Takedown Report

Penn State’s four-time champ Aaron Brooks wins 2024 Hodge Trophy

By Tristan Warner, WIN Magazine
NEWTON, Iowa – Paralleling his coach, Cael Sanderson, Penn State’s Aaron Brooks won three NCAA titles at 184 pounds before deciding to move up to the 197-pound weight class in pursuit of his fourth collegiate crown this season.
Partly because his body was growing and the weight cut to 184 was becoming more difficult, but Brooks also asserted that he wanted to make his final season more fun by challenging himself to face new opponents at a higher weight class.

Aaron Brooks
It is that type of mentality, the desire to seek new challenges and never become complacent, that propelled Brooks to a dominating senior season that saw the North Hagerstown, Md. native post a 22-0 record with three major decisions, 11 technical falls and six falls en route to becoming just the seventh-ever four-time NCAA Division I wrestling champion. With that final stat sheet, Brooks has officially been named the recipient of the 2024 WIN Magazine/Culture House Dan Hodge Trophy awarded to the nation’s top college wrestler. Brooks will be presented the Hodge Trophy at the Penn State University wrestling banquet on Sunday, April 7 in State College. Like in past seasons, Brooks will then publicly be presented the Hodge at a football game this fall. For more information on the Dan Hodge Trophy, including a list of all past winners along with the release story and stats from the year they won the Hodge, visit http://www.WIN-magazine.com.
The seventh Nittany Lion to win the Hodge, Brooks comfortably won the vote as he acquired 48 out of 59 first-place votes. The Hodge Trophy Voting Committee is comprised of: a retired college coach from each region of the country, a representative from each of the national wrestling organizations, select national media members and past Hodge winners. Second-place Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa, 184 pounds) received eight first-place votes, Carter Starocci (Penn State, 174) got two votes and Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State, HWT) received one vote.

The Dan Hodge Trophy
Brooks accumulated the highest portion of the fan votes as well, which accounted for the final five of first-place votes. The four-time NCAA champion received 13,416 votes out of the total 26,928 fan votes that were cast online March 26-29. Keckeisen finished second in the fan vote with 9,675, while Starocci finished third with 1,868. “Winning the Hodge Trophy is a blessing,” Brooks commented. “It is like the Heisman Trophy in football, so to know the hard work and dedication I’ve put in is being rewarded with such a historic award is really cool.” “I am really happy for Aaron,” Sanderson added. “He worked hard, kept improving in all of his positions and had a dominating season.”
Founded in 1995 by Mike Chapman, the creator of WIN Magazine, and sponsored by ASICS, the Dan Hodge Trophy is awarded to the most dominant wrestler each year by WIN and Chapman’s company Culture House. The late Dan Hodge was an undefeated three-time NCAA champion at 177 pounds for the University of Oklahoma, and the only wrestler to ever appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated (April 1, 1957). “Aaron Brooks stands tall in the long list of Dan Hodge Trophy winners, not only for his performance on the mat this year (and all four years, for that matter) but for the way he has represented his school and his sport. Penn State has set the standard for team excellence over the past dozen years and also for individual excellence. It’s a pleasure to welcome Aaron to the roll call of Dan Hodge Trophy recipients,” said Chapman. … story at … WIN-magazine.com/Penn-states-four-time-champ-aaron-brooks-wins-2024-hodge-trophy

April 6, 2024 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Beat the Streets’ 2024 Annual Benefit set for June 4 at Ziegfeld Ballroom

The event will feature a fireside chat with Jordan Burroughs and Neil deGrasse Tyson.

Beat the Streets Wrestling, Inc. will host its 2024 Annual Benefit fundraising event on Tuesday, June 4 at Ziegfeld Ballroom in Manhattan.
The event will support and celebrate BTS programs that empower New York City students to achieve their goals on the wrestling mat and in the classroom – and honor coaches and partners who make each win a reality.  The event will feature a cocktail reception, USA Wrestling Olympic athletes, and a live auction.
Seven-time World and Olympic champion Jordan Burroughs will guide a fireside chat with Neil deGrasse Tyson, who will detail his experience as a high school wrestler in The Bronx and how wrestling shaped his success as a World-renowned astrophysicist.
BTS student-athletes and their coaches will be recognized for their accomplishments with awards throughout the evening, and two student award recipients will speak about how BTS programs have impacted their lives. BTS provides a safe, positive atmosphere for student-athletes to learn essential life lessons of discipline, perseverance, self-reliance, humility and a strong work ethic through wrestling.
The BTS Annual Benefit events help the organization raise more than $1 million each year to support local youth wrestling programs, which empower young people in New York City. This year’s event will be the 14th BTS Annual Benefit. The event will start at 6 p.m. Eastern time. … story at … BTSny.org/beat-the-streets-wrestling-2024-annual-benefit-tickets-june-4

April 6, 2024 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment