Blue White Illustrated

February 2022

Penn State Sports Magazine

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F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 2 4 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M THREE BEST WRESTLERS 1. Aaron Brooks | Jr. | 184 Brooks is in the conversation with Minnesota's Gable Steveson as the best pound-for-pound athlete in college wrestling. He was 11-0 this season after earning a 4-0 decision over Michigan State's Layne Malczewski on Jan. 23. The Maryland native's most impressive win came in mid-January. At Michigan, the nation's No. 1 184-pounder beat No. 2 Myles Amine, 3-1, with beautiful defense and a nifty counter to hold serve in the rankings. Brooks, a defending NCAA champ, dominates match-in and match-out. 2. Max Dean | Jr. | 197 Dean was ranked No. 2 at 197 pounds when this edition of BWI when to press. But he's been No. 1 for Penn State in his weight class after beating out All-American Michael Beard for the job after transferring in from Cornell. Dean is often an aggressor and was 12-1 on the season heading into the Nittany Lions' visit to Iowa on Jan. 28. 3. Greg Kerkvliet | So. | 285 While we realize that Penn State also has top-ranked wrestlers at 133 pounds (Roman Bravo-Young), 141 (Nick Lee), and 174 (Carter Starocci), we give the closest of head bobs to the fourth- ranked Kerkvliet over RBY for this spot. Our mind was made up once the Nittany Lion heavyweight had enough gas tank left to upset Michigan's second-ranked Mason Parris, 8-5, in Ann Arbor. It was impressive stuff. But, make no mistake, the others have been mighty impressive, too. Following the Michigan State match, Kerkvliet was 11-0 on the season. KEY MOMENT Let's go with Penn State's efforts to fix its lineup during the middle of the season. The Lions made two extremely important additions to their roster between the time they left the Collegiate Wrestling Duals in Florida in late December and when they arrived at Maryland to kick off the 2022 portion of the regular season in early January. At 125 pounds, Drew Hildebrandt, who was a two-time All-American at Central Michigan, used the transfer portal to join Penn State for the spring se- mester. The graduate transfer was just what was needed after a bumpy stretch of results for the Lions at that weight class earlier in the year. A short while later, Brady Berge, who retired from competition last April due to concussions, decided he was coming back for another season. The senior quickly took Creighton Edsell's place at 165, which didn't necessarily appear to be a scoring weight prior to his return. Penn State's biggest question mark now rests at 157. But the good news for PSU is that it's really the only one. BEST HIGHLIGHT How can we not go with what Brooks did to beat Amine? With the bout tied, 1-1, in the third period, the Michigan wrestler got in on a very deep single-leg shot. It's fair to say that he would have secured a take- down against anyone else in the weight class. But Brooks, showing extreme strength and stamina, kept his hips heavy to fend off Amine's drive and then eventually countered him for the winning takedown in a 3-1 victory. PREDICTION Penn State will find a way to score points at the national tournament at 157 pounds. It might seem crazy to read that, considering how inconsistent the results have been at that weight class. But things have been going the Nittany Lions' way so far this season, so why not that? — Greg Pickel PENN STATE WRESTLING SUPERLATIVES JAN. 7-23 Defending NCAA champion Aaron Brooks has been dominant throughout the season for the Nittany Lions, compiling an 11-0 record at 184 pounds. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL ing people in. The name of the game, in Sanderson's words, is competing. "All we want our kids to do is just compete. It's more important than whether you win or lose," he said. "It's the way you compete and always getting back up if you get knocked down … that kind of thing. We're going to compete in everything we do, and that's the mes- sage that sends." The arrival of new wrestlers means others are heading out of the lineup, and Sanderson said he can only attempt to be as fair as possible. "Everybody has an equal opportunity to make the team and to compete for the team. And that will never change," Sanderson said. "We're trying to put the best team we can out there, and when you come to Penn State, our goal is to be the best team in the country and win and compete for national titles every year. That's just an expectation." Junior Aaron Brooks, the defending NCAA champ at 184, said he expects the Lions to enjoy continued success. "We're just hitting our stride," he said. "It's a good time for us, and the team is coming together not just wrestling-wise, but chemistry and bonding and those kinds of things, which I think is what re- ally makes a championship team." — Jim Carlson

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