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Well, that was quick.
Less than 48 hours after three-time NCAA wrestling champion Carter Starocci dramatically left the Penn State team in the middle of the Big Ten Tournament, the senior has now announced his return.
Big ten title is cool but NCAA title is cooler.
Next chapter: Kansas City
— Carter Starocci (@carterstarocci) March 11, 2024
Starocci left the team after he was held out of competing at the Big Ten Tournament on the campus of University of Maryland following a knee injury he suffered just weeks prior.
Penn State Wrestling Coach Cael Sanderson Explains Why Carter Starocci Left Team
Head coach Cael Sanderson, a former four-time national champion, said that Starocci was disappointed that he was not allowed to take the mat.
“He wanted to wrestle the whole tournament and was planning on wrestling the tournament. It is really tough for him. He’s having a hard time about this. He’d wrestle if both of his legs were hurt,” Sanderson said. “He’s just so competitive. He’s pretty upset. But there’s just no reason when he meets the criteria to get an at-large (bid), to put himself in a position to set himself back.
“He’s not happy with me. But that’s why he’s Carter Starocci.”
Starocci took the mat twice at the Big Ten Tournament. But each time, he took an injury default just one second at after the match started.
By competing in the tournament, the Erie, Pa. native ensured he was eligible for an at-large bid for the NCAA Tournament in Kansas City in 10 days.
Starocci is, barring something unforeseen, a lock for said bid.
He and teammate Aaron Brooks are looking to become just the sixth and seventh wrestlers in the history of the NCAA tournament to become four-time national champions.
They would be the first and second four-time national champions for the storied Penn State program, which has dominated the NCAA wrestling scene since Sanderson was hired in 2009.
Starocci and Brooks for also be the first African American four-time national champions.