Nittany Lion Wrestling Club Leads USA Wrestlers in Paris
The United States is one in every of simplest two nations with wrestlers qualified in all six freestyle weights for the Paris Olympics. Notably, the U.S. Is the sole country to have wrestlers in every freestyle weight class for each ladies and men.
Team USA’s freestyle wrestling squad has a robust Pennsylvania have an impact on, especially from the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club. Among the qualifiers, are former NCAA champions from Penn State: Zain Retherford and 4-time champion Aaron Brooks. Additionally, pro worldwide competition Kyle Dake and Kyle Snyder, who earned their NCAA titles somewhere else, at the moment are a part of the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club, along different former Penn State stars.
Another newcomer to Team USA, Spencer Lee (fifty seven kg), is a three-time NCAA champion from Franklin Regional who later won 3 NCAA titles at Iowa. Mason Parris, the final freestyle entrant for the U.S., is a former NCAA champion at Michigan and a junior global champion, competing at a hundred twenty five kg.
Four out of the six U.S. Freestyle wrestlers educate at the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club. Additionally, former Penn State NCAA champion Roman Bravo-Young will compete for Mexico.
Retherford (65 kg) and Brooks (86 kg) stayed with the NLWC post-commencement to cognizance on global opposition. Penn State, certain an Olympic Regional Training Center, hosts the NLWC underneath the steerage of coaches Cael Sanderson, Cody Sanderson, Casey Cunningham, Nick Lee, Jake Varner, and Mark McKnight. Both Cael Sanderson, Penn State’s head educate, and Varner are former Olympic champions.
This awareness of elite skills has attracted wrestlers like Dake and Snyder to the NLWC and retained world-magnificence athletes like David Taylor.
“Vibes are notable. Training has been strong, and training has been a laugh,” said Retherford, a PIAA champion from Line Mountain and Benton, before heading to Paris. “Coach Cael’s experience and electricity are beneficial, presenting insightful guidance on competing at this degree.”
Snyder (97 kg), performing in his 1/3 Olympics, won gold in Rio as a 20-yr-old in 2016, making him the youngest American wrestling gold medalist. He observed this with a silver medal in Tokyo in 2021 and joined the NLWC in 2019.
“I first of all sought Coach Cael for approach development, but he drastically more desirable my mentality,” Snyder said. “He creates a high quality, enthusiastic surroundings that fuels non-stop improvement and calm, specific technical steering.”
Now 28, Snyder ambitions to emerge as the fourth American to win Olympic wrestling golds, joining legends George Mehnert, John Smith, and Bruce Baumgartner.
Brooks’s inclusion in Team USA’s freestyle lineup is super for his victory over every other Penn State champion. After securing his fourth NCAA title in March, Brooks defeated David Taylor in the Olympic Trials. Taylor, now head teach at Oklahoma State, gained gold in Tokyo and world titles in 2019, 2022, and 2023, and completed second in 2021, all whilst part of the NLWC.
Dake, after an illustrious profession at Cornell with 4 NCAA titles in extraordinary weights, joined the NLWC in 2022. He is a 4-time global champion and finished second on the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. Dake these days swept fits from NLWC member Jason Nolf within the Olympic Trial finals.
Snyder highlighted the advantage of education with pinnacle-tier wrestlers on the NLWC: “I thrive in difficult environments. Wrestling against Kyle Dake and David Taylor each day, and having Olympic champ Varner as a train, pushes me to excel.”
Snyder is positive approximately Team USA’s possibilities: “I wouldn’t be surprised if we received six gold medals. We have a completely sturdy crew, and if every body plays their high-quality, we will achieve terrific results.”
Retherford echoed this sentiment: “Our crew blends experienced veterans like Kyle Snyder and Kyle Dake with gifted beginners like Spencer Lee, Aaron Brooks, and Mason Parris. It’s an exciting and skilled group, and I’m thrilled to compete along them.”
Competing at sixty five kg, Retherford, who received the sector title at 70 kg in 2023 and changed into second in 2022, adjusted his weight to suit the Olympic class, reflecting his adaptability and dedication to the game.
