Penn State Sports Magazine
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4 2 A P R I L 2 0 2 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M The NCAA crowned its fifth four-time wres- tling champion this season, and a wrestler from Penn State is in line to become the sixth next year. And, with an extra season of eligibility available because of COVID-19, that guy could become the only five-time champ in history in 2025 if he were to remain at the college level. And therein lies the question about Carter Starocci: What's next for the intense, competi- tive, outspoken junior from Erie, Pa.? "Everyone is talking about it, and everyone asks me about that," Starocci said after winning his third consecutive NCAA 174-pound title at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Okla., and extending his NCAA-best winning streak to 52 consecutive bouts (dating back to 2021). "But it's not some- thing that excites me. I want to be a four-timer … it's how the Olympics fall. That will be next year, my senior year. "If I come back and wrestle next year, we'll see. I plan on winning the Olympics. That's where my head is. After I complete something like that, it's kind of like you're not going to want to come back. … But we'll see. I enjoy the sport. I love it, but I also love [MMA] fighting. And I see [former Penn Stater] Bo Nickal eating those dudes like it's candy. It's pretty easy. I think that game is a lot easier. So, we'll just take it a day at a time." Starocci's days are full. If his day could surpass the standard 24 hours, he would sign up. "It's day-in and day-out work. I call it all-day- long work," he said. "I'm in the gym. It's 2 in the morning, 3 in the morning, 4 p.m., 5 p.m., 1:30 p.m. I'm thinking about it all day long. "And if it's not physical practice, I'm watching film. If it's not film, I'm getting a massage. If it's not a massage, I'm meditating or stretching or I'm at a dance class or something like that. It's always all-day work or I'm doing my nutrition. It's a lot going on. "I got like three hours of sleep last night [prior to the March 18 finals]. But that gold medal doesn't care how I feel, or how my elbow or knee feels. It doesn't care. And I don't care ei- ther. That's why I come in, and I'm always ready, no matter what." Apparently, he was born ready. His father, Chris, tried to trace where his son's spirit comes from, but the trail wasn't at all lengthy. "I used to think it was his Uncle Sean, who's my best friend, or his family on his mother's side, or my grandfather or my father. But you know what? Watching him work throughout the years, it's all him," Chris Starocci said shortly after Carter pinned Nebraska's Mikey Labriola in 2:46 in the championship finals. "He strives to be the best every day, and it's just a pleasure to watch him succeed in life." Starocci and senior teammate Aaron Brooks became Penn State's fifth and sixth three-time champions in Tulsa. Starocci won the necessary five consecutive bouts, giving up just 2 points along the three-day trail and recording the only fall in the final round. "It feels good. I just joined some elite com- pany at Penn State," he said. "I believe I was that guy from Day 1. I was starting to fight through all those guys that were already big dogs. It feels good. And this is not where the train stops. Back in the gym on Monday." In three seasons, Starocci has compiled a career record of 61-2, but he believes he's un- defeated because he avenged those early losses to Iowa's Michael Kemerer and Indiana's D.J. Washington. And he completely bought into the Penn State program from the start. He watched an emotional post-match discussion conducted by teammate Max Dean, a 2022 NCAA champ who placed seventh this season and was expressing his gratitude to the coaching staff and program. "I'm in the hotel bed. I'm getting all softened up, almost tearing up … having a guy like that on your team and our coaches and just hearing that interview, it just really puts into perspec- tive that's something you guys really can't see or can't feel unless you're experiencing it," Starocci said. "What Penn State is doing is a lot deeper than wrestling. I know we talk about having fun all the time. It may sound like they're having fun, but I love those guys with all my heart, and they've helped make me the man I am. And I'm just grateful to be in that community." ALL IN A DAY'S WORK Carter Starocci's round-the-clock dedication to his sport yields another title J I M CA R L S O N | B L U E W H I T E C O N T R I BU T O R Starocci gave up just 2 points — to Minnesota's Bailee O'Reilly in the quarterfinal round — en route to his third con- secutive NCAA championship at 174 pounds. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS