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Penn State Wrestling: Nick Lee and Aaron Brooks season predictions

By Chris Snyder

PISCATAWAY, NJ - MARCH 8: Aaron Brooks of the Penn State Nittany Lions poses for photos after winning the Big Ten Freshman of the Year Award at the Big Ten Championships at Rutgers Athletic Center on the campus of Rutgers University on March 8, 2020 in Piscataway, New Jersey. (Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Images)
PISCATAWAY, NJ - MARCH 8: Aaron Brooks of the Penn State Nittany Lions poses for photos after winning the Big Ten Freshman of the Year Award at the Big Ten Championships at Rutgers Athletic Center on the campus of Rutgers University on March 8, 2020 in Piscataway, New Jersey. (Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Images) /
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Wrapping up our weekly prediction series by predicting the 2021-2022 season for NCAA Champions and Penn State Wrestling stars Nick Lee and Aaron Brooks

Two weeks ago we tapped into the precogs’ memory banks to see how Carter Starocci’s season would go. And with the beginning of the Penn State Wrestling season almost upon us, we’re onto the last of the Nittany Lions grapplers to tie a bow on this weekly series.

Penn State Wrestling’s NCAA Champions Nick Lee (141) and Aaron Brooks (184).

As before, this weekly series is going to focus on the following areas:
1) Biggest key to success in 2021-2022 season
2) Expectations for 2021-2022 season
3) Bold prediction for 2021-2022 season

Penn State Wrestling’s Nick Lee’s key to success in 2021-2022

The last time we checked in with Nick Lee, he was hoisting the NCAA Title above his head as Jaydin Eierman lay crumpled and exhausted following their epic battle in the 2021 NCAA Finals.

Does someone who only lost two total matches in the past two seasons even need a “key to success”?

Well in this case, yes. Yes, they do.

Because the landscape of wrestling in both the nation as well as in the B1G at 141 has shifted. Dramatically.

Rutgers’ Sebastian Rivera decided to stay at 141 for the upcoming season and 17th year senior* Jaydin Eierman is back for Iowa. Both of these grapplers were Lee’s biggest and toughest competition from last season. Oh, and three-time All-American Chad Red is also returning for Nebraska.

But in late September, huge news from Ann Arbor hit the news wire as eighth-year senior** Stevan Micic is going to return and wrestle for Michigan at 141.

Therefore the B1G has all of the ranked wrestlers at 141 from 2-6 (Nick Lee, Jaydin Eierman, Stevan Micic, Sebastian Rivera, and Chad Red). But notice how I started with No. 2. This is where the reigning NCAA Champion from last season is ranked. So who’s No. 1?

And this is where the landscape at 141 changes in the nation. Cornell’s Yianni Diakomihalis indicated he was going to come back and wrestle for the Big Red Wrestling Team. Intermat currently has Diakomihalis as the No. 1 ranked wrestler at 141, and for good reason.

The last time he was on the college wrestling mat was back in 2019 where he compiled a perfect 29-0 record, won the NCAA Title at 141, and was a Dan Hodge Trophy finalist.

With all of this said, we are finally at the point of Nick Lee’s key to success for the upcoming season.

Lee is going to have to weather the storm of wrestling some of the nation’s best night in and night out when Penn State gets into the conference schedule. And the key for him is to continue to improve each time out, learn from each match, and stay healthy.

I know I throw out the term “gauntlet” a lot, and in this case it’s completely justified. Even if Lee is able to get through the best of the best in the B1G, there will still be a grappler who has only lost a single match in college standing in his way for another NCAA Title.

* – he’s not really a 17th year senior, but it sure seems like it
** – this is actually true

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