Penn State's Carter Starocci Continues 'Search and Destroy' Mission After Injury

The three-time NCAA champ, injured in the Nittany Lions' final match, is preparing for Big Ten tournament, coach Cael Sanderson said.

Carter Starocci, who could become Penn State's first four-time NCAA wrestling champion, is preparing to compete at this weekend's Big Ten Wrestling Championships, coach Cael Sanderson said Monday. Starocci was injured in Penn State's final regular-season match, but his plans "haven't really changed," Sanderson told reporters in State College.

"Doing pretty good," Sanderson said of Starocci during his media availability. "I don’t know if it's a situation where me talking does a lot of good really, but he knows what his plans are. They haven’t really changed. I think it's search and destroy basically, or something like that."

Starocci sustained an apparent leg injury in the waning seconds of his 174-pound bout against Edinboro on Feb. 25. Starocci, who had secured a technical fall, was going for a pin when his leg tangled with his opponent's. Starocci needed assistance getting off the mat.

Starocci, who has won three straight NCAA titles at 174 pounds, must at least weigh in and take the mat at this weekend's Big Ten tournament to be eligible for the 2024 NCAA Wrestling Championships. Technically, Starocci doesn't have to wrestle but does have to be on the mat to take an injury default. If he does not take the mat and medically forfeits out of the tournament, Starocci would not be eligible for nationals. The NCAA tournament is scheduled for March 21-23 in Kansas City, meaning Starocci still has two weeks to get healthier.

"It's like a day-to-day thing where he's getting better, significantly, over time," Sanderson said. "So his plan is to do what he does and go compete. That's something where we'll have to kind of step in there if we don't feel like it's in his best interests. Obviously getting to nationals is No. 1, then being at your best at nationals is No. 2. So what we have to do is help him do that. That is the plan."

Starocci, who has the nation's longest Division I win streak at 64 matches, has wrestled with injuries before. He won the 2022 NCAA title wrestling with a broken hand. Sanderson has called Starocci a "very quick healer."

"I'd say he's doing better than we feared right away," Sanderson said on the Feb. 29 edition of the Penn State Coaches Show. "... I've said we're very optimistic, and Carter's just a tough kid. He's had adversity in every season. Injuries have been a big part of his career, unfortunately.

"... He's a tough kid. If anybody can do it, he can."

Asked Cael Sanderson about Carter Starocci

Said he’s getting better day by day. “The first day was tough for him because we didn’t know how he was, was in a lot of pain. … He’s doing good.” pic.twitter.com/JhPN6kmMys

— Audrey Snyder (@audsnyder4) March 4, 2024

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