Penn State has named its athletes of the year, and the results shouldn’t surprise anybody.
On the female side, volleyball star Jess Mruzik received the honor.
Mruzik was the unquestioned leader of Penn State’s most recent national championship team.
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The All-American— who was also an All-American in 2023 and three times at Michigan before transferring— was named the NCAA Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, and rightly so. In Penn State’s Final Four wins over Nebraska and Louisville, Mruzik was awesome.
Over those two games, the outside hitter averaged 6.11 kills, 2.89 digs and 0.67 blocks per set.
Equally deserving of the honor was Starocci, who capped off one of the greatest college careers in wrestling history with an unprecedented fifth individual national title in Philly this past March. Starocci also helped Penn State win its 12th team title in 14 years, a run which doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.Here’s what Starocci’s farewell statement said.
“PSU wrestling banquet all wrapped up,” the statement read. “My time is officially up. It was an honor to help lead these teams. Thank you coach Cael for taking a chance on me and giving me the opportunity to be in your program. I gave it my all every time. Thank you Penn State, grateful forever. ❤️”
Penn State wrestling’s had plenty of stars and even a number of superstars.
But even though his career hasn’t even been over for a month, it’s already clear that Starocci will go down as one of the best, maybe even the best.
After her college career ended, Mruzik was picked up by LOVB Houston, where she began her professional career.
