Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1454229
M A R C H 2 0 2 2 6 1 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M At 174 pounds, nothing comes eas- ily. In the Big Ten tournament alone, it's possible Starocci could face Michigan's fifth-ranked Logan Massa and/or Lab- riola before a fourth career about against No. 2 Kemerer. Previous bouts with each of those three have been tight. That same cast will be present again in Detroit at the NCAA Championships. Add to that 2019 NCAA champion and third-ranked Mekhi Lewis of Virginia Tech and No. 4-ranked North Carolina State All-American Hayden Hidlay, both unbeaten and cruising this season in the ACC, and it's clear that a handful of highly worthy wrestlers won't be cart- ing home a gold medal. The Penn State camp hopes it's not Starocci. "He's a very confident kid," Sanderson said earlier this season. "He works re- ally hard, and we have to convince him sometimes to take his foot off the gas as we prepare for competition." Shifting Starocci out of overdrive is an unlikely prospect. He spent his sum- mer vacation on a trip to Tokyo for the Olympic Games and helped Nittany Lion Wrestling Club member Franklin Gomez, who was competing for Puerto Rico. "I got to learn from all those guys," Starocci said. "I was wrestling with teams from all the countries. I was with Team USA. I was in the village. I was writing notes, and I was visualizing ev- ery single step of the way. "I know that I have a lot of passion and I want to win really bad, but I was just focusing on having fun, because having fun is going to lead to going out there and wrestling free. "When you wrestle free, you domi- nate guys, and that's the fun part for me. I can't work any harder than I do now. That's pretty much impossible." Sanderson likes it when he can say that some of his wrestlers "jump levels" during the offseason. Starocci strives for that increased level, and his excitable at- titude rises along with it. "I'm excited every second I get to wake up and I get to achieve my dreams every single day," he said. "I think life is deeper than wrestling and just to be a good person and be able to talk to God and be a blessing ... I feel like everything is an excitement. "If you don't have that look on life, I feel like maybe you've got to do a little more self-reflection and figure out the true meaning of life. I'm always excited. And that's just how I carry myself." ■ Sta ro cc i w i ll h ave to get past ta le n ted 174 - pound fields at both the Big Ten and national tournaments. He was sporting a 15-0 record and InterMat's No. 1 ranking heading into the post- season. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL