Penn State’s Carter Starocci had to gobble an unexpected call out from a blue-chip wrestler last year. The Penn State phenom could not maintain his mojo after facing the jibe from that rookie Gabe Arnold. He got into a verbal spat instead. This year, the Penn State squad trusted the 174-weight regular in his natural category. So, the wrestling fans were in their utmost sentiment to witness the fight between Starocci and Arnold in 174-category on Friday.

Carter Starocci was also all up for facing Gabe Arnold there. But Tom Brands played his part as well by changing the course of the matchup. He presented No. 7 Patrick Kennedy there. However, Starocci didn’t mind Tom Brands’ trick. Instead, ended up adding one more win to the longest active winning streak in America.

Carter Starocci earns Penn State 4 more points 

The Cael Sanderson-led Penn State appeared on Friday with a lofty dream of continuing the top run on the road. So in attaining that prized momentum, the 174-weight category stood atop. Eventually, the Hawkeyes’ Patrick Kennedy ended at the receiving end. The jubilant Penn State Wrestling’s X-handle unfurled the news in the form, “No. 1 Carter Starocci PSU maj. dec. No. 7 Patrick Kennedy IA, 13-5 Penn State 18, Iowa 6”

With that, Cael Sanderson’s day almost came to the calendar as the former Olympic champion was standing on the brink of history as the PSU coach. But for Penn State’s 174-category wrestler, the bout proved to be more challenging than anticipated. Patrick Kennedy tried to keep Starocci at bay by not gifting bonus points on the mat. Realizing that ploy, from the second round, the 3x NCAA champion changed his stance. But even after a hearty effort, the Hawkeye wrestler couldn’t pin him down. With Starocci’s victory, Penn State earned 4 more points. But the crowd probably remained unsatiated with a major miss. 

What happens to Carter Starocci vs Gabe Arnold? 

Gabe Arnold expected a chance on Friday against Carter Starocci. In January, he even ascertained, “February is quickly approaching, so I hope you know either he can back up his words, or I can back up mine.” But Hawkeyes’ HC, Tom Brands, capitalized on the 184 contention chance for Gabe Arnold. In that bout, against Bernie Truax, he had more chances. 

Read more: Penn State Wrestling Star Beau Bartlett’s Heroics Against OSU Propel Him To Be 5th no.1 Wrestler on the Team

But before the match began on Friday, the Hawkeyes’ roster didn’t showcase Gabe Arnold’s name. From Brands’s angle, that could be normal, as in the past, he used Gabe Arnold in a limited manner. And, as per the NCAA rule, the redshirt wrestler still has two more chances of featuring this season. So the mouth-watering bout between him and the Penn State senior is still on the card. 

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