Penn State Wrestling: Inside the Singlet – Wrestler Profiles for 174 and 184
By Chris Snyder
Aaron Brooks
Year: Senior
Weight: 184
Major: Recreation, Park and Tourism Management
Hometown: Hagerstown, Md.
Penn State Career
Brooks has put together a career record of 68-4 for the Nittany Lions which includes a perfect 14-0 campaign his sophomore year in 2020-2021. Aaron is a two time Big Ten Champion as well as winning back-to-back NCAA titles in both 2021 and 2022.
Brooks is a three time All-American and was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year in 2020. He was nominated as a first-team All-Big Ten last year as well as a Dan Hodge Trophy finalist.
So far this season, Aaron has a 9-1 record to go along with a 70% bonus point percentage.
Prior to Penn State
Prior to Brooks signing on the dotted line to wrestle for Cael Sanderson and the Nittany Lions, Aaron wrestled at North Hagerstown High School in Hagerstown, Maryland. At NHHS he had a career record of 163-2, was a four year letterman, and a three year captain.
Aaron won four Maryland state titles and he became only the seventh wrestler to capture four National High School Coaches Association Championships at the NHSCA High School Nationals. Brooks’ accomplishments on the mat led him to be named the recipient of the 2018 National High School Coaches Association Wrestler of the Year.
During his senior year at North Hagerstown, Brooks moved to the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs to train for the national team. In an interview with FloWrestling, Aaron talks about his goals of being a wrestler, “The Olympics, that’s the pinnacle. There’s no NFL for us, no NBA. If you’re an Olympic champion in wrestling, you’re the best over everyone. Some people say you were an NCAA Champion, you were a folkstyle champion and that’s the only place, but being an Olympic champion where they shrink the weight classes? You’re the best in the world. That’s something I know I’ve always wanted to be.”
While at the Olympic Training Center, Brooks realized things weren’t going to be easy, “I just realized it’s tough. You know, high school is fun since you’re around your family and your friends you grew up with. But being at the OTC you’re like, ‘Hey, this is tough’. I’m wrestling J’den Cox everyday and being put through workouts with Coach KJ (Kevin Jackson). This is something I’m really going to have to sacrifice for, seeing that next level. Being around those senior level guys, this is when it gets tough and this is when you’re going to have to get tough too. But then I was, because I’ve always been really tough mentally. It just showed me I’m going to have to sacrifice a lot more to get to where I want to be and where I’m at now. I’m blessed for that.”
Away from wrestling Aaron is a strong man of faith and he uses this to strive to become a better person and a better wrestler every single day. He says many times how blessed he is, but I would argue anyone who knows Aaron is blessed to have him in and around their life.
