NCAA wrestling champions shake hands with Trump after winning title bouts

An NCAA wrestler shakes hands with President Donald Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk after his match Saturday in Philadelphia. (Credit: Evan Smith)

Some college wrestlers had their All-American moments Saturday night.

Just moments after Penn State wrestler Carter Starocci made history by becoming the first five-time national champion in NCAA history, he walked over to the mat-side seats at Wells Fargo Arena in Philadelphia to shake hands with President Donald Trump. 

Starocci defeated Northern Iowa’s Parker Keckeisen, 4-3, to win the 184-pound championship and his fifth NCAA title.

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Carter Starocci of Penn State during a 184-pound match at the Division I men's wrestling championship at the Wells Fargo Center March 21, 2025, in Philadelphia.  (Isaac Wasserman/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

It is the first and possibly last time a college wrestler achieves such a feat.

Starocci had a fifth year of eligibility after taking part in the 2021 season when all athletes were given another year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Starocci's coach, Cael Sanderson, also shook hands with the president Saturday night. 

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On Friday, other Penn State wrestlers spoke about Trump attending the event. 

"It's a great honor for the sport of wrestling," Penn State's Josh Barr told reporters. "The sport of wrestling is in a place where it needs growth. It needs life and energy behind it, and President Trump brings it."

Mitchell Mesenbrink told reporters Friday that, regardless of politics, he believes Trump's attendance would help improve viewership. 

President Donald Trump speaks with Sen. Dave