Penn State dominates for ninth wrestling national title in 11 years

ALTOONA, Pa. -- Penn State was so incredibly dominant that it clinched the national championship even before the individual finals were set to take place Saturday night. Oh, and then the Nittany Lions went out and dominated even more to cap a remarkable showing at the NCAA Wrestling Championships in Detroit.

Penn State claimed its ninth national title in 11 years and had five wrestlers capture individual championships, further cementing the Lions' dominance in the sport under coach Cael Sanderson.

The Lions, who had nine wrestlers qualify in the 10 weight classes, finished with 131.5 points, far ahead of second-place Michigan, which had 95.0 points. The Wolverines had edged Penn State by 1.5 points for the Big Ten title less than two weeks ago, but were no match for the Lions this time around.

With the team title already secure, the following five wrestlers went out and claimed individual championships Saturday night (along with recaps from GoPSUSports):

* Roman Bravo-Young (133), who won his second straight national title

Senior Roman Bravo-Young (Tucson, Ariz.), the No. 1 seed at 133, met No. 2 Daton Fix in Penn State's first national title bout. The duo worked the middle of the mat for the first minute before Bravo-Young instigated a quick scramble with a low shot. After a reset, Bravo-Young moved in with a low shot that led to a takedown and a 2-1 lead for the Lion at the 1:45 mark. Fix, trailing 2-1 after the opening period, took down to start the second stanza. He escaped to a 2-2 tie and action resumed in neutral. Fix nearly connected on a single at the :55 mark but Bravo-Young slid out of trouble and forced a stalemate and the bout moved to the third tied 2-2. Bravo-Young chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 3-2 lead. Fix initiated a scramble at the 1:20 mark but no one scored. Bravo-Young nearly worked through a high shot seconds later but Fix was able to force a stalemate with :42 on the clock. Bravo-Young worked defense for the remaining seconds and posted the 3-2 victory, claiming his second NCAA title in a row. Bravo-Young went 5-0 with a major and a pin. Bravo-Young ended the season with a 22-0 record. He leaves Detroit as a four-time All-American and a two-time national champion. Bravo-Young is 80-9 over his career.

* Nick Lee (141) also won his second title in a row

Senior Nick Lee (Evansville, Ind.), the No. 1 seed at 141, took on No. 15 Kizhan Clarke of North Carolina in the finals. Clarke came out firing and took Lee down quickly to open up a 2-1 lead after a quick Lee escape. After each wrestler attempted a throw, action returned to neutral, all in the first minute. Lee took the lead seconds later, taking Clarke down for a 3-2 edge with 1:30 left in the opening period. Lee then put together a strong ride, building up over 1:00 in riding time. Clarke got hit for a stall warning and Lee finished on top to lead 3-2 with 1:40 in time after one. Lee chose down to start the second and quickly escaped to a 4-2 lead. Lee added another takedown and opened up a 6-2 margin with 1:30 on the clock. The Lion worked his riding time over 2:00 while looking to turn the Tar Heel grappler. Lee picked up a stall point with :30 left and, finishing on top, led 7-2 with clinched riding time (3:09) after two. Clarke chose neutral to start the third period. Lee stayed on offense.  He stepped back from a slight Clarke shot and then worked his way around him for another takedown and a 9-2 lead. Clarke added a late escape, but Lee's dominance allowed him to roll to a 10-3 victory and become a two-time NCAA Champion. Lee went 5-0 in Detroit with a major and a pin. He ended his season with a 22-0 record. Lee leaves his final NCAA tournament as a five-time All-American and a two-time national champion. Lee ends his stellar Penn State career with a 118-13 record.

* Carter Starocci (174) also won his second straight title

Sophomore Carter Starocci (Erie, Pa.), the No. 1 seed at 174, battled No. 2 Mekhi Lewis of Virginia Tech in his tile match. Lewis got in on an early single, forcing Starocci work try and work off the single leg. The Lion was able to force a stalemate and reset at 2:08. The duo battle evenly for the next minute and the clock ticked below the 1:00 mark. After a scoreless first period, Starocci chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. Lewis used a quick shot to take Starocci down and take a 2-1 lead with 1:38 on the clock. Starocci worked his way to an escape and a 2-2 tie at 1:05. Lewis chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 3-2 lead. Starocci bulled in on a high double and worked Lewis down for a takedown and a 4-3 lead at the 1:20 mark. Starocci controlled Lewis until the :49 mark when Lewis escaped to a 4-4 tie. The duo battled for the last seconds and the match went to sudden victory tied 4-4. Starocci forced Lewis into a stall warning as the clock hit 1:00. Starocci was in on a double as the period ended but time ran out, sending the match to sudden victory. Starocci was down first and escaped in :06, taking a 5-4 lead. Lewis was down next and Starocci controlled Lewis until the last seconds. Lewis escaped but not in time and Starocci posted the 5-5 (TB-2 RT) victory to become a two-time NCAA Champion. Starocci went 5-0 with a pin to win. He ends his season with a 23-0 record and leaves Detroit as a two-time All-American, two-time NCAA Champion.

* Aaron Brooks (184), like the first three, captured his second title in a row

Junior Aaron Brooks (Hagerstown, Md.), the No. 2 seed at 184, faced off against No. 1 Myles Amine of Michigan in the title bout. Amine took a slight shot and Brooks nearly countered with a single, but the Wolverines skipped out of trouble and the bout continued in neutral at the 2:05 mark. Brooks' pressure forced Amine to the outside circle as the clock moved to the 1:20 mark. Brooks continued to move in on offense and turned a single into a double and took Amine down for a 2-0 lead with 1:09 on the clock.  Brooks finished the period with a strong ride and led 2-0 with 1:09 in riding time after one. Amine chose down to start the second and Brooks controlled the action on offense, maintaining top position as he worked his time edge up over 2:00. Brooks got called for stalling at the :44 mark but maintained top position. Amine got called for stalling trying to work his way off the mat and Brooks finished the period on top to lead 2-0 with 3:09 in time after two. Brooks chose down to start the third and muscled his way to a reversal and a 4-0 lead with 1:45 on the clock. Brooks maintained control until the 1:10 mark when Amine escaped. Brooks continued to shoot and forced a scramble that led to an Amine takedown at the :07 mark. But Brooks, with riding time, posted the convincing 5-3 victory and become a two-time NCAA Champion. Brooks went 5-0 with three majors to win another crown. Brooks ends his season with a 21-1 record and leaves NCAAs as a three-time All-American and a two-time NCAA Champion.

* Max Dean (197), a Cornell transfer, won his first national title

Junior Max Dean (Lowell, Mich.), the No. 1 seed at 197, took on No. 6 Jacob Warner of Iowa in the last of Penn State's five title bouts. Dean and Warner worked the center circle for the first minute in neutral. Action continued with both men working for control with no advantage gained and the clock hit the :50 mark still scoreless. Tied 0-0, Warner chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. Dean worked the center circle, looking for a chance on offense but Warner was able to match his efforts and the clock moved down below :40. Trailing 1-0, Dean chose down to start the third period. The Nittany Lion escaped quickly and tied the bout at 1-1 with 1:40. Dean countered a slight Warner shot at the :40 mark and took a 3-1 lead with a fast shot, taking Warner down with :32 on the clock. Warner managed a late escape, but Dean's late burst was the difference. Dean posted the 3-2 win to earn his first NCAA title. He went 5-0 in Detroit to win the title. Dean ends the season with a 23-1 overall record. He leaves Detroit as a three-time All-American and a newly minted NCAA Champion.

Here's how Penn State's other wrestlers performed at the national tournament, also from GoPSUSports:

Sophomore Greg Kerkvliet (Inver Grove Heights, Minn.), the No. 4 seed at 285, took fourth and is Penn State's sixth All-American of 2022. Kerkvliet rolled to the semifinals by pinning No. 29 Brandon Metz (4:17) in the first round, majoring No. 13 Tate Orndorff of Ohio State 10-1, and posting a 7-1 win over No. 12 Christian Lance of Nebraska in the quarterfinals. In the semis, he battled No. 1 Gable Steveson of Minnesota tough before dropping an 8-3 decision. Kerkvliet closed out his All-America run during Saturday's Session 5 with a big win over Michigan's Mason Parris and placed fourth with a 4-1 mark, with the Parris win helping clinch Penn State's team title.

Senior Drew Hildebrandt (Granger, Ind.) went 1-2 at 125, sophomore Beau Bartlett went 1-2 at 149 and senior Brady Berge (Mantorville, Minn.) went 2-2 with a pin at 157 for Penn State, with all three ending their tournament runs in Friday's third session.