Aaron_Brooks_(wrestler)
Aaron Brooks (wrestler)
American freestyle wrestler (born 2000)
Aaron Marquel Brooks (born June 15, 2000) is an American freestyle and folkstyle wrestler who competes at 86 kilograms.[1] In freestyle, he is qualified to compete at the 2024 Summer Olympics, is a U23 World champion and US National champion, and was a U20 World silver medalist and U17 World champion.[2]
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Aaron Marquel Brooks | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (2000-06-15) June 15, 2000 (age 23) Hagerstown, Maryland, U.S. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country | United States | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Wrestling | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight class | 86 kg (190 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Event(s) | Freestyle and Folkstyle | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| College team | Nittany Lions | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Nittany Lion Wrestling Club | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coached by | Cael Sanderson | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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In collegiate wrestling, Brooks is a four-time NCAA champion and a four-time Big Ten Conference champion out of the Pennsylvania State University.[3]
High school
Brooks was born in Hagerstown, Maryland and attended North Hagerstown High School.[4] During his high school years, Brooks was a four-time NHSCA National champion and a four-time MPSSAA state champion, with a 163–2 record in the state of Maryland.[5][6] In freestyle, Brooks became a U17 World champion before his senior year.[7] The top-recruit at 182 pounds, Brooks committed to wrestle for the Penn State Nittany Lions in early 2018.[8]
After his senior year, Brooks decided to spend a grayshirt year at the US Olympic Training Center.[9]
In August 2018, Brooks earned a silver medal from the U20 World Championships.[10] In January 2019, he claimed the Dave Schultz Memorial International title, making his senior level debut.[11] In August 2019, after making the US World Team, Brooks was eliminated in the first-round at the U20 World Championships by eventual World medalist Abubakr Abakarov.[12]
The Pennsylvania State University
2019–2020
Brooks wore a redshirt for his first appearance, the Mat Town Open, which he won.[13] However, his redshirt was then burned for him to rack up a 9–1 dual meet record during regular season.[14]
In December, Brooks briefly switched to freestyle to compete at the US National Championships, placing sixth though failing to qualify for the US Olympic Team Trials.[15]
Back to folkstyle, Brooks won his first Big Ten Conference title, avenging his lone season loss to Taylor Venz from Nebraska in the semifinals.[16][17] The third seed for the NCAA tournament, Brooks was unable to compete as the event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[18] After the season, he was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year.[19]
2020–2021
After a 6–0 dual meet stint during his sophomore campaign, Brooks became a two-time Big Ten Conference champion in the post-season.[20] At the NCAA tournament, Brooks became an NCAA Division I National champion after wins over fourth-seeded Parker Keckeisen and second-seeded Trent Hidlay in the semifinals and finals, respectively.[21] This result qualified Brooks for the US Olympic Team Trials, which took place a month after, in April.[22]
At the US Olympic Trials, Brooks defeated two-time All-Americans Nate Jackson and Sammy Brooks, but fell to two-time NCAA champion Zahid Valencia and US National champion Pat Downey.[23]
2021–2022
Entering his junior year, Brooks amassed an undefeated 14–0 dual meet record during regular season.[24] After making his third-straight Big Ten Conference final, Brooks suffered an upset loss to Olympic bronze medalist Myles Amine, whom he had defeated during regular season.[25] At the NCAA tournament, Brooks cruised to the finals after defeating his 2021 NCAA finals foe Trent Hidlay in the semifinals, and was then able to pull off the rubber-match win over Amine in the finals to defend his title and become a two-time NCAA National champion.[26]
2022–2023
Entering his senior year, Brooks compiled a 9–1 dual meet record during regular season, suffering a lone setback to Iowa State's Marcus Coleman.[27] At the Big Ten tournament, Brooks made his fourth finale and claimed his third title with three wins, all of them including bonus points.[28] Brooks, the third seed, was able to claim his third NCAA National championship, with yet another semifinal win over second-seeded Trent Hidlay and top-seeded Parker Keckeisen in the finals.[29]
Fresh as a three-time NCAA champion, Brooks switched to freestyle to compete at the US Open National Championships in April.[30] After cruising to the semifinals, he defeated US National champion and two-time U20 World champion Mark Hall on points to make the finals, where he avenged losses from 2019 and 2021 to US National champion and two-time NCAA champion Zahid Valencia to claim the championship and earn a berth for Final X.[31]
In June, Brooks competed against teammate and three-time Olympic and World champion David Taylor for the US World Team spot at Final X Newark, where he lost two matches to none in a best-of-three format to claim runner-up honors.[32] As a result, Brooks earned the right to represent the United States at the U23 World Championships in October.[33]
In October, Brooks became the U23 World champion at 86 kilograms, facing competition such as defending U23 World champion Tatsuya Shirai from Japan, U20 European champion Arslan Bagaev from Russia, returning U23 World medalist Ivan Ichizli from Moldova and U20 World medalist İsmail Küçüksolak from Turkey.[34]
2023–2024
Brooks then opted to return to Penn State for a fifth and final season, as the NCAA offered an extra year of eligibility to any student athlete rostered during the COVID-19 shortened 2020–2021 season and was again a National Champion at 197 lbs.[35] Now up at 197 pounds, Brooks added a Journeymen Classic title to his resume and racked up a 11–0 dual meet record during regular season.[36]
In the postseason, Brooks repeated his 2023 Big Ten title run, handling his three opponents bonus-points losses to claim the championship.[37] Following the tournament, he was named the Big Ten Wrestler of the Year.[38] Brooks then swept through the NCAA Tournament field, posting two technical falls and two falls before defeating Trent Hidlay 6-1 in the NCAA Final.[39] With his victory, Brooks became just the seventh wrestler to win four NCAA titles and was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Wrestler.[40] On April 1, 2024, Brooks was awarded the Hodge Trophy as the nation's top collegiate wrestler.[41]
Post-collegiate career
2024
In April, Brooks competed at the US Olympic Team Trials, where after defeating multiple-time NCAA champions Alex Dieringer and Zahid Valencia, as well as Connor Mirasola, he advanced to the best-of-three finals, where he would rematch teammate and three-time Olympic and World champion David Taylor.[42] He knocked off Taylor two times in a row to upset him and earn the right to represent the United States at the 2024 Summer Olympics in August, as a US Olympic Team Member.[43]
| Senior Freestyle Matches | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Score | Date | Event | Location |
2024 US Olympic Team Trials  at 86 kg | ||||||
| Win | 22–7 |  David Taylor |
3–1 | April 20, 2024 | 2024 US Olympic Team Trials | |
| Win | 21–7 | David Taylor |
4–1 | |||
| Win | 20–7 | Zahid Valencia |
7–6 | April 19, 2024 | ||
| Win | 19–7 | Alex Dieringer |
8–4 | |||
| Win | 18–7 | Connor Mirasola |
11–5 | |||
| 2023 U23 World Championships at 86 kg | ||||||
| Win | 17–7 |  Tatsuya Shirai |
TF 10–0 | October 23–24, 2023 | 2023 U23 World Championships | |
| Win | 16–7 |  Arslan Bagaev |
5–4 | |||
| Win | 15–7 |  Ivan Ichizli |
7–0 | |||
| Win | 14–7 |  Owen Martin |
TF 10–0 | |||
| Win | 13–7 |  İsmail Küçüksolak |
6–1 | |||
2023 US World Team Trials  at 86 kg | ||||||
| Loss | 12–7 | David Taylor |
4–5 | June 10, 2023 | 2023 Final X Newark | |
| Loss | 12–6 | David Taylor |
0–6 | |||
| 2023 US Open at 86 kg | ||||||
| Win | 12–5 | Zahid Valencia |
10–6 | April 26–30, 2023 | 2023 US Open National Championships | |
| Win | 11–5 | Mark Hall |
6–1 | |||
| Win | 10–5 | Owen Webster |
TF 11–0 | |||
| Win | 9–5 | Hudson Stewart |
VCA (9–0) | |||
| Win | 8–5 | Dylan Fishback |
TF 10–0 | |||
| 2020 US Olympic Team Trials DNP at 86 kg | ||||||
| Loss | 7–5 | Pat Downey |
TF 0–11 | April 2–3, 2021 | 2020 US Olympic Team Trials | Fort Worth, Texas |
| Win | 7–4 | Sammy Brooks |
6–3 | |||
| Loss | 6–4 | Zahid Valencia |
3–6 | |||
| Win | 6–3 | Nate Jackson |
3–0 | |||
| 2019 US Nationals 6th at 86 kg | ||||||
| Loss | 5–3 | Sammy Brooks |
TF 0–10 | December 20–22, 2019 | 2019 US National Championships | |
| Loss | 5–2 | Brett Pfarr |
5–5 | |||
| Loss | 5–1 | Zahid Valencia |
0–6 | |||
| Win | 5–0 | Sammy Brooks |
15–9 | |||
| Win | 4–0 | Max Dean |
10–7 | |||
| Win | 3–0 | Matthew Alejandro |
TF 10–0 | |||
| 2019 Dave Schultz Memorial International at 79 kg | ||||||
| Win | 2–0 | Nate Jackson |
TF 13–0 | January 24–26, 2019 | 2019 Dave Schultz Memorial International | |
| Win | 1–0 | Stacey Davis |
Fall | |||
| NCAA Division I Record | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Score | Date | Event | ||
| 2022 NCAA Championships at 184 lbs | |||||||
| Win | 50–2 | Myles Amine | 5-3 | March 18–20, 2021 | 2022 NCAA Division I National Championships | ||
| Win | 49–2 | Trent Hidlay | 6–4(sv) | ||||
| Win | 48–2 | Kaleb Romero | 13-2 | ||||
| Win | 47–2 | Hunter Bolen | 9-1 | ||||
| Win | 46–2 | A.J. Burkhart | 21-7 | ||||
| 2022 Big Ten Conference at 184 lbs | |||||||
| Loss | 45–2 | Myles Amine | 4-6 (sv) | March 5–6, 2021 | 2022 Big Ten Conference Championships | ||
| Win | 45–1 | Taylor Venz | 7-2 | ||||
| Win | 44–1 | Kyle Cochran | Fall | ||||
| Win | 43–1 | Taylor Venz | 23-8 | January 16, 2022 | Penn State - Nebraska Dual | ||
| Win | 42–1 | Rocky Jordan | Fall | February 4, 2022 | Penn State - Ohio State Dual | ||
| Win | 41–1 | Abe Assad | 8-3 | January 28, 2022 | Penn State - Iowa Dual | ||
| Win | 40–1 | Layne Malczewski | 4-0 | January 23, 2022 | Penn State - Michigan State Dual | ||
| Win | 39–1 | Myles Amine | 3-1 | January 21, 2022 | Penn State - Michigan Dual | ||
| Win | 38–1 | John Poznanski | 10-2 | January 16, 2022 | Penn State - Rutgers Dual | ||
| Win | 37–1 | D.J. Washington | 13-4 | January 9, 2022 | Penn State - Indiana Dual | ||
| Win | 36–1 | Kyle Cochran | 19-7 | January 7, 2022 | Penn State - Maryland Dual | ||
| Win | 35–1 | Josh Nummer | Fall | December 21, 2021 | Penn State - Arizona State Dual | ||
| Win | 34–1 | Jonathan Loew | 15-3 | December 20, 2021 | Penn State - Cornell Dual | ||
| Win | 33–1 | Parker Keckeisen | 3-2 | December 20, 2021 | Penn State - Northern Iowa Dual | ||
| Win | 32–1 | Brad Laughlin | 21-7 | November 18, 2021 | Penn State - Army Dual | ||
| Win | 31–1 | Jackson McKinney | Fall | November 13, 2021 | Penn State - Oregon State Dual | ||
| Win | 30–1 | Joe Accousti | 23-8 | November 13, 2021 | Penn State - Sacred Heart Dual | ||
| Start of 2021-2022 Season (Junior year) | |||||||
| End of 2020-2021 Season (Sophomore year) | |||||||
| 2021 NCAA Championships at 184 lbs | |||||||
| Win | 29–1 | Trent Hidlay | 3–2 | March 18–20, 2021 | 2021 NCAA Division I National Championships | ||
| Win | 28–1 | Parker Keckeisen | 6–4 | ||||
| Win | 27–1 | Taylor Venz | 9–4 | ||||
| Win | 26–1 | Owen Webster | 5–0 | ||||
| Win | 25–1 | Jha'quan Anderson | TF 17–1 | ||||
| 2021 Big Ten Conference at 184 lbs | |||||||
| Win | 24–1 | Taylor Venz | 10–5 | March 6–7, 2021 | 2021 Big Ten Conference Championships | ||
| Win | 23–1 | John Poznanski | MD 10–2 | ||||
| Win | 22–1 | Nelson Brands | 14–8 | ||||
| Win | 21–1 | Kyle Cochran | MD 18–5 | February 21, 2021 | Maryland - Penn State Dual | ||
| Win | 20–1 | Rocky Jordan | MD 13–4 | February 19, 2021 | Penn State - Ohio State Dual | ||
| Win | 19–1 | Jaden Bullock | 10–5 | February 14, 2021 | Penn State - Michigan Dual | ||
| Win | 18–1 | Chris Weiler | MD 12–3 | February 2, 2021 | Penn State - Northwestern Dual | ||
| Win | 17–1 | Jack Jessen | TF 21–6 | January 30, 2021 | Penn State - Northwestern Dual | ||
| Win | 16–1 | Drayton Harris | MD 18–5 | American - Penn State Dual | |||
| Start of 2020-2021 Season (sophomore year) | |||||||
| End of 2019-2020 Season (freshman year) | |||||||
| 2020 NCAA's Cancelled (COVID-19) | |||||||
| 2020 Big Ten Conference at 184 lbs | |||||||
| Win | 15–1 | Cameron Caffey | 3–2 | March 7–8, 2020 | 2020 Big Ten Conference Championships | ||
| Win | 14–1 | Taylor Venz | Fall | ||||
| Win | 13–1 | Owen Webster | MD 15–4 | ||||
| Win | 12–1 | Tanner Harvey | 8–5 | February 23, 2020 | American - Penn State Dual | ||
| Win | 11–1 | Rocky Jordan | MD 15–4 | February 15, 2020 | Ohio State - Penn State Dual | ||
| Win | 10–1 | Owen Webster | MD 13–3 | February 9, 2020 | Penn State - Minnesota Dual | ||
| Win | 9–1 | Johnny Sebastian | 3–2 | February 7, 2020 | Penn State - Wisconsin Dual | ||
| Win | 8–1 | Abe Assad | 7–3 | January 31, 2020 | Penn State - Iowa Dual | ||
| Loss | 7–1 | Taylor Venz | 5–9 | January 24, 2020 | Penn State - Nebraska Dual | ||
| Win | 7–0 | Billy Janzer | Fall | January 19, 2020 | Rutgers - Penn State Dual | ||
| Win | 6–0 | Zach Braunagel | 9–4 | January 10, 2020 | Illinois - Penn State Dual | ||
| Win | 5–0 | Jesse Quatse | TF 19–4 | December 8, 2019 | Pennsylvania - Penn State Dual | ||
| Win | 4–0 | Chris Weiller | 10–5 | December 6, 2019 | Penn State - Lehigh Dual | ||
| 2019 Mat-Town Open I at 184 lbs | |||||||
| Win | 3–0 | Kyle Myers | Fall | December 1, 2019 | 2019 Mat-Town Open I | ||
| Win | 2–0 | Jared McGill | 11–5 | ||||
| Win | 1–0 | Kyle Inlander | 7–4 | ||||
| Start of 2019-2020 Season (freshman year) | |||||||
Stats
| Season | Year | School | Rank | Weigh Class | Record | Win | Bonus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Junior | Pennsylvania State University | #1 | 184 | 24-1 | 100.00% | 50.00% |
| 2021 | Sophomore | #1 | 14–0 | 100.00% | 50.00% | ||
| 2020 | Freshman | #3 (Cancelled COVID-19) | 15–1 | 93.75% | 43.75% | ||
| Career | 29–1 | 96.67% | 46.66% | ||||
- "Aaron Brooks - Wrestling". Penn State University Athletics. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
- "Penn State Wrestler Aaron Brooks Rolls to U23 World Championship". Penn State Athletics. 24 October 2023. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
- "Aaron Brooks - Wrestling". Penn State University Athletics. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
- Mason, Andy. "Brooks wins 4th NHSCA national title, named tourney's outstanding wrestler". Herald-Mail Media. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
- Schwartz, Tim. "Kraisser wins fourth title to headline MPSSAA state wrestling championships". baltimoresun.com. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
- Andrew. "USA Goes 3-for-3 in Gold-Medal Matches, Russia Wins Team Title". United World Wrestling. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
- Mason, Andy. "Aaron Brooks commits to Penn State". Herald-Mail Media. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
- Mason, Andy. "Brooks, Cook make history with state titles". Herald-Mail Media. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
- "Aaron Brooks Wins Silver Medal at the Junior World Championships". Roar Lions Roar. 22 September 2018. Archived from the original on 7 October 2020. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
- "Brooks dominates, Molinaro wins second DSMI title". Team USA. 26 January 2019.[dead link]
- "Tough draw sends Aaron Brooks out early in UWW Junior Worlds". Herald-Mail Media. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
- "Aaron Brooks wins title at Mat-Town Open". Herald-Mail Media. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
- "Expectations for Aaron Brooks As the New 184-Pound Starter for Penn State Wrestling". Roar Lions Roar. 22 January 2020. Archived from the original on 1 October 2020. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
- "Updated US Olympic Team Trials qualifiers as of July 30, 2020". Team USA. 30 July 2020. Archived from the original on 31 October 2020.
- Collegian, Jake Aferiat | The Daily. "'One of the best I've seen at his age': Penn State wrestling's Aaron Brooks continues to put people on notice". The Daily Collegian. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
- "Hall and Brooks Claim Big Ten Titles as 2020 B1G Championship Concludes". Penn State University Athletics. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
- Goodwin, Cody. "NCAA cancels Division I, II, III wrestling championships amid COVID-19 pandemic". Des Moines Register. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
- "2020 Big Ten Wrestling Championships". bigten.org. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
- Collegian, Jake Aferiat | The Daily. "Penn State wrestling's Aaron Brooks notches second career Big Ten title". The Daily Collegian. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
- Mason, Andy. "Aaron Brooks wins his 1st NCAA title". Herald-Mail Media. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
- Mason, Andy. "Aaron Brooks seeded 10th at U.S. Olympic Team Trials". Herald-Mail Media. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
- Tolson, Max (4 April 2021). "Nittany Lion Wrestling Club Sends Four To US Olympic Team". Onward State. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
- Vesper, Erik (4 March 2022). "Big Ten Wrestling Championships Preview, The Upperweights". On the Banks. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
- "2022 Big Ten wrestling tournament: Myles Amine upsets Aaron Brooks, Michigan team title highlights event". 247Sports. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
- "Penn State Wrestling's Aaron Brooks avenges a prior loss, wins title at 184". Victory Bell Rings. 20 March 2022. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
- "Penn State Wrestling Takes Down No. 5 Iowa State 22-12 in Collegiate Duals Finale". Penn State Athletics. 20 December 2022. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
- "Hagerstown's Aaron Brooks wins his third Big Ten wrestling title". Herald-Mail Media. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
- Wogenrich, Mark (19 March 2023). "NCAA Wrestling: Penn State Crowns 2 Three-Time Champs". Sports Illustrated Penn State Nittany Lions News, Analysis and More. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
- "Penn State Wrestling Well Represented in 2023 U.S. Open Field". Penn State Athletics. 25 April 2023. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
- Wogenrich, Mark (30 April 2023). "Penn State's Aaron Brooks Rolls to Another Major Wrestling Title". Sports Illustrated Penn State Nittany Lions News, Analysis and More. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
- "Olympic champ David Taylor tops Hagerstown's Aaron Brooks at Final X". Herald-Mail Media. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
- Wogenrich, Mark (2 July 2023). "Penn State's Aaron Brooks to Pursue Another World Wrestling Title". Sports Illustrated Penn State Nittany Lions News, Analysis and More. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
- "Penn State Wrestler Aaron Brooks Rolls to U23 World Championship". Penn State Athletics. 24 October 2023. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
- "25 notable college wrestlers to watch in 2023-2024 | NCAA.com". www.ncaa.com. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
- Wogenrich, Mark (4 March 2024). "Penn State Dominates Pre-Seeds for Big Ten Wrestling Tournament". Sports Illustrated Penn State Nittany Lions News, Analysis and More. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
- "Penn State Wins Big Ten Wrestling Title". bigten.org. 15 July 2023. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
- "Penn State Wrestling roars to 2024 Big Ten Championship with 170.5 points". www.themat.com. 11 March 2024. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
- "WrestleStat | Aaron Brooks (Penn State) Profile". www.wrestlestat.com. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
- "Carter Starocci and Aaron Brooks win their fourth individual NCAA titles, make history for Penn State | NCAA.com". www.ncaa.com. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
- "Penn State's Aaron Brooks wins Hodge Trophy; Four Lions in top five of voting". 247Sports. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
- PennLive, Jim Carlson | Special to (20 April 2024). "Jason Nolf, Aaron Brooks steal the show as Olympic Team Trials head to Saturday's final rounds". pennlive. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
- Smeltzer, Joe (20 April 2024). "Penn State Wrestling: Aaron Brooks Upsets Gold Medalist David Taylor". Nittany Sports Now. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
- Aaron Brooks at the International Wrestling Database
