Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1518105
4 4 A P R I L 2 0 2 4 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M C ollege wrestling fans everywhere re- alized that the question entering the 2024 NCAA Championships would be "Who is No. 2?" But even the sport's most avid onlookers were in awe over the staggering numbers that Penn State posted in Kansas City on its three-day path to No. 1. The Nittany Lions, now winners of three consecutive NCAA titles and 11 of the past 13 tournaments, scored 172.5 points to break Iowa's 1997 record of 170. The Lions mangled the Hawkeyes' re- cord for margin of victory (73.75 in 1986) by eclipsing second-place Cornell's to- tal by an even 100. And Penn State be- came the first team to add a pair of four- time champions in the same season to a uniquely modest list of five. Senior Carter Starocci earned the honor of becoming Penn State's first four-time champion when he captured the 174-pound title, 2-0 over Ohio State's Rocco Welsh. He became No. 6 and joined J I M CA R L S O N | B L U E W H I T E C O N T R I B U T O R Penn State's record-shattering performance at the 2024 NCAA Tournament inspires a conversation about the historic nature of the team's dynasty Reign Check WRESTLING Senior heavyweight Greg Kerkvliet got the championship round off to a strong start for PSU when he earned a 13-4 major deci- sion over Michigan's Lucas Davison. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS