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Penn State wrestling ties clinch Olympic berths: Newsstand

Greg Pickelby:Greg Pickel•04/22/24•

GregPickel

Aaron Brooks celebrates after defeating David Taylor in the 86 kilogram best-of-three championship series during the U.S. Olympic Team Trials at the Bryce Jordan Center April 20, 2024, in State College. Brooks won the series, 2-0. (Credit: © Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK)
Aaron Brooks celebrates after defeating David Taylor in the 86 kilogram best-of-three championship series during the U.S. Olympic Team Trials at the Bryce Jordan Center April 20, 2024, in State College. Brooks won the series, 2-0. (Credit: © Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK)

Penn State news, notes, and updates for April 22 include an Olympic Team Trials recap, headlines of the day, and more.

It’s time to dive into Monday’s top tweets and headlines about the Nittany Lions and college athletics.

Penn State tweets of the day

We start with a look back at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials. The two-day event at the Bryce Jordan Center sets the national teams that will compete at this summer’s Olympic games and also this year’s World tournaments. Penn State has a total of four connections who are on the men’s Olympic freestyle team. Aaron Brooks beat David Taylor for the 84-kilogram spot by a score of 2-0 in a best-of-three series.

He’s one of the first guys to make this program what it is, him and a couple other guys,” Brooks said, per PennLive. “It’s been a blessing being around him, watching what he does. He definitely made history in wrestling.”

NLWC member Kyle Dake beat Nittany Lion alum Jason Nolf 2-0 in the 74-kilogram final. And, Nittany Lion Wrestling Club member Kyle Snyder cruised to the 97-kilogram title.

Last but not least, Zain Retherford took out Nick Lee in the 65-kilogram final. However, he has just made the U.S. Senior Team for now. He will have to qualify the U.S. for that weight class at the Olympics by finishing in the top three at next month’s last chance qualifier event in Turkey.

Former Nittany Lion coach and current NLWC coach Jake Varner was also named the USA Wrestling Men’s Freestyle Coach of the Year at the event.

Headlines of the day

Olympic Team Trials champion Zain Retherford waged more than 1 battle to win title: Carlson, PennLive

Penn State spring progress report: What did we learn about the tight ends?: Pickel, BWI

Could Carter Starocci Return to Penn State to Pursue a Fifth NCAA Title?: Wogenrich, SI

What did we learn, and what questions do we have, about the Penn State receivers after spring?: Pickel, BWI

Potential for College Football Playoff Game Shifts Penn State’s Fall 2024 Commencement Date: Rushton, Statecollege.com

Penn State locks in two more official visits for June: Snyder, BWI

LB Curtis Jacobs displays upside as athlete, pass-defender: Hill, Daily Collegian

Quote of the day

“We have so many killers in the room. Obviously, you guys saw (Alex) Facundo and (Levi) Haines go at it (at 74kg) and those guys are really good guys. I know Haines doesn’t want to be at 57 anymore and Facundo’s having a hard time making 65. It would be good on my part to make the decision so our team kind of formulates, but however the team formulates, I don’t think anyone’s coming close to Penn State for a long, long time.”

–Carter Starocci to PennLive about possibly returning 2024-2025.

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