What to know about each of Penn State wrestling’s NCAA Championships finals matches
Penn State’s Aaron Brooks has been watching the NCAA Wrestling Championships since he was six years old.
Ever since he started wrestling, his dad would turn on the tournament every March. And since then, he’s dreamed of having the opportunity to vie for a national title.
But when addressing reporters Friday night, blood dripping down his nose after his NCAA semifinal win over Northern Iowa’s Parker Keckeisen, the Nittany Lion sophomore wasn’t letting the pressure get to him.
“I just wanted to take that same mindset in each of match of that six-year-old me that was like, ‘Hey, I wish I could be out there,’” he said. “It’s been a blessing. I’m super grateful. It’s God’s plan. It’s my time.”
Brooks was one of four Nittany Lions to punch his ticket to the NCAA finals Friday night. He’ll be joined Saturday evening on the raised stage by teammates Roman Bravo-Young, Nick Lee and Carter Starocci.
All four wrestlers had a similar mindset looking ahead to the finals — to relax and have fun.
“If you can breathe, you’re ready to go,” Starocci said, matter-of-factly.
Here’s what to look forward to in Penn State’s matchups on Saturday:
133-pound final
No. 2 Roman Bravo-Young. (Penn State) vs. No. 1 Daton Fix (Oklahoma State)
Saturday’s 133-pound final between Bravo-Young and Fix has been one of the most anticipated all season. In part, it’s because the wrestlers are two of the most exciting in the game right now, but also because they have yet to meet in a collegiate bout.
The Oklahoma State redshirt sophomore has a long list of accolades. He finished as runnerup as a freshman at the 2019 NCAA championships, then went on to knock off 2017 world silver medalist Thomas Gilman to make the Senior World Team that summer. He took an Olympic redshirt the next season to focus on international wrestling.
Bravo-Young, now a three-time All-American, finished eighth as a true freshman in 2019, the same year Fix found himself in the finals. But, according to Bravo-Young, he’s grown a lot since then.
“I think I’ve just jumped levels since my freshman year,” Bravo-Young said. “I took eighth, now I’m in the finals. I think I’m just doing all the little things the right way. My freshman year, I cut some corners, I really didn’t know what to expect. But now, I’m just doing everything the right way, eating, sleeping, mindset, just doing everything right now.”
While Bravo-Young and Fix have never wrestled each other before, Bravo-Young does get to wrestle one of Fix’s previous opponents — Gilman — in the practice room every day. The former three-time All-American from Iowa now trains with the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club.
While the final outcome may be hard to predict, the bout will undoubtedly be entertaining. Both have been largely dominant in their NCAA championships runs so far. Fix has earned bonus points in three of his four bouts, while Bravo-Young picked up bonus in two.
“I’m going to go out there and let it fly. I’m in the finals, why not?,” Bravo-Young said. “I’m going to go out there and put on a show. That’s what I like to do. It’s going to be a fun match, I’ll tell you that much. I’m excited.”
141-pound final
No. 2 Nick Lee (Penn State) vs. No. 1 Jaydin Eierman (Iowa)
Unlike with Bravo-Young and Fix, the pair in the 141-pound final are much more familiar with each other.
They met up just two weeks ago in the Big Ten finals, where Eierman got the better of the Nittany Lion with a 6-5 decision. Lee beat Eierman in freestyle at Senior Nationals in December 2019, while Eierman dominated their only other folkstyle matchup with a 12-4 major decision in 2018.
But for Lee, the familiarity just makes the battle more fun.
“The guy I wrestle tomorrow, I’ve wrestled him before,” he said Friday evening. “I’ve wrestled him like three times now and it’s more fun each time because you kind of have to strategize. It’s like a chess match. To a lot of fans, it kind of looks like a brawl, and it is sometimes. But it’s fun whenever you get really good opponents and you really have to think a little bit. So I’m excited; it’s going to be a fun match.”
Eierman and Lee have both picked up bonus points in three of their four matches leading up to the finals. The Hawkeye has two pins and a technical fall, while the Nittany Lion has a tech fall and two major decisions. Eierman earned a fall of North Carolina State’s Tariq Wilson to make the finals, while Lee battled it out with another familiar foe — Rutgers’ Sebastian Rivera — for a 9-3 decision, widening the margin of victory from his 8-6 sudden-victory win two weeks ago.
Lee said he had to “mix things up” against Rivera and wrestle the match differently this time. And that’s what he’s looking forward to doing against Eierman.
“I think that’s something that makes the tournament a little more fun, when you have to mix things up,” he said.
174-pound final
No. 3 Carter Starocci (Penn State) vs. No. 1 Michael Kemerer (Iowa)
For a freshman who just made the finals in his first NCAA Championships, Starocci didn’t seem too fazed Friday night.
“I don’t feel any pressure and our team doesn’t feel any pressure,” he said. “We go to practice and we have the best guys everywhere. Our coaches are still scrapping with us. So when we go out here and wrestle these guys, it’s kind of like fun. It’s like a playground, honestly.”
His Saturday opponent, however, isn’t one to overlook.
Kemerer has been dominant all year. He was 7-0 heading into NCAAs, including a 7-2 decision over Starocci in the Big Ten finals. The senior has kept his dominance going this weekend, earning bonus points in three of his four bouts.
So far this tournament, Starocci has earned his wins by much closer margins than Kemerer, using an escape and a third-period rideout to top Utah Valley’s No. 2-seed Demetrius Romero 2-0 in the semifinals. Starocci made it into the semifinals with a 6-3 decision over MAC champion Andrew McNally, of Kent State.
But even though Kemerer, a sixth-year senior, has been putting up more points and has the edge on Starocci in experience, the Hawkeye recognizes what his opponent is capable of.
“(He’s a) tough opponent, a lot of respect there,” Kemerer said. “Just got to be confident in my stuff, do what I do and go out, wrestle hard. It doesn’t really change. The goal’s the same every time I step out on the mat. Just looking forward to that opportunity.”
184-pound final
No. 1 Aaron Brooks (Penn State) vs. No. 2 Trent Hidlay (North Carolina State)
Fresh off a Big Ten title last season as a freshman, Brooks was poised for a run at his first national title before the NCAA Championships were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But thanks to the NCAA’s decision not to make this season count toward eligibility, Brooks’ dream of becoming a four-time NCAA champ is still possible.
“Tomorrow’s the first step toward that goal,” he said Friday evening. “Thankfully the NCAA granted us this year and my dream’s still alive.”
Standing between Brooks and that dream is redshirt sophomore Trent Hidlay, of North Carolina State. Hidlay, the ACC champ at 184 pounds, earned close wins in the quarter and semifinals to find himself across from Brooks Saturday night.
Like Brooks, Hidlay, a District 6 wrestling product from Mifflin County High School, is also competing in his first NCAA Championships and has the chance to become a four-timer, thanks to that extra year of eligibility.
“It’s a match I feel really confident in,” Hidlay said. “If I can get to my attacks and score early and enjoy myself out there, if I can piece a few things together, ride hard, get off on bottom, just wrestle the way I want to, I’ll come out being content with the way I wrestled and win the title.”
Working in Brooks’ favor is the fact that the championships bouts are going to start off at 133 pounds, meaning all of his teammates will wrestle before he does. Watching his teammates compete, Brooks said, provides him with some extra motivation.
“I see my teammates winning, it shows that the effort and time we put into the room is paying off,” he said. “So it gives me a boost in motivation like hey, we’re doing the right things, our guys are winning.
“It’s my turn now.”
This story was originally published March 20, 2021 at 9:16 AM.
