UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State Nittany Lion wrestler Brady Berge (Mantorville, Minn.) has announced his intent to graduate and step away from competitive wrestling. The two-time NCAA qualifier missed most of last season and suffered a tournament-ending injury at this year's NCAA Championships in St. Louis two weeks ago.
Berge qualified for the NCAA tournament as a redshirt freshman in 2019, going 2-2 in his first trip to nationals. After missing nearly all of last season, Berge returned to the line-up this year and entered the 2021 NCAA Championships as the No. 12 seed. Berge began his tournament with two impressive wins, a 12-4 major over No. 21 Andrew Cerniglia of Navy in the opening round and then a thrilling 3-2 victory over No. 5 Kaleb Young of Iowa in the second round. The win over Young advanced Berge to the NCAA quarterfinals where he met No. 4 Jesse Dellavecchia of Rider. Berge suffered an injury in the first period of that bout, was unable to continue and medically forfeited out of the tournament.
Berge announced his decision on his social media channels and said, in part, "Due to concussions and my own health, it is in my best interest to step away from competition. This is not an easy decision as I have had the goal of being a national champion since I can remember. I am not defined by my wins and losses. I am defined by my faith in God and the person he has guided me to become."
"I want to thank my coaches, my teammates and everyone involved with the program here at Penn State," he continued. "You have made my experience nothing short of excellent. There is no other program I would rather be a part of. I want to thank my family and the community back home for helping me get to this point in my wrestling career and in my life and for sticking by my side and supporting me every step of the way."
The Mantorville, Minn., product ended his season with a 10-3 overall record, including five majors. He leaves Penn State with a 31-9 mark, 11 majors and three technical falls. An outstanding student, Berge was a three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree.
Penn State Fans are encouraged to follow Penn State wrestling via twitter at @pennstateWREST, on Penn State Wrestling's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pennstatewrestling and on Instagram at www.instagram.com/pennstatewrest. This is PENN STATE. WRESTLING lives here.
