Penn State wrestling: Starocci, Mesenbrink get national titles

PHILADELPHIA

Penn State has crowned two national champions Saturday night in Philadelphia at the 2025 NCAA Wrestling Championships — and the first was a big one.

Carter Starocci defeated Northern Iowa’s Parker Keckeisen, 4-3, to become the first five-time national champion in NCAA history. Starocci had a fifth year of eligibility after taking part in the 2021 season when all athletes were given another year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Penn State’s Carter Starocci controls Northern Iowa’s Parker Keckeisen in the 184-pound championship bout of the 2025 NCAA Wrestling Championships at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on Saturday March 22, 2025. Abby Drey [email protected]

His win came after another dominant performance at NCAAs, racking up bonus points with two technical falls and a major decision on his way to the finals. Starocci’s win ends Keckeisen’s undefeated season and means the Nittany Lion finishes his career with only four losses, two of which came his freshman year and two that came in 2024 by medical forfeit after he suffered a knee injury — one that he was still dealing with when he won his fourth national title.

Starocci was joined as a champion by Mitchell Mesenbrink, who won the championship at 165 pounds.

Mesenbrink earned his first national title by defeating Iowa’s Mikey Caliendo, 8-2 — his third win over the Iowa wrestler this season. His victory caps an undefeated sophomore year that saw him dominate the 165-pound weight class. He earned bonus points in all but two of his victories.

Mesenbrink’s win over Caliendo comes after last year’s loss in the finals to Iowa State’s David Carr by 9-8 decision. That loss is the only one of the Nittany Lion’s career and set hims up for a potential all-time career if he stays on the track that he’s currently on.