Cowboys star pass rusher Micah Parsons‘s contract extension has been in the headlines lately. These talks have got everyone on edge. Cowboys Nation is sweating bullets, wondering if the team will lock him down before things get messy. And Micah? Well, he too must have that ‘Will they, won’t they‘ anxiety. But amidst all the contract chaos, something pretty awesome happened that made him proud. And it has to do something with his alma mater, Penn State.

Micah took a break from the contract extension stress to celebrate a massive win for his school. That’s right, the Penn State alum on Saturday took to X to post a congratulatory message for a Penn State athlete. And this is not somebody from football. Then who is it? Enter wrestler Carter Starocci, who just became the first-ever five-time national champion. The 24-year-old beat UNI’s Parker Keckeisen to claim the title. Parsons, who graduated from Penn State in 2020, penned a message for Carter on X. “Congrats to probably the greatest athlete in Penn State athletics history @carterstarocci  !! Mr. 5-time national champion!! It’s unheard of and never has been done before! Congratulations champ!” True sportsmanship there.

Carter and Parker were locked in a defensive battle early on, with the Penn State star holding a 1-0 lead in the second period. Keckeisen responded with an escape of his own, tying the match at 1-1 in the third. Starocci then secured a three-point takedown. Keckeisen escaped again, cutting the lead to 4-2. Carter was later penalized for stalling, but he held on to win, claiming his fifth straight title.

For Penn State, this marked their 12th national championship under head coach Cael Sanderson. Sanderson was recently named Big Ten Coach of the Year. The 45-year-old has transformed Penn State into a powerhouse. Talking about Sanderson, Starocci before the championship shared, “I mean, all this stuff is just practice for it. It’s always the next time, you know, and that’s something that coach Cael preaches heavily to us. It’s not about wrestling our opponents now; it’s about wrestling them for the next time and making sure that they never want to wrestle you again.” The young wrestler displayed some grit in his words as well.

This year, the NCAA also made some changes in the finals, adding a bit of chaos in the best way.

Carter Starocci conquers the chaos in NCAA’s shaken-up finals

This year, the NCAA changed things for the championship, and Carter Starocci was right at the center of it. Generally, the finals start at the lightest weight class and move up. But this year, the NCAA announced that the event would kick off with the 184-pound bout. “It doesn’t make any sense to me. Somebody, please explain,” posted Jason Nolf, an alum of Penn State. Undoubtedly, this new change had Starocci and Keckeisen’s highly anticipated showdown open the night, catching fans off guard.

So, after Carter and Parker’s showdown, the event jumped back to the 125-pound game before continuing in the usual order. NCAA made these changes in the final games for the first time, indeed. The night capped off with the heavyweight clash between Minnesota’s Gable Steveson and Oklahoma State’s Wyatt Hendrickson at 285 pounds. This unexpected reshuffle added a fresh twist to the final.

Well, even after all the chaos, Carter did not let it bother him. And safe to say that Starocci cemented his legacy as one of the greatest wrestlers in NCAA history with his 5th straight win.