Roman Bravo-Young facts for kids

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Roman Bravo-Young

Personal information
Full name	Roman Guillermo Bravo-Young
Nickname(s)	RBY
Born	(1999-01-28) January 28, 1999 (age 25) Tucson, Arizona, U.S.
Sport
Country	United States
Sport	Wrestling
Weight class	134 lb (61 kg)
Event(s)	Freestyle and Folkstyle
College team	Nittany Lions
Club	Nittany Lion Wrestling Club
Coached by	Cael Sanderson
Medal record Men's freestyle wrestling Representing the  United States Junior Pan American Championships Gold 2019 Guatemala City 61 kg Collegiate Wrestling Representing the Penn State Nittany Lions NCAA Division I National Championships Gold 2021 St. Louis 133 lb Gold 2022 Detroit 133 lb Silver 2023 Tulsa 133 lb Big Ten Championships Silver 2020 Piscataway 133 lb Gold 2021 State College 133 lb Gold 2022 Lincoln 133 lb Gold 2023 Ann Arbor 133 lb

Roman Guillermo Bravo-Young (born January 28, 1999) is an American freestyle and folkstyle wrestler who competes internationally at 61 kilograms and collegiately at 133 pounds. In freestyle, he was the 2019 Junior Pan American champion and the 2018 U23 US national runner-up. As a folkstyle wrestler, Bravo-Young is the 2021 and 2022 NCAA Division I national champion and 2021 and 2022 Big Ten Conference champion (three-time finalist) and a three-time All-American out of the Pennsylvania State University.

Folkstyle career

High school

Bravo-Young attended Sunnyside High School in Tucson, Arizona. He started wrestling in the varsity team as a freshman and did not lose a single match through his four years of high school. At the DI state championships (AIA), he accumulated a combined record of 16–0 with eight falls, five majors, two technical falls and one decision and also received the outstanding wrestler award all four years he competed at the tournament. He graduated with a legendary record of 182–0 and was ranked #3 by InterMat and #5 by FloWrestling when he graduated.

In late October 2016, it was announced that Bravo-Young had committed to PSU's Cael Sanderson to wrestle as a Nittany Lion.

College

2018-19

Bravo-Young did not redshirt and started wrestling as a true freshman at 133 pounds. During regular season, he won the Keystone Classic and placed third at the Southern Scuffle. He went 4–2 at the Big Ten Conference championships and placed fifth. He entered the NCAA championships as the tenth-seeded wrestler and went 4–3 to place eighth and claim All-America honors. He finished the season with a 25–7 record.

2019-20

As a sophomore, Bravo-Young won the Black Knight Invitational and Wilkes Open and only lost one match, to top-ranked Seth Gross, a close 6–5 decision in the regular season. He went 2–1 at the Big Ten championship, losing in the finals to third-ranked Sebastian Rivera. Bravo-Young was scheduled to compete at the 2020 NCAA Championships, however, the event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He was expected to place higher than the prior year, as he had made major improvements. After the season, Bravo-Young earned All-American honors due to his performance through the year.

2020-21

In October 2020, the NCAA granted an extra year of eligibility to winter athletes due to the prior season being cut short. During regular season, Bravo-Young compiled a 6–0 record to enter the post-season undefeated. Bravo-Young made his second straight final of the Big Ten Conference Championships, by defeating Jacob Rundell and Chris Cannon, before defeating rival and then-undefeated Austin DeSanto from Iowa to claim the title. At the NCAA championships, Bravo-Young comfortably made the semis, where he defeated fourth-seeded Korbin Myers of Virginia Tech to make the final against Daton Fix from Oklahoma State. In the bout, Bravo-Young accumulated a riding time point and an escape to secure a 2–0 lead in the first and second periods, before controversially getting called for stalling twice late in the third period and surrendering two points of his own to tie the match and go to overtime. In the first period of OT, Bravo-Young was able to secure a takedown late to defeat Fix and claim the NCAA title for Penn State. On June 29, Bravo-Young was named the Penn State Athlete of the Year along with Ally Schlegel of women's soccer.

Freestyle career

Age–group level

Bravo-Young was a standout age-group level wrestler and his eligibility to compete at this level expired in early 2020. He competed as a cadet since 2014 until 2016 and compiled a record of 36–3, represented the United States at the World Championships and won a UWW National championship and two USAW National championships on his way. As a junior, he posted an 11–2 record and won a Pan American Championship, became runner-up at the US Nationals and placed third at the US World Team Trials.

Senior level

2017

Even though he was still a junior in high school, Bravo-Young competed at the US Open as a senior in his first freestyle competition as such. He lost his first match and then he also lost his first match in the consolation bracket, being quickly eliminated from the tournament.

2018

After being unable to compete at the US Junior Nationals due to an injury, the 19 year old Bravo–Young competed at the US U23 National Championships. He won by technical fall in all of his matches on his way to the semifinals, where he defeated one more opponent by points to make it to the finals. At the finals, which were also the U23 World Team Trials, he was defeated twice by Vitali Arujau, becoming the runner-up of the tournament.

2020

After being unable to compete in any style due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Bravo-Young came back to freestyle and wrestled '19 NCAA runner-up Jack Mueller on July 25, at FloWrestling: Dake vs. Chamizo. He dominantly defeated Mueller after scoring eight points to one. Bravo-Young then competed against Shelton Mack on October 20, at the NLWC II. He won the match by technical fall after scoring eleven points no none. Bravo-Young then wrestled and grappled UFC title contender and two–time NCAA DIII All–American Aljamain Sterling on December 22, at the NLWC IV. He won the first match on points, and lost the second one by rear-naked choke.

2021

After his NCAA championship performance in March, Bravo–Young was qualified to compete at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in April 2–3, but chose not to compete due to the impossibility of competing at a non–olympic weight class.

Brazilian jiu-jitsu

Bravo-Young was booked to compete against UFC veteran Alex Perez in a Brazilian jiu-jitsu match at UFC Fight Pass Invitational 4 on June 29, 2023. The match ended in a draw.

Wrestling style

Bravo-Young is known for his fancy footwork, speed and ability to explode from a relaxed and elusive stance into a takedown. Defensively, he is known for employing explosive acrobatic flips in order to get out of dangerous situations. Bravo-Young trains with former UFC Champion Dominick Cruz from time to time, who displayed one of the most versatile footwork games in mixed martial arts.

Freestyle record

Senior Freestyle Matches
Res.	Record	Opponent	Score	Date	Event	Location
Win	8–4	Aljamain Sterling	6–4	December 22, 2020	NLWC IV	State College, Pennsylvania
Win	7–4	Shelton Mack	TF 11–0	October 20, 2020	NLWC II
Win	6–4	Jack Mueller	8–1	July 25, 2020	FloWrestling: Dake vs. Chamizo	Austin, Texas
2018 US U23 Nationals & World Team Trials 2 at 61kg
Loss	5–4	Vitali Arujau	TF 0–10	June 1–3, 2018	2018 UWW U23 World Team Trials	Akron, Ohio
Loss	5–3	Vitali Arujau	TF 4–15
Win	5–2	Charles Tucker	4–2		2018 UWW U23 Nationals and World Team Trials Challenge
Win	4–2	Sean Fausz	TF 11–0
Win	3–2	Larry Henderson	TF 12–2
Win	2–2	Mikel Perales	TF 13–2
Win	1–2	Drew West	TF 12–2
2017 US Open DNP at 57 kg
Loss	0–2	Jarrod Patterson	5–12	April 26–29, 2017	2017 US Open National Championships	Las Vegas, Nevada
Loss	0–1	Tony Ramos	TF 2–12

NCAA record

NCAA Division I Record
Res.	Record	Opponent	Score	Date	Event
Win	63–9	Sheldon Seymour	MD 19–7	December 5, 2021	Lehigh - Penn State Dual
Win	62–9	Dominice Carone	TF 26–11	November 18, 2021	Army - Penn State Dual
Win	61–9	Anthony Petrillo	Fall	November 13, 2021	Sacred Heart - Penn State Dual
Win	60–9	Jason Shaner Jr.	8–3		Oregon State - Penn State Dual
Start of 2021–2022 Season (senior year)
End of 2020–2021 Season (junior year)
2021 NCAA Championships 1 at 133 lbs
Win	59–9	Daton Fix	SV 4–2	March 18–20, 2021	2021 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships
Win	58–9	Korbin Myers	5–3
Win	57–9	Louie Hayes	4–1
Win	56–9	Kyle Burwick	MD 11–3
Win	55–9	Sean Carter	TF 20–5
2021 Big Ten Conference 1 at 133 lbs
Win	54–9	Austin DeSanto	5–2	March 6–7, 2021	2021 Big Ten Conference Championships
Win	53-9	Chris Cannon	8–3
Win	52-9	Jacob Rundell	9–3
Win	51–9	Jackson Cockrell	MD 24–13	February 21, 2021	Maryland - Penn State Dual
Win	50–9	Jordan Decatur	TF 27–8	February 19, 2021	Penn State - Ohio State Dual
Win	49–9	Dylan Ragusin	9–2	February 14, 2021	Penn State - Michigan Dual
Win	48–9	Kyle Burwick	11–6	February 2, 2021	Penn State - Wisconsin Dual
Win	47–9	Dylan Utterback	Fall	January 30, 2021	Penn State - Northwestern Dual
Win	46–9	Kyle Luigs	11–8		Penn State - Indiana Dual
Start of 2020-2021 Season (junior year)
End of 2019-2020 Season (sophomore year)
2020 Big Ten Conference 2 at 133 lbs
Loss	45-9	Sebastian Rivera	2-7	March 8, 2020	2020 Big Ten Championships
Win	45-8	Austin DeSanto	3-2
Win	44-8	Sammy Alvarez	5-2
Win	43-8	Josh Vega	Fall	February 23, 2020	American - Penn State Dual
Win	42-8	Jordan Decatur	10-4	February 15, 2020	Ohio State - Penn State Dual
Win	41-8	Boo Dryden	TF 23-8	February 9, 2020	Penn State - Minnesota Dual
Loss	40-8	Seth Gross	5-6	February 7, 2020	Penn State - Wisconsin Dual
Win	40-7	King Sandoval	TF 24-9	February 2, 2020	Maryland - Penn State Dual
Win	39-7	Austin DeSanto	Injury	January 31, 2020	Penn State - Iowa Dual
Win	38-7	Ridge Lovett	MD 11-3	January 24, 2020	Penn State - Nebraska Dual
Win	37-7	Sammy Alvarez	SV-2 4-2	January 19, 2020	Rutgers - Penn State Dual
Win	36-7	Dylan Utterback	TF 23-8	January 12, 2020	Northwestern - Penn State Dual
2019 Wilken Open 1 at 133 lbs
Win	35-7	Jaret Lane	9-3	December 22, 2019	2019 Wilken Open
Win	34-7	Brandon Loperfido	MD 14-5
Win	33-7	Justin Mastroianni	TF 23-7
Win	32-7	Carmen Ferrante	MD 21-9	December 8, 2019	Pennsylvania - Penn State Dual
Win	31-7	Jaret Lane	7-2	December 6, 2019	Penn State - Lehigh Dual
Win	30-7	Josh Kramer	7-6	November 22, 2019	Penn State - Arizona State Dual
2019 Black Knight Invite 1 at 133 lbs
Win	29-7	Austin Assad	MD 17-9	November 17, 2019	2019 Black Knight Invitational
Win	28-7	Andrew Wert	9-4
Win	27-7	Shawn Orem	MD 20-9
Win	26-7	Casey Cobb	MD 17-6	November 10, 2019	Navy - Penn State Dual
Start of 2019-2020 Season (sophomore year)
End of 2018-2019 Season (freshman year)
2019 NCAA Championships 8th at 133 lbs
Loss	25-7	Ethan Lizak	5-8	March 22, 2019	2019 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships
Loss	25-6	John Erneste	MD 0-10
Win	25-5	Micky Phillippi	4-3
Win	24-5	Ben Thornton	3-1
Win	23-5	Charles Tucker	6-2
Loss	22-5	Austin DeSanto	2-7
Win	22-4	Mario Guillen	8-2
2019 Big Ten Conference 5th at 133 lbs
Win	21–4	Stevan Mićić	MFOR	Mar 10, 2019	2019 Big Ten Championships
Loss	20-4	Austin DeSanto	8-13
Win	20-3	Dylan Duncan	3-2
Win	19-3	Jens Lantz	MD 14-5
Loss	18-3	Luke Pletcher	5-8
Win	18-2	Jevon Parrish	MD 17-5
Win	17-2	Derek Spann	MD 14-5	February 24, 2019	Buffalo - Penn State Dual
Win	16-2	Luke Pletcher	TB-2 2-1	February 8, 2019	Penn State - Ohio State Dual
Loss	15-2	Ben Thornton	3-7	January 25, 2019	Penn State - Purdue Dual
Win	15-1	Jevon Parrish	MD 20-7	January 20, 2019	Nebraska - Penn State Dual
Win	14-1	Jens Lantz	MD 12-4	January 13, 2019	Wisconsin - Penn State Dual
Win	13-1	Colin Valdiviez	15-9	January 11, 2019	Penn State - Northwestern Dual
2019 Southern Scuffle 3 at 133 lbs
Win	12-1	Sean Nickell	MD 10-1	January 2, 2019	2019 Southern Scuffle
Win	11-1	Mason Pengilly	11-4
Loss	10-1	Austin Gomez	Fall
Win	10-0	Collin Gerardi	8-6
Win	9-0	Nick Farro	4-1
Win	8-0	Dalton Young	4-3
Win	7-0	Ryan Millhof	MD 14-1	December 14, 2018	Arizona State - Penn State Dual
Win	6-0	Brandon Paetzell	MD 13-5	December 2, 2018	Lehigh - Penn State Dual
Win	5-0	David Campbell	MD 21-7	November 30, 2018	Penn State - Bucknell Dual
2018 Keystone Classic 1 at 133 lbs
Win	4-0	Chandler Olson	TF 24-9	November 18, 2018	2018 Keystone Classic
Win	3-0	Lukus Stricker	Injury
Win	2-0	Jon Guevara	Fall
Win	1-0	Tim Rooney	Fall	November 11, 2018	Kent State - Penn State Dual
Start of 2018-2019 Season (freshman year)

Stats

Awards and honors