Penn State has named its athletes of the year, and the results shouldnโt surprise anybody.
On the female side, volleyball star Jess Mruzik received the honor.
Mruzik was the unquestioned leader of Penn Stateโs most recent national championship team.
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The All-Americanโ who was also an All-American in 2023 and three times at Michigan before transferringโ was named the NCAA Tournamentโs Most Outstanding Player, and rightly so. In Penn Stateโs 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 doesnโt seem to be slowing down anytime soon.
Hereโs what Starocciโs farewell statement said.
โPSU wrestling banquet all wrapped up,โ the statement read. โMy 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. โค๏ธโ
Penn State wrestlingโs had plenty of stars and even a number of superstars.
But even though his career hasnโt even been over for a month, itโs 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.
