Aaron Brooks (wrestler) facts for kids
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| Full name | Aaron Marquel Brooks | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | June 15, 2000 Hagerstown, Maryland, U.S. |
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| Country | United States | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Wrestling | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight class | 86 kg (190 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Event(s) | Freestyle and Folkstyle | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| College team | Penn State | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Nittany Lion Wrestling Club Titan Mercury Wrestling Club |
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| Coached by | Cael Sanderson | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Aaron Marquel Brooks (born June 15, 2000) is an American wrestler. He competes in both freestyle and folkstyle wrestling. Aaron won a bronze medal for the United States at the 2024 Summer Olympics. He is also a U23 World champion and a US National champion.
In collegiate wrestling, Aaron Brooks made history. He was the seventh wrestler ever to win the NCAA Division I National Championship four times. He also won the Big Ten Conference championship four times while wrestling for the Pennsylvania State University. Aaron is a Christian.
Contents
Aaron Brooks' Wrestling Journey
High School Achievements
Aaron Brooks was born in Hagerstown, Maryland. He went to North Hagerstown High School. During his time in high school, Aaron was a four-time NHSCA National champion. He also won the MPSSAA state championship four times. His high school record in Maryland was an amazing 163 wins and only 2 losses.
Before his senior year, Aaron became a U17 World champion in freestyle. He was a top recruit for college wrestling. In early 2018, he decided to wrestle for the Penn State Nittany Lions. After high school, Aaron spent a year training at the United States Olympic Training Center. This is called a "grayshirt" year in sports.
In August 2018, Aaron won a silver medal at the U20 World Championships. In January 2019, he won the Dave Schultz Memorial International title. This was his first big win at the senior level. In August 2019, he competed at the U20 World Championships again. He was eliminated in the first round.
Wrestling for Penn State University
First Year (2019–2020)
Aaron started his college career by winning the Mat Town Open. He was supposed to "redshirt," meaning he wouldn't compete in official matches. But his coaches decided he was too good to keep out. He then had a great record of 9 wins and 1 loss in regular season matches.
In December, Aaron briefly switched to freestyle. He competed at the US National Championships and placed sixth. He did not qualify for the US Olympic Team Trials that year.
Back in folkstyle, Aaron won his first Big Ten Conference title. He beat Taylor Venz from Nebraska in the semifinals. This win was special because Venz was the only wrestler who had beaten him that season. Aaron was set to be the third seed for the NCAA tournament. However, the event was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. After the season, he was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year.
Second Year (2020–2021)
In his second year, Aaron had a perfect 6–0 record in dual meets. He then became a two-time Big Ten Conference champion. At the NCAA tournament, Aaron became an NCAA Division I National champion. He defeated Parker Keckeisen and Trent Hidlay in tough matches. This big win qualified him for the US Olympic Team Trials in April.
At the US Olympic Trials, Aaron won against Nate Jackson and Sammy Brooks. But he lost to two-time NCAA champion Zahid Valencia and US National champion Pat Downey.
Third Year (2021–2022)
In his third year, Aaron had an amazing undefeated record of 14–0 in regular season dual meets. He reached his third Big Ten Conference final in a row. However, he lost to Olympic bronze medalist Myles Amine. Aaron had beaten Amine earlier in the season.
At the NCAA tournament, Aaron wrestled very well. He beat Trent Hidlay again in the semifinals. Then, he won against Myles Amine in the finals. This made him a two-time NCAA National champion.
Fourth Year (2022–2023)
In his senior year, Aaron had a strong 9–1 record in dual meets. His only loss was to Marcus Coleman from Iowa State. At the Big Ten tournament, Aaron won his third title. He earned bonus points in all three of his wins.
Aaron was the third seed at the NCAA National Championship. He won his third NCAA title. He beat Trent Hidlay in the semifinals and Parker Keckeisen in the finals.
After winning his third NCAA title, Aaron switched to freestyle wrestling. He competed at the US Open National Championships in April. He reached the semifinals and defeated Mark Hall. In the finals, he got revenge on Zahid Valencia, who had beaten him before. Aaron won the championship and earned a spot in Final X.
In June, Aaron wrestled against his teammate David Taylor at Final X Newark. Taylor is a three-time Olympic and World champion. Aaron lost two matches to Taylor, becoming the runner-up. This result allowed Aaron to represent the United States at the U23 World Championships in October.
In October, Aaron became the U23 World champion at 86 kilograms. He faced tough opponents from around the world. These included the defending U23 World champion Tatsuya Shirai from Japan and U20 European champion Arslan Bagaev from Russia.
Fifth Year (2023–2024)
Aaron decided to return to Penn State for a fifth and final season. The NCAA offered an extra year of eligibility because of the COVID-19 pandemic. He moved up to the 197-pound weight class. Aaron won the Journeymen Classic title. He also had a perfect 11–0 record in regular season dual meets.
In the postseason, Aaron won his second Big Ten title in a row. He beat all three of his opponents by large margins. After the tournament, he was named the Big Ten Wrestler of the Year. Aaron then dominated the NCAA Tournament. He won two matches by technical fall and two by pin. In the NCAA Final, he defeated Trent Hidlay 6-1. With this victory, Aaron became only the seventh wrestler to win four NCAA titles. He was also named the tournament's Most Outstanding Wrestler. On April 1, 2024, Aaron was given the Hodge Trophy. This award goes to the nation's best college wrestler.
Post-College Career
2024 Olympic Journey
In April 2024, Aaron competed at the US Olympic Team Trials. He defeated several top wrestlers, including Alex Dieringer and Zahid Valencia. He reached the finals, where he faced his teammate David Taylor again. Taylor is an Olympic and two-time World champion. Aaron surprised everyone by beating Taylor twice in a row. This earned him the right to represent the United States at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
In August, Aaron made his Olympic debut in Paris. On the first day, he defeated two-time World medalist Azamat Dauletbekov from Kazakhstan. He also beat U20 World champion Hayato Ishiguro from Japan. These wins put him in the semifinals. There, he lost to Magomed Ramazanov from Bulgaria in the final seconds. The next day, Aaron wrestled for the bronze medal. He defeated Javrail Shapiev from Uzbekistan to win the bronze medal.
Family
Aaron Brooks has two younger brothers, Jared (12) and Jaden (10). He also has an older brother named Isaiah.
Images for kids
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The Olympic rings, representing the Olympic Games where Aaron Brooks won a bronze medal.
