolak in his opening bout then stopped Owen James Martin of Canada by technical fall in the second round. He then topped Moldova’s Ivan Ichizli in the quarterfinals to set up a date with Arslan Bagaev of the Individual Neutral Athletes in the semis, who he beat 5-4. Then, he toppled Shirai to earn gold.
Penn State will likely bump Brooks up to 197 pounds this season. However, he and other Nittany Lions must decide if they will compete collegiately or taken an Olympic redshirt. By winning U23 Worlds, Brooks has qualified for the Team USA Team Trials, which will be held April 19-20 in the Bryce Jordan Center.
Other Penn State wrestlers have scored freestyle success this offseason, too
Brooks is not the only current or former Penn State wrestler who has had success on the world stage this offseason while competing on the freestyle circuit. Zain Retherford and David Taylor won gold at Senior Worlds earlier this year. Taylor, of course, is the incumbent on the Olympic team at 86 kilograms. So, Brooks would have to knock him off to earn a spot on the team.
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Elsewhere, Mitchell Mesenbrink, who will compete in the middle weights for the Lions after transferring in this offseason, won a gold medal at the U20 World Championships.
2023-2024 wrestling lineup outlook
Penn State will be favored to win the Big Ten and NCAA Tournaments again this year. The Lions lost multi-time national champion Roman Bravo-Young from last year’s lineup. But, they return plenty of highly-successful wrestlers and also added some intriguing newcomers.
Here’s the Blue-White Illustrated projected lineup for the 2023-2024 season:
125 pounds: Robbie Howard OR Gary Steen
133 pounds: Aaron Nagao
141 pounds: Beau Bartlett
149 pounds: Shayne Van Ness
157 pounds: Levi Haines OR MItchell Mesenbrink
165 pounds: Alex Facundo OR Mitchell Mesenbrink
174 pounds: Carter Starocci
184 pounds: Aaron Brooks OR Bernie Truax IV
197 pounds: Aaron Brooks OR Bernie Truax IV
285 pounds: Greg Kerkvliet
