Takedown Report

National Champion Penn State Crowns Two Individual Titlists to Close out 2025 NCAA Wrestling Championships in Philadelphia

Carter Starocci and Mitchell Mesenbrink claim individual titles, Josh Barr national runner-up
PHILADELPHIA, Pa.  – The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team followed up clinching the NCAA team title earlier in the day by crowning two individual champions in the national finals at the 2025 NCAA Wrestling Championships. Carter Starocci and Mitchell Mesenbrink both won in the national finals while freshman Josh Barr finished as NCAA runner-up.
With the titles won by Starocci and Mesenbrink, the Nittany Lions now have 61 NCAA Champions, 40 since Sanderson’s arrival as head coach (this is his 16^th season at Penn State). Starocci became the first ever five-time national champion with his win. Carter Starocci was named the 2025 NCAA Wrestling Championship Outstanding Wrestler at the tournament’s end and Mitchell Mesenbrink was presented with the NCAA’s season-long Most Technical Falls Award.
The Nittany Lions won the team race, clinching it early Saturday morning, with 177.0 points. Penn State finished a full 60.0 points ahead of second place Nebraska’s 117.0 The team point total of 177.0 is a new NCAA record, breaking the mark of 172.5, set by Penn State last year in Kansas City.
Penn State has now won 12 of the last 15 contest NCAA Championships (no event in 2020) and its fourth straight for the third time since Sanderson became head coach in April of 2009. Sanderson is now second in all-time NCAA history with 12 head coaching titles to his credit. The NCAA record is 15. The Nittany Lions have won the NCAA Championship in 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011 and 1953. Early in the tournament on Friday night, Penn State secured 10 All-Americans for the first time in school history, becoming only the second team in NCAA history to do so (Minnesota, 2001). All of Penn State’s 10 All-Americans placed in the top six. The Nittany Lions now have 264 All-Americans, 101 under Sanderson in just 16 seasons.
Graduate Carter Starocci, the No. 1 seed at 184, took on No. 2 Parker Keckeisen of Northern Iowa in the first match of the championship finals. The duo worked through the first minute-plus on their feet in the center circle. Starocci gained control of Keckeisen’s foot on the edge of the mat with :50 on the clock but Keckeisen was able to counter and force a stalemate at :32. … more at … https://gopsusports.com/news/2025/03/22/national-champion-penn-state-crowns-two-individual-titlists-to-close-out-2025-ncaa-wrestling-championships-in-philadelphia

March 28, 2025 - Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | ncaa, penn-state, sports