Collegiate wrestler Max Dean of Lowell is a national champion after winning a thriller Saturday night in Detroit.
Dean, who transferred to Penn State from Cornell this year, took top honors in the 197-pound class during the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships at Little Caesars Arena. Dean, a junior, defeated Iowa’s Jacob Warner 3-2 in the finals.
Saturday’s victory capped a 23-1 season for Dean, who transferred to Penn State after wrestling his freshman and sophomore seasons at Cornell. Dean was one of five wrestlers who earned individual championships for Penn State, which won the team title, too.
Dean joined his brother Gabe Dean as a national champ. Gabe won titles at Cornell in 2015 and 2016.
Warner led 1-0 after two periods before Dean rallied. He tied the match with an escape, then took down Warner with 36 seconds left in regulation to go up 3-1. Dean let Warner up with 15 seconds remaining for the match’s final point.
It was the second time that Dean had beaten Warner this season. Dean posted an 8-3 victory over Warner in a Jan. 28 dual meet. Dean’s only loss this season was to Michigan State’s Cameron Caffey on Jan. 23.
Dean was a two-time state champion for the Red Arrows. He earned the 171 title his sophomore season in 2014 and the 2016 championship his senior year in 2016.
Dean went 56-12 in his first two years at Cornell in 2018 and 2019, finishing eighth and second in the nation those two seasons, respectively. He did not compete in collegiate dual meets the past two years before transferring to Penn State.
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