Returning for 5th Year, Carter Starocci’s Goal For Penn State Even Bigger Than Reaching an Unachievable Feat

While Carter Starocci didn’t make it to the Paris Olympics, he seems to be looking to make his final year with Penn State a noteworthy one. Taking his exit from the quarterfinal stage of the team trial, Starocci announced his return to use his extra year of eligibility, claiming his collegiate career will end on his own terms. But now, it seems like he will do everything to make sure his last ride doesn’t go by without taking away some bragging rights from his final season with PSU.

In his recent Twitter (now called X) post, Starocci urged Penn State fans to lend their shoulder to help and make his 5th year with the NLWC as big as possible. “Now let’s sell out the beaver stadium in November“, the post calls upon the collegiate wrestling fans to show up in throngs. While he did not clarify what event this could be, fans speculate a dual with another NCAA heavyweight should do the trick nicely.

Iowa currently holds the highest attendance record for a collegiate wrestling event (42,287, set in Oklahoma), but the Beaver Stadium is more than capable of playing host to a larger gathering. With the Penn State football fanbase being a bigger one than that of Iowa, the possibility of Penn State achieving a new milestone at its football stadium in terms of attendance wouldn’t be too farfetched an idea, either.

Starocci will be eyeing history in his last year under the shadow of the iconic wrestling coach Cael Sanderson by successfully defending his NCAA title. With the number of fans attending collegiate sports rising steadily in recent years, more people showing up to make the 23-year-old’s final season as big as it can get wouldn’t be surprising.

Carter Starocci’s foes won’t provide a hall pass

While Starocci wants to see Penn State gathering by the flocks to rally behind their wrestlers, his chances of making history remain a speculative subject. Eyeing a record-setting fifth national wrestling title, the 23-year-old is understandably itching to resume action, but his opponents in the weight class will also be doing everything in their power to keep Starocci pull so far ahead of anyone else. From Michigan’s Cameron Amine (who’s currently in the transfer portal and looking for a new home for his final year of eligibility) to fellow Penn State wrestler Alex Facundo and Iowa’s Patrick Kennedy, Starocci will have to jump over several formidable hurdles on his way to defend his national title.

Moreover, AJ Ferrari recently hinted that his time to take on the black and golden stripes of Iowa might have finally arrived and sparked the possibilities of him facing off against the reigning NCAA champ Starocci should the latter bump up a few notches to the 197lb weight bracket. With Carter’s heartbreak still fresh, only time will tell if he can use the wound to pump some extra steam into his engine and decisively trample over his collegiate opponents once again.