Minnesota’s Max McEnelly knows that Penn State wrestling star Carter Starocci is one of the best to ever do it but that doesn’t stop him from believing he can beat him.
“He’s a tough guy to score on,” McEnelly told Christian Pyles of FloWrestling after his semifinal win Saturday night, “but he hasn’t faced anybody like me. So it’ll be good.”
This is a bold statement considering Starocci’s pedigree.
Starocci owned the 174-pound weight class for four years, becoming the first in history to win four national titles at one weight class.
History in Kansas City: Penn State Wrestling Legends win 4th National Titles
Now, Starocci will try to win an unprecedented fifth national title, this time at 184 pounds.
Many feel that the national title race at 184 is between Starocci and defending national champ Parker Keckeisen of Northern Iowa.
McEnelly disagrees.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.WHAT HE SAID
McEnelly had a simple answer when Pyles asked him if he was in the same top class as Starocci and Keckeisen.
“Yeah,” he said. “100 percent. I plan to prove it tomorrow. Carter’s obviously one of the greatest college wrestlers ever but I think I can be up there, too. I think I can push him and I think I can win. 100 percent, but I still have to go out there and do it.”
Max McEnelly plans to prove he can wrestle with Carter Starocci tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/BtNVFjMyFj
— FloWrestling (@FloWrestling) March 9, 2025
MCENELLY’S CREDENTIALS
McEnelly, a redshirt freshman, is already one of the best there is at 184. He’s 20-0 with 85% of his wins being of the bonus point variety. The most recent win took place Saturday night when McEnelly took care of defending Big Ten Champ Edmond Ruth (Illinois) in convincing fashion with an 11-3 major decision.
We’ll see what happens against Carter Starocci.
The Big Ten Championship bouts are scheduled to begin at 5:30 ET on the Big Ten Network.
