Does Penn State wrestler Carter Starocci have to compete at Big Tens to make NCAAs?
The Penn State wrestling team and its fans all made a collective gasp at the end of the 174-pound bout of Sunday’s meeting between the Nittany Lions and Edinboro. Three-time All-American and national champion Carter Starocci beat Brody Evans by technical fall, 22-5, in just 2:45. It was supposed to be a euphoric win in what could be his final match at Rec Hall. Instead, it was potentially a horrendous one, as Starocci needed help to get off the mat with what appeared to be a right knee injury.
“He just was trying to get the pin and so he kind of put his leg in a compromised position and it just didn’t work out, instead of just letting the guy kind belly out there,” Penn State coach Cael Sanderson said, per PennLive.
“You want your kids healthy and happy, that’s every practice, every competition. That’s not always realistic, it’s part of the sport. We’re obviously thinking about Carter right now and getting him over to figure out what’s going on. We have time, we still have a couple of weeks for the conference and another week and a half before the nationals. Carter’s always been a very quick healer. He won a national title a couple of years ago with a broken hand. He’ll get in there, he’ll compete hard.”
Starocci previously had a knee injury after the 2023 U.S. Open. Whether or not this situation is a complication from that issue is unclear.
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What does Starocci need to do to compete for Penn State moving forward?
Let’s get the obvious out of the way: The Penn State medical and training staffs must first diagnose what exactly is wrong with Starocci, if he can compete through the issue, and what the recovery process looks like. Since the Lions do not compete until next weekend, they won’t have a media availability until March. Thus, expect there to be no updates on the 174-pounder this week.
With that said, Sanderson will talk next week, and the first question will obviously focus on Starocci’s status. He must at least show up and step onto the mat at Big Tens to qualify for the NCAA Tournament. If he medically forfeits as soon as the clock starts in his first match at the conference tournament, he can then medically forfeit the second match and end his tournament. It would give him two losses, of course, but would still make him eligible for an at-large big that he would certainly get. However, if Starocci misses the tournament entirely, he cannot qualify for the NCAA Tournament. Thus, the next week will be key in seeing if Starocci can recover fast enough to make it to both tournaments. He, and 197-pounder Aaron Brooks, are seeking to be the first four-time NCAA champs in Penn State history.
