CENTRE COUNTY, Pa. (WJAC) — A local wrestler made the choice to continue his college career at Penn State.
While he still has his final season of high school wrestling ahead of him, one Bishop McCort student says he wants to spend the next four years of his wrestling career at Rec Hall.
Eighteen-year-old Mason Gibson originally committed to Cornell with his older brother Erik Gibson
But after some time and thought, the highly decorated wrestlers decided to stay home.
Older brother, Erik, is already with the Nittany Lions as they prepare to start their season and attempt to repeat as national champions.
Mason Gibson put pen to paper making his decision official this month.
"What really led to that was my brother just had the thought of, you know, coming back home and going to Penn State,” Gibson said. “And he called me up and was like, 'hey, let's rethink this decision about, you know, going to Cornell, you know, going away from home.' And so he came back home and we just talked about it and thought it was the best choice."
Gibson's dad said as a kid, he was so full of energy they needed to direct that source of energy towards a sport.
He joined gymnastics first and then transitioned to wrestling.
At age 11, it started to click. Mason won his first state wrestling title but after becoming a champ at tournaments like Fargo and Super 32, one trophy still eludes him.
Gibson reached the PIAA state finals as a freshman but Bishop McCort's suspension from the postseason kept him away from chasing that goal for two years.
Now eligible to compete at states, Gibson aims to dominate.
"We got to the postseason you know you got states those states we're looking to just go in there, dominate, dominate those," Gibson said.
With Gibson suffering knee injuries that required three surgeries - his dad said it feels like people have forgotten about him
With his knee healed and his commitment made, Gibson said choosing to be a Nittany Lion was simple: they've won 10 of the last 12 NCAA team championships and more importantly, they wanted the Gibson brothers there.
"They just accepted us,” said Gibson. “They want us there, so they're winning. And we go there to win and have fun and I just love wrestling. That's what I love doing. So, I'm just glad that I love what I do and they love it, too."
With Gibson’s older brother, Erik, being a part of the Penn State team, Gibson said that he already comes to State College at least twice a week, so it already feels like home.
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