Four-Time National Champion Wrestler Carter Starocci Is Coming Back To Make History

There have been just 7 four-time NCAA Division I Wrestling National Champions in history. Penn State’s Carter Starocci is one of those seven, and he has a unique opportunity to make history.

Due to the NCAA giving athletes a free year of eligibility during the 2020-2021 season, Carter Starocci had the opportunity to actually wrestle in five NCAA Division I Wrestling Championship tournaments.

But, up until late Wednesday evening, the Nittany Lion has been non-committal about whether he would come back for a final season.  But, on Wednesday, he announced that he would indeed come back to Penn State next season.

“As everyone knows, this year was difficult as I had to deal with many things both on and off the mat. Even though this season ended with me on top of the podium, I was not satisfied. I’m here to take over. With one year of eligibility left, I want to end my collegiate career on my terms. Healthy, in style, and in a dominant fashion. With this in mind, l’m excited to announce that I will be returning to Penn State to bring another national title to State College, Pennsylvania.”

Starocci is coming off his fourth national title, which he won in Kansas City, Missouri in March. A few weeks before, it looked unlikely he would even wrestle after he suffered a nasty-looking knee injury while polishing off a technical fall victory in the final dual meet of the year against Edinboro.

He injury defaulted out of the Big Ten Tournament in early March, and appeared unhappy with the way that situation was handling, posting a goodbye message to social media. But, he quickly changed his mind, and set his sights on his fourth national title.

Despite wearing a bulky knee wrap and clearly not being able to move as explosive as he usually does, Starocci defeated former national champions in Virginia Tech’s Mekhi Lewis and Michigan’s Shane Griffith in the quarterfinals and semifinals before beating Ohio State freshman Rocco Welsh in the championship match. He joined his teammate Aaron Brooks as four-time champions, the only set of teammates to ever accomplish the feat.

But, as he said, he was not his normal dominant self. Before the forfeits in the Big Ten Tournament, he had won 64 matches in a row, with his last loss occurring in the 2021 Big Ten Tournament.

Now, he will have a chance to become the first five-time national champion and likely only five-time champion in the history of the sport.

It’s a boost to Penn State as a team, as well. In Kansas City, Cael Sanderson, the only wrestler to win four undefeated national championships (159-0 at Iowa State between 1999-2003), led Penn State to their 11th national championship in 14 tournaments with Sanderson at the helm.

Plus, the team broke the all-time team points record with 172.5, beating the 1997 Iowa Hawkeyes total of 170.  They also won the team title by a whopping 100 points, as Cornell finished in 2nd place with 72.5 Penn State could realistically eclipse all of those marks this year.