Penn State continued its dominance of Big Ten wrestling this season by capturing the conference championship, its seventh and first since 2019.
After working through the regular-season schedule with a 16-0 record (8-0 in the Big Ten), Penn State claimed four individual champions and nine NCAA qualifiers Saturday in Ann Arbor, Mich. The Nittany Lions finished ahead of runner-up Iowa, 147-134.5.
Coach Cael Sanderson was named Big Ten Coach of the Year for the seventh time and Levi Haines, a champion at 157 pounds, earned Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors.
Roman Bravo-Young (133), a native of Tucson, Ariz, and Aaron Brooks (184) became three-time Big Ten champions, giving Penn State nine all-time in that category. Carter Starocci (174) won for the second time.
Bravo-Young, a senior, defeated Minnesota’s Aaron Nagao, 5-2. Haines, a Pennsylvania native from Arendtsville, beat Peyton Robb of Nebraska, 3-1.
Erie Cathedral Prep graduate Starocci, a junior, and Brooks, a senior from Hagerstown, Md., claimed 6-1 and 12-2 (major) decisions against Mikey Labriola of Nebraska and Ohio State’s Kaleb Romero.
Also qualifying for the NCAA Championships on March 16-18, in Tulsa, Okla., were Beau Bartlett (third place, 141), Shayne Van Ness (fourth place, 149), Alex Facundo (seventh place, 165), Max Dean (second place, 197) and Greg Kerkvliet (second place, 285).
