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]
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]
Career
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]
Freestyle record
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
State College, Pennsylvania
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
Tirana, Albania
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
Newark, New Jersey
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
Las Vegas, Nevada
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
Fort Worth, Texas
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
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Win
1–0
Stacey Davis
Fall
NCAA record
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%
References
^
"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 .
^
"NCAA DI" . InterMat . Retrieved 12 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" .
Big Ten Conference . Archived from
the original on 7 March 2020. 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" .
Big Ten Conference . 15 July 2023. Archived from
the original on 12 March 2024. 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 .
External links