TULSA, Okla. — Cornell’s Yianni Diakomihalis grew to become the fifth Division I wrestler to win 4 nationwide titles and Penn State gained its tenth crew title in 12 years on Saturday on the NCAA Division I wrestling championships, with former President Donald Trump in attendance for the night session.
Trump shook palms and took selfies with followers and greeted a number of of the nationwide champions. He sat with workers members and U.S. Senator Markwayne Mullin. The gang stood when he went to the sector flooring earlier than the evening session started with Mullin and Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt.
Diakomihalis capped the night by defeating Ohio State’s Sammy Sasso 4-2 within the 149-pound closing. He joined Kyle Dake, Pat Smith, Logan Stieber and Cael Sanderson — Penn State’s coach — as the one four-time champions ever in Division I.
“All these guys are nice as a result of they’re totally different,” Diakomihalis mentioned. “And, you recognize, my fashion is totally different. I’d take bits and items from every man, however while you see the ultimate product, it is its personal kind.”
Diakomihalis, 23, gained nationwide titles in 2018 and 2019. He took an Olympic redshirt yr whereas attempting to make Workforce USA in 2019-20, then could not wrestle in school through the 2020-21 season as a result of the Ivy League cancelled winter sports activities through the COVID-19 pandemic. He got here again to win in 2022 and 2023, and now has greater targets in thoughts with the Olympics coming in 2024.
“What I did this weekend is much from one of the best model of myself,” he mentioned. “And it’s miles, far, removed from what I should be an Olympic champion, world champion.”
Penn State ran away with the crew title, mathematically clinching earlier than the night session started. The Nittany Lions completed with 137.5 factors. Iowa was second with 82.5 factors and Cornell positioned third with 76.5.
Two Penn State wrestlers gained titles for the third straight season — Penn State’s Carter Starocci at 174 and Aaron Brooks at 184.
Starocci pinned Nebraska’s Mikey Labriola early within the second interval. He had defeated Labriola within the Huge Ten closing and gave him his solely two losses of the season. Brooks, the No. 3 seed at 184, defeated top-seeded Parker Keckeisen of Northern Iowa 7-2.
All did not go as deliberate for Penn State. Third-seeded Vito Arujau of Cornell defeated Penn State’s Roman Bravo-Younger – a two-time defending champion and an unbeaten No. 1 seed – 10-4 for the title at 133. Bravo-Younger had the nation’s longest profitable streak at 56 matches.
“The crew had an important weekend,” Sanderson mentioned. “A whole lot of gutsy, nice performances. It is a person sport in addition to a crew sport. In order a coach, you are at all times — your coronary heart and thoughts is with the fellows that do not fairly attain their targets. However we have rather a lot to be pleased about and happy with.”
Iowa’s Spencer Lee was within the operating to win his fourth title earlier than shedding within the semifinals to Purdue’s Matt Ramos at 125 on Friday evening. Lee medically forfeited out of Saturday’s motion and formally completed sixth.
Ramos adopted up his gorgeous upset by dealing with Princeton’s Pat Glory, the unbeaten No. 2 seed who was the runner-up within the class final yr. Glory gained 3-1 to say Princeton’s first nationwide title since 1951.
Glory anticipated a battle from Ramos.
“Not all people goes off and knocks off Spencer Lee like that,” Glory mentioned. “It takes cojones, and I knew he would have the identical mentality coming into the match. I knew it was going to be a dogfight. And I knew it was going to be one alternative and I wanted to capitalize and I knew I used to be going to be prepared for it when it got here.”
In different finals, at 141, Northern Colorado’s Andrew Alirez defeated Iowa’s Actual Woods 6-4 in a matchup of unbeatens. There was a protracted delay to type out a collection of strikes within the second interval, and the problem by Northern Colorado paid off. It gave Alirez 4 factors for a close to fall as a substitute of two and it pushed his result in 6-2. He went on to say his faculty’s first nationwide title since 1962.
At 157, North Carolina’s Austin O’Connor gained his second nationwide title with a 6-2 win over Penn State true freshman Levi Haines. O’Connor, who gained at 149 in 2021, is now a five-time All-American. O’Connor bought on the board with an escape early within the third, then scored two takedowns to take command.
At 165, Missouri’s Keegan O’Toole repeated by defeating Iowa State’s David Carr, 8-2. The second-seeded O’Toole avenged two losses to Carr this season by dominating the third interval to drag away. Carr, the champ at 157 in 2021, was unbeaten and the No. 1 seed this season.
At 197, Pitt’s Nino Bonaccorsi, the No. 1 seed, completed an unbeaten season by defeating South Dakota State’s Tanner Sloan 5-3. Sloan, the No. 7 seed, took a 2-0 lead on a takedown within the first interval. Bonaccorsi took a 4-3 lead on a takedown within the closing minute to take the lead for good. Bonaccorsi misplaced to Oklahoma State’s A.J. Ferrari within the 197 closing in 2021.
And at 285, Michigan’s Mason Parris accomplished an unbeaten season with a 5-1 win over Penn State’s Greg Kerkvliet, the No. 3 seed. Parris and Kerkvliet had beforehand break up six school matchups. Parris misplaced to Minnesota’s Gable Steveson within the closing in 2021.
