Penn State won its 10th team title in 12 years at the NCAA Division I wrestling championships, despite unexpected losses by some of its wrestlers. Vito Arujau of Cornell defeated Penn State’s Roman Bravo-Young, a two-time defending champion and unbeaten No. 1 seed, for the title at 133. However, Penn State coach Cael Sanderson praised his team’s overall performance, saying that many great performances had been displayed. Spencer Lee was in the running to win his fourth title but lost in the semifinals to Purdue’s Matt Ramos. He medically forfeited out of Saturday’s action and officially finished sixth. Yianni Diakomihalis became the fifth Division I wrestler to win four national titles, defeating Ohio State’s Sammy Sasso in the 149-pound final. The event also featured a surprising win by Pat Glory of Princeton, who won 3-1 to claim Princeton’s first national title since 1951. Northern Colorado’s Andrew Alirez, North Carolina’s Austin O’Connor, Missouri’s Keegan O’Toole, Pitt’s Nino Bonaccorsi, and Michigan’s Mason Parris also won titles in their respective weight classes.
Cornell’s Yianni Diakomihalis made history on Saturday by becoming the fifth Division I wrestler to win four national titles. Meanwhile, Penn State won its 10th team title in 12 years at the NCAA Division I wrestling championships. Former President Donald Trump attended the evening session, shaking hands, taking selfies, and greeting several of the national champions. The crowd stood when he went to the arena floor before the night session began. Diakomihalis won the 149-pound final by defeating Ohio State’s Sammy Sasso 4-2. With this win, he joined Kyle Dake, Pat Smith, Logan Stieber, and Penn State’s coach Cael Sanderson as the only four-time champions ever in Division I.
Diakomihalis won national titles in 2018 and 2019 but took an Olympic redshirt year in 2019-20 to try and make Team USA. He couldn’t wrestle in college during the 2020-21 season because the Ivy League cancelled winter sports due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He came back to win in 2022 and 2023 and now has bigger goals in mind with the Olympics coming in 2024. Despite his win this weekend, Diakomihalis believes there’s more to come. He said, “What I did this weekend is far from the best version of myself. And it’s far, far, far from what I need to be an Olympic champion, world champion.”
Penn State claimed the team title, winning with 137.5 points, mathematically clinching before the evening session began. Iowa was second with 82.5 points, and Cornell placed third with 76.5. Two Penn State wrestlers won titles for the third straight season: Carter Starocci at 174 and Aaron Brooks at 184. Starocci pinned Nebraska’s Mikey Labriola early in the second period. He had defeated Labriola in the Big Ten final and gave him his only two losses of the season. Brooks, the No. 3 seed at 184, defeated top-seeded Parker Keckeisen of Northern Iowa 7-2.
Diakomihalis said, “All those guys are great because they’re different, and you know, my style is different. I might take bits and pieces from each guy, but when you see the final product, it’s its form.” His uniqueness and talent as a wrestler earned him the title of one of the best wrestlers of all time in NCAA Division I history.
Penn State had an unexpected loss at the NCAA Division I wrestling championship on Sunday, as third-seeded Vito Arujau of Cornell defeated Penn State’s Roman Bravo-Young, a two-time defending champion and unbeaten No. 1 seed, 10-4 for the title at 133. Bravo-Young had the nation’s longest winning streak at 56 matches. Despite this, Penn State still managed to win their 10th team title in 12 years.
Iowa’s Spencer Lee was in the running to win his fourth title but lost in the semifinals to Purdue’s Matt Ramos at 125 on Friday night. Lee medically forfeited out of Saturday’s action and officially finished sixth. Ramos followed up his stunning upset by facing Princeton’s Pat Glory, the unbeaten No. 2 seed who was the runner-up in the class last year. Glory won 3-1 to claim Princeton’s first national title since 1951.
At 141, Northern Colorado’s Andrew Alirez defeated Iowa’s Real Woods 6-4 in a matchup of unbeatens. Alirez claimed his school’s first national title since 1962.
At 157, North Carolina’s Austin O’Connor won his second national title with a 6-2 win over Penn State true freshman Levi Haines. O’Connor, who won at 149 in 2021, is now a five-time All-American.
At 165, Missouri’s Keegan O’Toole repeated by defeating Iowa State’s David Carr, 8-2. The second-seeded O’Toole avenged two losses to Carr this season by dominating the third period to pull away. Carr, the champ at 157 in 2021, was unbeaten and the No. 1 seed this season.
At 197, Pitt’s Nino Bonaccorsi, the No. 1 seed, finished an unbeaten season by defeating South Dakota State’s Tanner Sloan 5-3. Bonaccorsi took a 4-3 lead on a takedown in the final minute to take the lead for good. Bonaccorsi lost to Oklahoma State’s A.J. Ferrari in the 197 final in 2021.
And at 285, Michigan’s Mason Parris completed an unbeaten season with a 5-1 win over Penn State’s Greg Kerkvliet, the No. 3 seed. Parris and Kerkvliet had previously split six college matchups. Parris lost to Minnesota’s Gable Steveson in the final in 2021.
Penn State coach Cael Sanderson praised his team’s performance, stating that “A lot of gutsy, great performances” had been displayed at the event. Sanderson added that he was proud of his team’s achievements and would continue to support his wrestlers who didn’t reach their goals.
Spencer Lee’s injury was a big disappointment for fans who expected him to win his fourth title. Similarly, Bravo-Young’s defeat to Arujau ended his long winning streak and dashed his hopes of a third national title. Despite this, the competition was filled with many exciting matchups and unexpected results, making it a thrilling event for wrestling fans.
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