Penn State wrestling pod: Carter Starocci's options at Big Tens, tournament breakdown
Welcome to Big Ten tournament weekend, Penn State wrestling fans. The No. 1 Nittany Lions look to win another conference crown this weekend in College Park, Md. It would mark their second consecutive one after ending a drought that dated back to 2019 in 2023. Head coach Cael Sanderson’s side has multiple top seeds and 10 entrants set to compete at the event.
“I think everyone’s looking good,” Sanderson said back on Monday. “You know, we just have a couple more days of hard training, and then it’s just getting ready to compete and just go do what we do.
“I don’t think anybody’s peaked yet. I think everybody has their eyes set on the bigger events at the end. But yeah, there’s some different things, everyone’s different. Obviously, different levels of experience. And then weight management is different. So that obviously factors into the training of each individual. I think our our guys are excited and at peace and ready to roll.”
It goes without saying that all on hand are aiming to qualify for nationals. But, while that is the focus, there’s no question that the top topic of conversation throughout the tournament will be the health and ongoing status of Penn State 174-pound three-time NCAA champion Carter Starocci. He was hurt at the end of his about against Edinboro two Sundays ago. But, Sanderson seemed optimistic when meeting with reporters earlier this week.
“We trust our trainer, Dan Monthley, and our doctors and as we’ve said, Carter’s a competitor and he’ll be good to go,” Sanderson said. “I think he’s doing good.
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“The first day was tough for him because we didn’t really know where he was and he was in a lot of pain. Usually, that’s a good thing. If you know knees and injuries and stuff, if there’s no pain that’s usually more of a concern because that means something’s no longer there. He’s doing good.”
A new episode of the Blue-White Illustrated wrestling podcast starts with the latest on Starocci. From there, host Thomas Frank Carr and reporter Greg Pickel offer a weight-by-weight breakdown of the tournament in addition to making predictions for how each Nittany Lion will fare.
Watch the show in the embedded video player above. Want to listen to it? Podcast links: SPOTIFY, APPLE.
Blue-White Illustrated will have complete coverage of the Penn State wrestling postseason push. The team will try to qualify all 10 starters for nationals at Big Tens. Then, it will take its contingent to Kansas City, Mo., for nationals March 21-23. Bracket information will be announced by the NCAA for that tournament on Wed., March 13.
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