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By Todd Irwin
sports@altoonamirror.com
While the Penn State wrestling team didn't earn its ninth team title at the NCAA Championships in March, the Nittany Lions stole team champion Iowa's spotlight by claiming four individual titles.
NCAA champions Roman Bravo-Young (133), Nick Lee (141), Carter Starocci (174) and Aaron Brooks (184) won those titles, and they're all back for the 2021-22 season.
The Nittany Lions, who met with the media via zoom on Monday, have high expectations for the upcoming season. Penn State went 6-0 and finished second to the Hawkeyes at the Big Ten Championships and the NCAAs.
The Lions begin the season on Saturday in Manheim in the Journeyman Duals, where they'll wrestle Sacred Heart at 5:30 p.m. and Oregon State at 7.
"Regardless of the talent that we have this year, I think this is the most talented team Penn State has ever had," said Brooks, a two-time Big Ten champ. "When you get bonus points, it makes your job a lot easier as a team. That's definitely what we want to focus on this year. When the bonus points are there, you want to be able to take them."
"I think our team is better than it's ever been," said Starocci, a redshirt sophomore who was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year. "When you walk in that room, it's almost like a weird vibe if you're not focused on a goal. Everyone is just dialed in. It's really a good experience. Our training has been really good."
How do the national champions follow up this season? Will they remain motivated for the 2021-2022 season?
"Each individual is different," Brooks said. "If someone's goal is just to be an NCAA champion, it might be harder for them to be motivated after they win that NCAA championship. A lot of our guys have goals outside of NCAA wrestling. I'm very excited I reached my NCAA championship, but I want to achieve higher things. So that's what keeps me motivated."
The wrestling season was delayed and the matches were wrestled in front of sparse crowds. Fans will be allowed to Rec Hall and other college venues.
"Wrestling is back. Fans are back," Bravo-Young said. "You get to compete in front of people. We really don't need to worry about anything. We just have to go out and do what we do."
Battle for 197
While the returning champions have their weights nailed down, there are still weights open.
The 197-pound spot is intriguing. Michael Beard placed seventh at 197 at the NCAAs as a redshirt freshman, but Max Dean is at 197 after transferring from Cornell. Dean was an NCAA runner-up at 184 in 2018-2019, but he redshirted for 2019-2020, and Cornell canceled its season last year.
"Max is just a really, really good dude," Penn State coach Cael Sanderson said. "He works really hard and brings a lot to the team. Michael Beard has definitely elevated his game. It will be a blessing for both of those guys to have that competition and just to compete at a higher level just to make the team with two of the best guys in the country.
"We've got some wrestling to do there, and we'll see how it plays out throughout the year. We're very confident and comfortable with both Max and Mike at this point."
Robert Howard, who went 7-6 as a freshman at 125, had surgery after the season
"I'm not going to specifically say who's starting and who's not," Sanderson said. "Some of the weight classes you know because there are returning starters and guys who were All-Americans and national champions from last year.
"125 is a little bit more competitive this year. 157 is a weight that is a little more competitive, and 165 is also. It's still November, and we've got a long but exciting season ahead."
RBY's last year
Last year, college athletes were given an extra year of eligibility, which means many of the star wrestlers have returned this season.
Bravo-Young is eligible to wrestle another year after this season, but RBY says that's probably not going to happen.
"I'm thinking this is my last year," he said, "but we'll play it by ear, though."
Bravo-Young had a battle during the offseason with MRSA, which is a staph infection that is resistant to some antibiotics. It can cause serious skin infections or infect surgical wounds, the lungs, or the bloodstream. Some MRSA infections can be life threatening.
"I had MRSA in my leg," he said. "It was pretty intense. I had to stay a couple nights in the hospital. It set me back about three or four weeks. It was scary. If you don't take the right hygiene after practice, that stuff can be deadly. I learned a lot."