Cornell's Yianni Diakomihalis wins 4th NCAA wrestling title

TULSA, Okla. — Cornell's Yianni Diakomihalis became the fifth Division I wrestler to win four national titles, and Penn State won its 10th team title in 12 years on Saturday at the NCAA Division I wrestling championships, with former President Donald Trump in attendance for the evening session.

Trump shook hands and took selfies with fans and greeted several of the national champions. He sat with staff members and U.S. Senator Markwayne Mullin. The crowd stood when Trump went to the arena floor before the night session began with Mullin and Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt.

Diakomihalis capped the evening by defeating Ohio State's Sammy Sasso 4-2 in the 149-pound final. He joined Kyle Dake, Pat Smith, Logan Stieber and Cael Sanderson — Penn State's coach — as the only four-time champions ever in Division I.

«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, and he 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.

«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.»

Penn State ran away with the team title, mathematically clinching before the evening session began. The Nittany Lions finished with 137.5 points. Iowa was second with 82.5 points, and