Sports
How Penn State wrestler Carter Starocci became a 5-time national champion
PHILADELPHIA — The Penn State fans inside Wells Fargo Center rose to their feet and held five fingers in the air.
In the waning seconds of Carter Starocci’s final match as a Nittany Lions superstar, one last gasp from Northern Iowa’s Parker Keckeisen ended the same way every Starocci match has gone during his five trips to the NCAA championships.
The crowd roared as Cael Sanderson bear-hugged Starocci much like he has done every March of Starocci’s star-studded career. The yearlong chase to accomplish a dream that wasn’t even feasible when Starocci started college came to fruition. His 4-3 win in the 184-pound class against Keckeisen cemented Starocci in college wrestling history as he became the first Division I wrestler to win five individual NCAA titles.
“I’ve been in this moment so many times, year after year,” Starocci said. “I have that experience and understand what to do. Honestly, I know I’m a five-time champ, but it’s really just another match. … It’s always about the next one.”
The COVID-19-shortened 2020 season granted Starocci an extra year of eligibility, and after he stormed through the bracket in Kansas City last year on one healthy leg to win his fourth NCAA championship, questions about this year and this quest for five national titles began. Though Starocci has insisted for a year that the next match is the most important, he’s one of only seven wrestlers all time to have navigated the grueling, sweaty and often bloody three-day gantlet of a tournament to win four NCAA titles. Sanderson is a member of the exclusive club as is former Nittany Lions star Aaron Brooks, who joined Starocci as a four-time champion last year.
One wrong move or one bad day on the mat would seem inevitable for anyone. Many of the sport’s best have stumbled to be perfect. Starocci proved time and time again he was the exception.
The Penn State standout — excluding a pair of injury defaults last season — ends his college career having not lost a match since the 2021 Big Ten tournament finals. During his career, he went 104-4, which includes those two injury defaults. Even Michael Kemerer, the last wrestler to defeat Starocci, was later beaten by him in the 2021 NCAA finals.
Penn State’s Carter Starocci claimed his fifth individual NCAA crown Saturday. (Eric Hartline / Imagn Images)
“That was a heck of a feat. That’s really special,” Sanderson said. “It takes a lot of mental toughness and focus. … You got two of the best wrestlers in the country, first match up, which is kind of weird, but that was a great match. That reshot Carter hit, that was as good as it gets.”
Penn State heads back to Happy Valley after a historic showing. It secured its 13th NCAA team title, including its 12th since hiring Sanderson in 2009. It wowed the in-state crowd with all 10 wrestlers becoming All-Americans. It’s just the second team to ever have 10 All-America honorees, joining Minnesota in 2001. The Nittany Lions even one-upped themselves by setting an all-time team scoring record with 177 points. The previous mark was 172.5 — which Penn State set in 2024.
In addition to Starocci, Mitchell Mesenbrink (165 pounds) took home an individual championship. Redshirt freshman Josh Barr finished second at 197 pounds. Five wrestlers, Luke Lilledahl (125), Beau Bartlett (141), Shayne Van Ness (149), Tyler Kasak (157), and Levi Haines (174) placed third. Sophomore Braeden Davis finished fifth, and heavyweight Greg Kerkvliet withdrew from the tournament due to injury. Kerkvliet finished sixth and concluded his college career as a five-time All-America honoree.
For a program that has churned out some of the best wrestlers in the country on an annual basis, it was Starocci who had the brightest of lights on him during the NCAA championships. ESPN even flipped the rundown for Saturday night’s television broadcast to put Starocci’s historic match first in an attempt to lure in the largest audience possible. Starocci wasn’t fond of the change.
One of Sanderson’s most outspoken and most prolific wrestlers, the same one who jogs out to the haunting main title from the “Halloween” franchise, wouldn’t have wanted his college career to end any other way than in the spotlight.
One last Carter Starocci intro as a Penn State wrestler pic.twitter.com/7BVNuy2jGQ
— Audrey Snyder (@audsnyder4) March 22, 2025
“He’s not scared of anybody,” said Mike Hahesy, who coached Starocci at Erie’s Cathedral Prep. Hahesy was on hand when Sanderson drove to the high school to recruit Starocci and was here, too, to watch Starocci chase history. “You could tell him he has to wrestle Hulk Hogan and Godzilla back-to-back, and he’d be like, ‘Yep, no problem. What mat am I on?’ He has that supreme, and I don’t know if it’s confidence or sure of himself, or I don’t know what, but he has that definitely more than any kid I ever coached and probably more than any person that’s ever wrestled.”
Starocci was once the young wrestler who holed up in his bedroom for a couple of months after he placed eighth at the Pennsylvania state tournament as a freshman in high school. His family worried about how withdrawn he became. When he emerged from the room with a list of demands for all of them — no more junk food in the house, no more of his time spent playing football — his mind was set on becoming the best wrestler possible.
“It was one of those moments that just awakens you,” Starocci said this week. “For me, it was what am I going to do with my life? Am I going to pursue this, or do I want to do something else because if I’m going to do something I’m not going to lose at it.”
Still, few people in the high school ranks or even at Penn State could’ve predicted a career like this.
Starocci is brash enough to tell all his opponents he’s going to beat them — and skilled enough to back it up. When Sanderson drove to Cathedral Prep to recruit Starocci, the coach took a detour to the home of Starocci’s high school wrestling teammate, Ian Malesiewski. Malesiewski was adjusting to life after a significant injury from wrestling left him paralyzed from the chest down.
Sanderson was there to spend time with Malesiewski, whose story spread through the wrestling world. During Sanderson’s two-plus-hour visit, he wanted to get the full picture of the wrestler he was recruiting. In a way, Malesiewski helped solidify Sanderson’s decision to keep heavily pursuing Starocci.
“We were getting ready to leave, and Cael said, ‘Should I recruit Starocci or not?’” Hahesy said. “Ian said, ‘Yeah, I think you should.’ Cael goes, ‘Well, why do you think I should recruit him?’ He goes, ‘Because you’ll never be able to find anybody that can beat him. … If Carter doesn’t go to Penn State, I don’t care who you’ll get from what state, that kid will never beat Carter.’”
He was right. Finding someone to upend Starocci, even when everyone was gunning for him, whether he won it all with a broken hand, an injured knee or with the weight of expectations on his shoulders, Starocci never backed down.
As Starocci paused for photos in the tunnel alongside his teammates Saturday, Penn State athletic director Pat Kraft leaned in for a hug. A smear of Starocci’s blood stayed on Kraft’s white hoodie, a not-so-subtle reminder of this night from one of Penn State’s all-time greats, who starred on one of the sport’s most impressive dynasties.
“I want these younger guys to keep on pushing for more and more and more and just keep that Penn State dynasty going,” Starocci said, drenched in sweat. “I’m not sure how much longer these coaches got, but I know coach Cael pretty well, and if there’s some kind of record out there or something — you guys figure it out — I’m sure when he breaks that, he’ll be done.”
(Top photo: Eric Hartline / Imagn Images)
Sports
Indiana crushes Oregon to advance to first championship game in program history, stunning sports world
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The 2025 Indiana Hoosiers became the fifth team in modern college football history to go 15-0. Now they can become the first team of the modern era to ever go 16-0, and only the second of all-time, joining an 1894 Yale team that played with leather helmets.
With a merciless 56-22 thumping of Oregon in the Peach Bowl, the Hoosiers punched their ticket to their first national championship game appearance in program history.
Head coach Curt Cignetti has left the college football world breathless with a dramatic turnaround of the Hoosiers program, going from one of the losingest teams in the Big 10 to potentially the most dominant single-season of all time.
Elijah Sarratt #13 of the Indiana Hoosiers is tackled by Ify Obidegwu #7 of the Oregon Ducks during the first quarter in the 2025 College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on January 09, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Many prominent sports figures took to social media to express their amazement of Indiana’s unprecedented dominance during and after their win over Oregon. Indiana Gov. Mike Braun also chimed in.
Indiana’s Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza threw five touchdown passes, improving his case to be the top pick in the upcoming NFL Draft.
Kaelon Black ran for two touchdowns to lead the Indiana running game.
INDIANA WINS FIRST OUTRIGHT BIG 10 FOOTBALL TITLE SINCE 1945 AFTER OHIO STATE FLUBS SHORT FIELD GOAL TRY
Fernando Mendoza #15 of the Indiana Hoosiers is tackled by Aaron Flowers #21 of the Oregon Ducks during the second quarter in the 2025 College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on January 09, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Oregon (13-2, No. 5 CFP) was doomed by the three first-half turnovers while also being short-handed by the absence of two of their top running backs.
Indiana’s defense didn’t wait long to make an impact. On Oregon’s first snap, cornerback D’Angelo Ponds intercepted Moore’s pass intended for Malik Benson and returned the pick 25 yards for a touchdown. Only 11 seconds into the game, the Hoosiers and their defense already had made a statement this would be a long night for Moore and the Oregon offense.
Moore’s 19-yard scoring pass to tight end Jamari Johnson tied the game. The remainder of the half belonged to Indiana and its big-play defense.
After Mendoza’s 8-yard touchdown pass to Omar Cooper Jr. gave the Hoosiers the lead for good at 14-7, Indiana’s defense forced a turnover when Moore fumbled and Indiana recovered at the Oregon 3, setting up Black’s scoring run.
Moore lost a second fumble later in the second quarter when hit by Daniel Ndukwe and Mario Landino recovered at the Oregon 21. Mendoza’s first scoring pass to Sarratt gave the Hoosiers’ the 35-7 lead.
Indiana extended its lead to 42-7 on Mendoza’s 13-yard scoring pass to E.J. Williams Jr.
Oregon finally answered. A 70-yard run by Hill set up a 2-yard scoring run by Harris.
The Hoosiers led 35-7 at halftime as the Ducks were held to nine rushing yards on 17 carries. Noah Whittington, who leads Oregon with 829 rushing yards, was held out with an undisclosed injury after Jordon Davison, who had rushed for 667 yards and 15 touchdowns, already was listed as out with a collarbone injury.
Backup running backs, including Jay Harris and Dierre Hill Jr, provided too little help for quarterback Dante Moore. Moore’s task against Indiana’s stifling defense would have been daunting even with all his weapons.
Following their undefeated regular season, the Hoosiers have only gained momentum in the CFP. Indiana overwhelmed Alabama 38-3 in the Rose Bowl quarterfinal as Mendoza passed for 192 yards and three touchdowns.
Now, the Hoosiers will prepare to face Miami on Jan. 19 in the national championship game at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. Miami beat Mississippi 31-27 in the Fiesta Bowl semifinal on Thursday night.
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Roman Hemby #1 of the Indiana Hoosiers runs out of bounds before the endzone against the Oregon Ducks during the second quarter in the 2025 College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on January 09, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
Indiana will try to give the Big Ten its third straight national title, following Ohio State and Michigan the last two seasons. Few teams from any conference can compare with the Hoosiers’ season-long demonstration of balanced strong play.
The country will be watching to see if this unprecedented team can finish the job and really punch their ticket into the history books.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Before Friday’s Trinity League game at Santa Margarita, Christian Collins of St. John Bosco was dancing to music and looking so comfortable and loose that it was easy to predict he might do something special.
The 6-foot-9 All-American delivered the tying basket at the buzzer to send the game into overtime and scored the clinching basket with six seconds left in the second overtime to lift St. John Bosco to a 74-73 victory in a game that lived up to the hype while producing terrific performances from both teams.
“That really was a high-level game,” St. John Bosco coach Matt Dunn said. “They put us in positions that were really challenging and we did the same. I had so many kids play great.”
The Braves (12-4) had four players score in double figures and battled back from an eight-point deficit in the third quarter. Collins finished with 20 points. Howie Wu, St. John Bosco’s 7-foot center, scored 15 points. Point guard Gavin Dean-Moss had 15 points and Tariq Iscandari added 13 points.
Santa Margarita (19-3) received 29 points from Kaiden Bailey and 20 points from Drew Anderson.
Collins saved St. John Bosco just before the buzzer at the end of regulation, getting an offensive rebound basket to tie the score. Then, with six seconds left in the second overtime and St. John Bosco up by two points, he scored to clinch the victory. A three-pointer at the buzzer by Brayden Kyman meant nothing with a four-point deficit.
“It was really hard to get stops,” Dunn said. “We finally got some.”
After the score was tied at 10, 12, 14, 17 and 19, Santa Margarita was able to take a 36-30 lead at halftime. Anderson had 14 points by then. The Eagles started connecting from three-point range, with four threes in the second quarter. St. John Bosco continued to rely on Collins, who had 10 points but missed six shots.
Drew Anderson of Santa Margarita battles for the loose ball against St. John Bosco.
(Nick Koza)
In the third quarter, Bailey made two threes and Rodney Westmoreland made another for an eight-point Santa Margarita lead. But the Eagles’ success with threes might have been their downfall. They started to rely too much on trying to score from deep, and St. John Bosco kept fighting back.
“I was really proud of our guys,” Dunn said.
Santa Margarita, with four returning starters, was considered the Trinity League favorite. But the play of Wu and Dean-Moss helped take offensive pressure off Collins, who was effective as a passer.
“Howie was great,” Dunn said.
This season the Trinity League will be playing only one round of games and will hold a postseason tournament at Concordia University and Hope University.
After Friday night, the Braves are the team to beat.
Harvard-Westlake 80, Crespi 53: The Wolverines received 26 points from Joe Sterling and 19 points from Pierce Thompson in the Mission League win.
St. Francis 58, Bishop Alemany 45: Cherif Millogo had 30 points, 16 rebounds and seven blocks for the Golden Knights.
Chaminade 55, Loyola 48: Temi Olafisoye contributed 22 points and 20 rebounds to help the Eagles (19-2, 1-1) pick up an important road victory.
La Habra 66, Crean Lutheran 56: The Highlanders (16-5) upset Crean Lutheran in a Crestview League game.
Los Alamitos 80, Marina 60: Tyler Lopez had 21 points and Isaiah Williamson scored 16 in the victory.
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An Olympic medalist and 13-time X Games winner suffered serious head injuries after a stunt went wrong.
Nyjah Huston, who won bronze in Paris in 2024, said he suffered a fractured skull and eye socket.
“A harsh reminder how death-defying skating massive rails can be…” Huston wrote in an Instagram post which included a photo of himself in a hospital bed. “Taking it one day at a time. I hope yall had a better new years then me. We live to fight another day.”
Nyjah Huston of the United States competes in the men’s street prelims during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at La Concorde 3. (Jack Gruber/USA TODAY Sports)
The post also featured Huston being treated by first responders and friends, along with another photo showing a large black-and-blue mark on Huston’s eye.
Numerous skating legends showed their support for Huston, who is considered one of the best skateboarders in the United States today.
Nyjah Huston of Team USA reacts at the Skateboarding Men’s Street Prelims on day two of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Ariake Urban Sports Park on July 25, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. (Dan Mullan/Getty Images)
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“Been watching @nyjah grow up into one of the best skaters to ever do it and it amazes me the amount of grit this kid has,” Shaun White shared on his Instagram story, via Pro Football Network. “You got this brother. Heal quick!”
Even Tony Hawk shared well-wishes on Huston’s Instagram post.
“Heavy. Stay strong; we know you’ll be back,” the skateboarding legend wrote.
“Man.. prayers for healing brother!” added Ryan Sheckler.
It is unknown whether Huston was wearing a helmet at the time of the incident.
Nyjah Huston, of the United States, celebrates during the men’s skateboard street final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, July 29, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Huston has seven gold medals and five silvers in world championships. He has not competed since the 2024 Olympics, but the California native has his eyes set on the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.
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