Aaron Brooks leaned against a wall outside Penn State’s wrestling facility earlier this week and watched as a handful of his training partners lined up for a drink.

There was Kyle Dake, then David Taylor, two battlers Brooks has spent more time rolling around with the last few months as he prepares for what’s to come.

“His goal? He wants to win the NCAA tournament, of course, but he wants to be a World and Olympic champion,” Penn State coach Cael Sanderson said. “If you’re going to do that, you’ve got to continue to show some progress and he’s showing that.”

Brooks put more evidence on tape with a convincing 12-8 win over Northern Iowa’s Parker Keckeisen in the NWCA All-Star Classic on Nov. 22. The Penn State senior snared two takedowns in the first two minutes on his way to the five-takedown rout.

Keckeisen managed a late takedown, but Brooks had done enough damage against an opponent he figures to see again.

“That speaks volumes on how good he is,” Brooks said. “It goes to show he’s a worthy opponent. He works really hard. He’s a leader for his team. He’s a good kid. I already knew he was a respectable opponent, that’s why I accepted the match.”

There’s a bit of a difference in Brooks’ mentality this season. 

Although his system of being ultra-focused has worked for him in the past with two NCAA title runs under his belt, Brooks took a quiet summer to reflect on where he could be better. Sometimes, his focus might veer into a different direction. His intent is to keep it all in the here and now when he’s on the mat this season.

“Whether it’s wrestling, a friend that needs help, I just want to be present, that’s my goal this year, is to be present every match,” Brooks said. “Growing up, in high school, first couple of years of college, that’s something that you don’t realize is a big blessing. You go out there and you kind of have expectations of the world, coaches, fans, media and you’re not present. You’re focused on other things.”

Now, with one season left at Penn State, Brooks’ focus is sharpening on finishing strong to set up a post-folkstyle path.

“He hasn’t wrestled since I think the nationals last year,” Sanderson said. “So it was good to see that he had maintained good progress I’d say. He looked great. Shots looked good. There’s always little things that he can improve on and he knows about. He’s not a guy that’s every going to be satisfied with where he’s at and he knows his opponent is tough and will be tougher next time.”

Black Knight Champs

Sanderson was happy with Penn State’s performance at Army’s Black Knight Open on Nov. 20 where the Nittany Lions sent five champions to the podium.

Beau Bartlett (141), Shayne Van Ness (149), Levi Haines (157) Alex Facundo (165) and Max Dean (197) took home titles at their respective weight. 

Dean was named the Open’s most outstanding wrestler with four wins, two by fall another by tech. He pinned Hofstra’s Trey Rogers in the finals in 1:15.

“It’s November, right, so you’re looking more for effort and they way they’re competing, just the little things you can fix along the way, help them,” Sanderson said. “But good effort, good energy at Army.”

Head-To-Head

Sanderson and the rest of his staff aren’t going to read too much into the results at 157 from West Point. 

Haines, a true freshman, outscored opponents 32-9 on his way to a finals showdown with teammate Terrell Barraclough. Haines edged Barraclough 2-1 in the finals.

Per the NCAA’s new freshman eligibility rule, Penn State could use Haines three more times and still redshirt him. Haines went 4-1 at the Jonathan Kaloust Bearcat Open on Nov. 13. 

Sanderson intends to put the best wrestler in the spot by the end of the year, however.

“We knew those guys are close and Levi’s a great competitor,” Sanderson said. “He’s a tough kid and has wrestled great in big matches and being young, he should continue to improve, he’s got the right mindset.”

Barraclough wrestled, and beat Lock Haven’s Ashton Eyler 2-1, in the Nittany Lion’s only dual so far.

“Terrell’s wrestling really well also and I think he’s a different wrestler than he was a year ago. He’s always been a great competitor. He’s wrestled in some big matches and he’s lost some close matches to some really good wrestlers over the years. So just hoping to see him believe in himself enough that he can make a jump.”