Penn State wrestler Brady Berge to step away from competition due to injuries
After a 10-3 season that ended with a tournament-ending injury in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Wrestling Championships, Penn State redshirt junior Brady Berge announced his decision to graduate and step away from competition on Wednesday.
“Due to my concussions and my own health, it is in my best interest to step away from the sport,” he wrote on social media. “It is not an easy decision, I have had the goal of being a national champion since I can remember. I am not defined by my wins and losses. I am defined by my faith in God and the person he had guided me to become.”
Berge came into the Nittany Lions’ program in 2017 as a promising recruit. He was a three-time Minnesota state champion from Kasson-Mantorville High School, missing out on his fourth title after a leg injury in the semifinals his senior year. He had been ranked as a top-10 overall recruit by both FloWrestling and InterMat.
Injuries, however, kept 157-pounder from reaching his full potential with the Nittany Lions.
After a 20-5 redshirt freshman season, Berge suffered a head injury at the U23 World Championships, right before the start of his sophomore season in 2019. He briefly returned to the mat, but only wrestled two matches that season, going 1-1.
He had made a strong return to the mat this season, and was putting together a promising run at the NCAA Championships — including knocking off Iowa’s No. 3 seed Kaleb Young — in St. Louis, until it was ended with a leg injury.
He’ll leave a hole on Penn State’s roster at 157 pounds, and it’s not immediately clear who will fill it. The two wrestlers listed on Penn State’s roster at the weight class are freshmen Austin Boone and Matt Lee (149/157).
“I don’t believe there’s a sport out there that can teach you the life lessons wrestling will teach you,” Berge wrote. “This sport has brought me around the best mentors, teammates and coaches that walk the Earth. I am eternally grateful for everyone I have met through this sport.”
