Cornell’s Yianni Diakomihalis wins 4th NCAA wrestling title

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 group 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 fingers and took selfies with followers and greeted a number of of the nationwide champions. He sat with employees members and U.S. Senator Markwayne Mullin. The crowd stood when Trump went to the sector flooring earlier than the night time 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 remaining. 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 those guys are great because they’re different,” Diakomihalis mentioned. “And, you know, my style is different. I might take bits and pieces from each guy, but when you see the final product, it’s its own form.”

Diakomihalis, 23, gained nationwide titles in 2018 and 2019. He took an Olympic redshirt yr whereas making an attempt to make Team USA in 2019-20, and he 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 larger objectives in thoughts, with the Olympics coming in 2024.

“What I did this weekend is far from the best version of myself,” he mentioned. “And it’s far, far, far from what I need to be an Olympic champion, world champion.”

Penn State ran away with the group 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 — 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 Big Ten remaining 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-Young — a two-time defending champion and an unbeaten No. 1 seed — 10-4 for the title at 133. Bravo-Young had the nation’s longest successful streak at 56 matches.

“The team had a great weekend,” Penn State coach Sanderson mentioned. “A lot of gutsy, great performances. It’s an individual sport as well as a team sport. So as a coach, you’re always — your heart and mind is with the guys that don’t quite reach their goals. But we’ve got a lot to be happy about and proud of.”

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 night time. Lee medically forfeited out of Saturday’s motion and formally completed sixth.

Ramos adopted up his beautiful 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 assert Princeton’s first nationwide title since 1951.

Glory anticipated a battle from Ramos.

“Not everybody goes off and knocks off Spencer Lee like that,” Glory mentioned. “It takes cojones, and I knew he would have the same mentality coming into the match. I knew it was going to be a dogfight. And I knew it was going to be one opportunity and I needed to capitalize, and I knew I was going to be ready for it when it came.”

In different finals, at 141, Northern Colorado’s Andrew Alirez defeated Iowa’s Real Woods 6-4 in a matchup of unbeatens. There was an extended delay to kind 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. Alirez went on to assert his college’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 received 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 remaining minute to grab the lead for good. Bonaccorsi misplaced to Oklahoma State’s A.J. Ferrari within the 197 remaining 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 remaining in 2021.