4 ASU wrestlers are All-Americans; Penn State wins 10th national title

Staff and wire reports
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TULSA, Okla. – Arizona State wrapped up the NCAA Division I wrestling championships with four athletes earning All-America status and two wrestlers finishing in the top 3 of their weight class.

Brandon Courtney and Michael McGee finished third at 125 and 133 pounds, respectively, while Kyle Parco (149) finished fourth and heavyweight Cohlton Schultz seventh. ASU as a team finished seventh overall, marking the 21st time the Sun Devils have placed in the top 10.

This is the first time a pair of Sun Devils have finished in top 3 since 2017 when Zahid Valencia and Tanner Hall both took third.Courtney, McGee, Parco and Schultz all earned All-America honors. It is the fourth consecutive season and seventh time in program history ASU has at least four All-Americans. Parco, McGee and Schultz are all now three-time All-Americans, while Courtney is a four-time All-American.

Penn State's Aaron Brooks, right, works against Northern Iowa's Parker Keckeisen during the championship round at the NCAA Division I wrestling championships Saturday, March 18, 2023, in Tulsa, Okla. (Ian Maule/Tulsa World via AP)
Penn State's Aaron Brooks, right, works against Northern Iowa's Parker Keckeisen during the championship round at the NCAA Division I wrestling championships Saturday, March 18, 2023, in Tulsa, Okla. (Ian Maule/Tulsa World via AP)

Penn State’s dominance continued as the Nittany Lions captured their 10th team championship in the past 12 years. Penn State finished with 137.5 points, Iowa was second with 82.5 points and Cornell placed third with 76.5.

Two Penn State wrestlers won titles for the third straight season: Penn State’s Carter Starocci at 174 and Aaron Brooks at 184.

The individual story of the meet was the performance of Cornell’s Yianni Diakomihalis, who became the fifth Division I wrestler to win four national titles by defeating Ohio State’s Sammy Sasso 4-2 in the 149-pound final. Diakomihalis joined Kyle Dake, Pat Smith, Logan Stieber and Cael Sanderson – Penn State’s coach – as the only four-time DI champions.

“All those guys are great because they’re different,” Diakomihalis said. “And, you know, my style is different. I might take bits and pieces from each guy, but when you see the final product, it’s its own form.”

Diakomihalis, 23, won national titles in 2018 and 2019. He took an Olympic redshirt year while trying to make Team USA in 2019-20, then couldn’t wrestle in college during the 2020-21 season because the Ivy League cancelled winter sports during the COVID-19 pandemic. He came back to win in 2022 and 2023, and now has bigger goals in mind with the Olympics coming in 2024.

Cornell's Yianni Diakomihalis holds up four fingers after defeating Ohio State's Sammy Sasso to claim his fourth national championship, at the NCAA Division I wrestling championships Saturday, March 18, 2023, in Tulsa, Okla. (Ian Maule/Tulsa World via AP)
Cornell's Yianni Diakomihalis holds up four fingers after defeating Ohio State's Sammy Sasso to claim his fourth national championship, at the NCAA Division I wrestling championships Saturday, March 18, 2023, in Tulsa, Okla. (Ian Maule/Tulsa World via AP)

“What I did this weekend is far from the best version of myself,” he said. “And it’s far, far, far from what I need to be an Olympic champion, world champion.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: 4 ASU wrestlers are All-Americans; Penn State wins 10th national title