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Penn State Wrestling: Three Nittany Lions Win US Open Crowns

By Mike Scott

Penn State's Aaron Brooks reacts after scoring a fall at 184 pounds during the second session of the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, Thursday, March 16, 2023, at BOK Center in Tulsa, Okla.230316 Ncaa S2 Wr 047 Jpg
Penn State's Aaron Brooks reacts after scoring a fall at 184 pounds during the second session of the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, Thursday, March 16, 2023, at BOK Center in Tulsa, Okla.230316 Ncaa S2 Wr 047 Jpg /
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Penn State’s Nick Lee reacts after scoring a decision at 141 pounds in the semifinals in the finals during the sixth session of the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, Saturday, March 19, 2022, at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Mich.220319 Ncaa Session 6 Wr 033 Jpg
Penn State’s Nick Lee reacts after scoring a decision at 141 pounds in the semifinals in the finals during the sixth session of the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, Saturday, March 19, 2022, at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Mich.220319 Ncaa Session 6 Wr 033 Jpg /

The first weight class we’ll look at is 65KG. Following Thursday’s somewhat controversial semifinal, where Nick Lee defeated Beau Bartlett, we saw Nick Lee advance to the finals and Beau head to the consolations.

Nick Lee, #3 seed, would take on #1 seed Joseph McKenna with a trip to Final X on the line. This was a classic Nick Lee match where his gas tank is just so much better than his opponent’s. McKenna started well, scoring a takedown and 2 points within the first 10 seconds. McKenna would push his advantage to 5-0 at the break and appeared to be on his way to victory.

However, as any Penn State Wrestling fan knows by now, Nick Lee was not going to give up. Lee secured a 4-point move to start the second period and just like that the comeback was on. We then saw McKenna slow down as he got tired from Lee’s constant attacks. Lee kept attacking, scoring a total of 10 points in the second and secured himself a 10-5 victory. It’s insanely impressive how often Lee finishes a match and looks like he can go another period, meanwhile, his opponent looks gassed. Congratulations to Nick Lee on his US Open crown and securing a trip to Final X!

Meanwhile, Beau Bartlett saw himself in the consolation semifinals. He started the night with an 8-2 victory over #8 Anthony Ashnault. Beau would then take on #6 Matthew Kolodzik in the third-place bout. Much like Lee, Beau fell behind early and trailed 8-0 with just a minute remaining in the first period. Suddenly, Beau pulled off a 4-point move to finish the period and head into the second with some momentum. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to pull off the comeback. The second period was pretty uneventful, with Beau scoring 2 more points and ultimately falling to Kolodzik 8-6. Beau finishes in 4th place, a successful tournament for the red-hot young Nittany Lion.

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