Penn State wrestling family sends 3 to 2024 Summer Olympics

The Blue and White will be well-represented among the Red, White, and Blue on the mats in Paris for the 2024 Summer Olympics, with three members of the Penn State wrestling family winning titles at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials Saturday night. Headlined by the shocking upset of Aaron Brooks over defending Olympic Gold Medalist David Taylor, the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club will also send Kyle Snyder and Kyle Dake to the Summer Games. With eight of the 12 freestyle finalists, five NLWC members earned spots on the U.S. National Team in front of the Bryce Jordan Center crowd.

Penn State wrestling family sends three to 2024 Summer Olympics

The Penn State wrestling dynasty was on full display Saturday night in the Bryce Jordan Center, with eight of the 12 finalists in the Olympic Team Trials having ties directly to the program or the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club. This includes three of six final series on the men’s freestyle side that were exclusively NLWC matchups.

57 kg: Spencer Lee (HWC) def Thomas Gilman (NLWC) 2-0 in series

Match 1: Spencer Lee def Thomas Gilman by 6-3 decision

Match 2: Spencer Lee def Thomas Gilman by fall

Thomas Gilman was unable to get past Spencer Lee at 57 kg. Lee took the lead early on Gilman in the first match. While Gilman did score, the debate about whether it should have been two or four points is what people are now talking about. The officials ruled in Lee’s favor, and he ultimately took the match. In the second period, Lee just seemed to dominate from the start, and eventually got Gilman to his back to pick up the fall.

65 kg: Zain Retherford (NLWC) def Nick Lee (NLWC) 2-0 in series

Match 1: Zain Retherford def Nick Lee by 2-1 decision

Match 2: Zain Retherford def Nick Lee by 5-0 decision

Zain Retherford took down NLWC and fellow former Penn State wrestler Nick Lee 2-0 in the 65 kg championship series. Lee never seemed to be able to get any offense going in both of the matches. Since the United States still hasn’t qualified for the Olympics at 65 kg, Retherford will have to make a trip to Istanbul, Turkey, to officially punch his ticket to Paris.

74 kg: Kyle Dake (NLWC) def Jason Nolf (NLWC) 2-0 in series

Match 1: Kyle Dake def Jason Nolf by 4-1 decision

Match 2: Kyle Dake def Jason Nolf by 3-1 decision

Kyle Dake had never lost to Jason Nolf heading into the Olympic Team Trials. That remained the same, sweeping Nolf to improve to 8-0 all-time against the former Nittany Lion. Dake will once again represent the NLWC at the Olympics and will try to improve on his Bronze Medal at 74 kg in the 2020 Tokyo Games.

86 kg: Aaron Brooks (NLWC) def David Taylor (NLWC) 2-0 in series

Match 1: Aaron Brooks def David Taylor by 4-1 decision

Match 2: Aaron Brooks def David Taylor by 3-1 decision

David Taylor had lost just one match since 2018 heading into the weekend. However, 2024 Hodge Trophy winner Aaron Brooks ended that streak with a shocking 2-0 upset sweep of the defending Gold Medalist and will represent the United States in Paris this summer. Brooks is fresh off winning his fourth National Championship this past March and now will look to go for Olympic Gold in a few months. This matchup was the most anticipated, and created the most energy in the Bryce Jordan Center for the entire weekend.

97 kg: Kyle Snyder (NLWC) def Isaac Trumble (WRTC) 2-0 in series

Match 1: Kyle Snyder def Isaac Trumble by 5-0 decision

Match 2: Kyle Snyder def Isaac Trumble by 4-0 decision

Kyle Snyder did what he has done since entering the international scene: win. Snyder becomes the 11th wrestler in American wrestling history to qualify for the Olympics in three separate years. Snyder joined the NLWC in 2019 and now will be looking to pick up his second Olympic medal with the club at the 2024 Summer Olympics.

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