Penn State head coach Cael Sanderson, left, watches a match during the third session of the Big Ten Wrestling Championships, Sunday, March 6, 2022, at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska. 220306 Big Ten Wr 048 Jpg
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Carter Starocci will have a chance to become the first five-time NCAA wrestling champion. Penn State’s reigning NCAA champion at 174 pounds announced Wednesday night on X that he’s committed to wrestling for Cael Sanderson’s squad for a fifth season.
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“I’m not gonna let anything come in the way of what I want,” Starocci said last month during the U.S. Olympic Trials. “If what I want is to come back and wrestle and win a fifth national title and have our team win another national title, that’s because I want to do it. It’s not because of NIL. It’s not because of this or because of that, it’s because I want to do it.”
Starocci has an extra year of eligibility because the 2020-2021 season was impacted by COVID-19. He is one of just seven wrestlers all-time to win four individual NCAA championships. While all of Starocci’s titles have come at the 174-pound weight class, he has spoken openly about the possibility of going up in weight next season. His announcement Wednesday didn’t shed any light on whether or not he’ll change weight classes next season.
Starocci wrestled at the U.S. Olympic Trials at 86 kg (189.6 pounds). He said he was tired of cutting weight to make 174. Aaron Brooks, Starocci’s fellow four-time NCAA champion and the wrestler who will represent the U.S. at the Olympics this summer at 86 kg, is out of eligibility. Starocci could potentially take Brooks’ old spot at 197 pounds.
Regardless of which class Starocci ends up in, he certainly helps round out a Penn State roster that figures to be stacked once again. He met with Sanderson multiple times since the college season ended in March because Starocci said he wanted to make sure the other wrestlers potentially impacted by his decision knew if he’d return.
“We have so many killers in the room,” Starocci said last month. “You guys saw (Alex) Facuno and (Levi) Haines going at it. Those guys are really good guys. I know Haines doesn’t want to make 157 anymore. I know Facundo’s having a hard time making 165. … I think however the team formulates I don’t think anyone is coming close to Penn State for a long, long, time.”
Is Starocci back to full health?
Starocci won his fourth NCAA title in March with just one healthy knee. His run through the bracket at NCAAs where he received an at-large bid and was seeded ninth after a pair of medical forfeits at Big Tens only added to his legacy.
Starocci was unable to wrestle even in practice leading up to NCAAs. He raised the arm of team trainer Dan Monthley after he won. During the trials, he competed with a sleeve on his right knee. He won his first match and dropped his second, falling to the 2024 NCAA runner-up at 197 pounds, Trent Hidlay. Starocci then injury defaulted out of the trials rather than continuing on in the consolation bracket. When asked if he will need surgery this offseason or is contemplating it, he declined to discuss the specifics of the injury.
“Everyone saw the brace so obviously things are the way it is, but again, either it’s you make it happen or you don’t,” Starocci said. “I just gotta do a better job of making sure I’m healthy.”
What’s the benefit of potentially entering a new weight class?
What Starocci does after this final collegiate season will be fascinating. He’s spoken before about potentially going into MMA. His outgoing personality certainly seems like it would be a great fit for the sport.
But, if he transitions into a different weight class now it also could help Starocci’s future with freestyle wrestling should he stick with that route. Having just six Olympic weight classes — despite having 10 in college — is one of the toughest challenges for the sport. Olympic gold medalist David Taylor is often in the room with Starocci, Brooks and many of the sport’s future stars. Taylor said this month that Starocci is simply “too big” to keep cutting weight. By gravitating toward an Olympic weight class it could help make that next move smoother if Starocci is considering an Olympic run in 2028.
“That was a big reason when I made the jump from 163 to 189, 189 was the Olympic weight class so I didn’t even think about going back down,” Taylor said. “It’s like man, I’ve made the jump, it’s an Olympic weight class, this is the weight class that has the most longevity. That’s part of your decision.”
Until that next decision comes, Starocci will continue to be one of the most popular athletes in the sport. Surely he’ll be eying the Hodge Trophy too, given annually to the nation’s top collegiate wrestler. Starocci was among the five finalists for the award in each of the last two seasons. Brooks was the 2024 winner while Starocci finished third in voting. Starocci finished second in voting in 2023.
