In his four-year career in college wrestling, Carter Starocci has had to face two barriers on his road to success. The first one is his injuries. And the other? The never-ending struggle with the scale. For the 23-year-old, keeping his weight in check has been a challenge, as his numbers have often crept higher than what’s ideal for a top-ranked wrestler. Even his Penn State coach, Cael Sanderson, has weighed in on the issue, making it clear that managing Starocci’s weight isn’t exactly a walk in the park.

Just a few weeks ago, Cael Sanderson, the NCAA wrestling champion coach, shared his thoughts on Starocci’s issue. In the interaction, he said, “It’s getting tougher and tougher for him to get that weight down there.” However, Starocci seems to have solved this issue now. On Saturday, the four-time NCAA champion will appear in his first wrestling bout in the NWCA All-Star Classic. Guess what will be his weight class? 

No, it is not a 174 weight bracket anymore. Rather, in his fifth-year return to Penn State, Carter Starocci will appear in the 184-weight bracket. But won’t that be a tremendous challenge for him? 

Well, the wrestler has his answer ready. In his exclusive interview with FloWrestling, Starocci said, “You’re always being challenged in many many areas on if you’re making those adjustments on getting better.” By saying “adjustments”, he meant not only weight management but also continuous monitoring of his injury. How? 

In the interaction, the Pennsylvania native claimed, “I just really doing a lot more on the recovery side of things, have a big team of doctors now and things like that, so I mean I’ve honestly never felt ever felt better than this.” But what led Carter Starocci to bring such changes? This may turn the discussion to what happened in February. 

In February this year, the Penn State Nittany Lions locked horns against Edinboro University in a wrestling dual. However, the 6,389 wrestling fans in the arena witnessed Sanderson’s squad uprooting the Fighting Scots by a 55-0 scoreline. Yet the mood did not touch the top of the sky. Reason? In the 174-weight match, Carter Starocci injured his right knee while facing a near-fall maneuver against Joey Arnold. The mood was palpable as Starocci was seen in tremendous pain, trying hard to manage the situation. But the damage had already been done. 

In March, Carter had to pull out from the Big Ten Wrestling Championships. He had been on his way to bid for a third consecutive title in the contest. So, this time, in his COVID-extended year at Penn State, he doesn’t want to face a repeat. Furthermore, this time, his fight seems to be bigger. Therefore, he needs to keep his A-game ready. But who is Starocci’s opponent in his fifth wrestling season at Penn State? 

Carter Starocci has a notion of the ‘kid’ he will confront

On November 16, Carter Starocci will start his journey as an 184-weight bracket wrestler. However, he has already set the tone by calling the updated weight class his “natural weight.” And you can always expect a war cry from the former world wrestling championship medalist. This time, he put it in as “I’m here to take over.” But who can be the rock in front of him in his endeavor? Fortunately, Starocci will meet him on Saturday in the Rec Hall. He is none other than the defending 184-weight NCAA champion, Parker Keckeisen. A battle between two defending champions! 

But this time, Carter is entering Keckeisen’s backyard to wrestle. Won’t that be a challenge for him? As per him, it won’t be. How? In the interaction, he laid out, “I look at this matchup, you know already have a few guys in the room that’s already beat this kid you know so it’s just like we have the blueprint and‌ things like that so it’s just when when you have that luxury you really want to take it’s kind of the most advantage of all that.” However, Keckeisen’s resume looks pretty impressive. 

Carter Starocci has certainly left his mark in college wrestling with an impressive 102-6 record at the D1 level, not to mention his dominant 20 D1 tech-falls in the 2023-24 season. Oh, and did we mention he’s a 2024 Hodge Trophy finalist too? Just like Starocci. But here’s the catch: before his injury setbacks, Starocci’s last loss was all the way back in 2021, at the Big Ten Wrestling finals.

So, with a record like that, this upcoming matchup is bound to be a real test. Will his opponent be able to handle Starocci’s elite skills and resilience? Or will Starocci prove once again why he’s one of the best in the business? What do you think about this one?