Penn State wrestling’s Brady Berge announced this week he will step away from college wrestling just weeks after sustaining a tournament-ending injury.

Berge, who wrestled at 157 pounds this season, suffered a tournament-ending injury at the NCAA Championships in St. Louis last month. In a statement, the two-time NCAA qualifier said his health played a large role in his decision to step back from competition.

Thank you wrestling. pic.twitter.com/dbuYMEKGGy

— Brady Berge (@bradyberge) April 7, 2021

“Due to concussions and my own health, it is in my best interest to step away from competition,” Berge said. “This is not an easy decision, as I have had the goal of being a national champion since I can remember.”

Berge suffered a head injury at the U23 World Championships in October 2019 and competed in only two matches for Penn State that season.

Berge earned the No. 12 seed in this year’s tournament and posted impressive wins over No. 21 Andrew Cerniglia of Navy and No. 5 Kaleb Young of Iowa to advance to the quarterfinals. He medically forfeited from the tournament after sustaining an injury against No. 4 Jesse Dellavecchia of Rider.

As a redshirt freshman in 2019, Berge qualified for the tournament and went 2-2 overall.

According to the team, Berge plans on graduating from Penn State. The Minnesota native credited the Nittany Lions’ program for supporting him “every step of the way.”

“I want to thank my coaches, my teammates, and everyone involved with the program here at Penn State,” Berge said. “You have made my experience nothing short of excellent. There is no other program I would rather be a part of.”

Overall, Berge will depart Happy Valley with a 31-9 record, including 11 major decisions and three technical falls. He’s also a three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree.