Parents: STARLA AND CHRIS STAROCCI
Major: RECREATION, PARK AND TOURISM MANAGEMENT
Athletic: Three-time All-American (2021, 2022, 2023)...Three-time NCAA Champion (2021, 2022, 2023)...Two-time Big Ten Champion (2022, 2023)...All-American as a freshman...Named Big Ten Freshman of the Year (2021)...2021 NCAA Champion at 174...2021 Big Ten Runner-Up...Won Big Ten and NCAA titles as a sophomore and repeated that feat as a junior...Two-time first team All-Big Ten (2021, 2023).
2022-23 / JUNIOR SEASON:
Season: Posted second straight unbeaten season, going 24-0 overall...Became three-time All-American and three-time NCAA Champion, winning crown in Tulsa..Ended his junior season with a 16-0 dual meet record, nine majors, three technical falls and four pins..
Lock Haven (11/11): Majored LHU’s Tyler Stoltzfus 19-5 in season opener. NWCA Exhibition (11/22): Beat #2 Mekhi Lewis of Virginia Tech 2-0 in exhibition bout (not official result). Rider (12/2): Posted 18-6 major over Shane Reitsma. Lehigh (12/4): Majored Jake Logan 22-8. Oregon State (12/11): Majored #28 Aaron Olmos 14-3. Collegiate Duals (12/19-20): Pinned CMU’s Alex Cramer (2:21). Rolled to 18-3 tech fall (6:21) over UNC’s Cade Tenold. Took down #21 Julien Broderson of Iowa State 5-1. Wisconsin (1/6): Majored Josh Otto 22-8. Michigan (1/20): Pinned #30 Max Maylor (4:15). Michigan State (1/22): Rolled to 19-4 tech fall (6:39) over Ceasar Garza. Iowa (1/27): Downed #16 Nelson Brands 2-1. Ohio State (2/3): Rolled to an 11-5 win with 1:32 in riding time over Ethan Smith. Indiana (2/5): Dominant 11-3 major over #15 DJ Washington, forcing Hoosier into three stalls and grabbing three takedowns. Rutgers (2/10): Majored Jackson Turley 16-3. Maryland (2/12): Majored Dominic Solis 14-6. Clarion (2/19): Teched John Worthing 19-3 (5:00) in season’s last dual.
Big Ten Championships (3/4-5): Became a two-time Big Ten Champion with 3-0 run in Ann Arbor. Majored #15 Troy Fisher of Northwestern 10-2 and beat #8 Bailee O’Reilly of Minnesota to advance to finals. Dominated #2 Mikey Labriola of Nebraska, 6-1, in the B1G title bout.
NCAA Championships (3/16-18): Won his third straight NCAA Championship at 174, dominating the field in Tulsa. Went 5-0 with two falls, including a first period pin of #2 Mike Labriola of Nebraska in the national finals. Picked up a first period pin in the first round and also beat #4 Chris Foca of Cornell 6-0 in the semifinals, took down #8 Bailee O’Reilly of Minnesota in the quarters and once again beat #17 DJ Washington of Indiana.
2021-22 / SOPHOMORE SEASON:
Season: Rolled to perfect 23-0 record as a sophomore...Won Big Ten title...Became two-time All-American and two-time NCAA Champion, winning crown in Detroit...Ended sophomore season with a 37-2 career record with six majors, six tech falls and five pins.
Sacred Heart (11/13): Pinned Alex Marciniak (2:12). Oregon State (11/13): Rolled to a 17-2 tech fall over Mateo Olmos (4:49). Army West Point (11/18): Rolled to 23-5 tech fall over Army’s Clayton Feilden (6:56). Penn: Rolled over #21 Nick Incontrera, posting a 13-3 major. Lehigh (12/5): Notched 13-3 major with 3:36 in RT over Jake Logan. Collegiate Duals (12-20-21): Went 3-0 in Florida, including a major, a tech and a decision over #12 Chris Foca of Cornell. Indiana (1/9): Pinned Sean Grim (2:07) in Rec Hall. Rutgers (2/16): Tech fall over Connor O’Neill (19-2 at 4:25). Michigan (1/21): Hard-fought 2-1 win over #6 Logan Massa. Michigan State (1/23): Rolled to a 19-3 tech fall over Marty Larkin (3:32). Iowa (1/28): Used escape in tie-breaker and rideout to beat #2 Michael Kemerer 2-1 (tb) in Iowa City. Rider (2/20): Majored Shane Reitsma 22-9 in dual finale.
Big Ten Championship (3-0, 1st, Champion): Won first Big Ten title in Lincoln, Neb.; Went 3-0 with a fall; pinned Dominic Solis of Maryland, got forfeit win over #4 Michael Kemerer of Iowa, and downed #5 Logan Massa of Michigan 5-1 in the finals.
NCAA Championships (5-0, 1st, NCAA Champion): Became two-time NCAA Champion with 5-0 run at NCAAs in Detroit. Pinned #33 Connor O’Neill of Rutgers (6:38), beat #16 Adam Kemp of Cal Poly and #9 Mike Labriola of Nebraska in quarterfinals. Dominated #4 Hayden Hidlay of N.C. State 10-3 in semifinals. Beat #2 Mekhi Lewis of Virginia Tech, 5-5 (TB2, RT) in a thrilling NCAA title match in finals, one of five Penn State Champions.
2020-21 / REDSHIRT FRESHMAN SEASON:
Season: Posted 14-2 overall record...Two majors, one tech, one pin...Big Ten Runner-Up (174)...Earned All-America honors as a freshman...2021 NCAA National Champion (174) in first trip to NCAA tournament.
Indiana/Northwestern (1/30): Went 2-1 in opening day tri-dual at Northwestern...Began day with a 18-1 tech fall (2:37) over Indiana’s Robert Detars in the extra bouts at 174, then suffered a close 10-9 upset loss to Donnell Washington in the dual meet...Took down Northwestern’s Troy Fisher 4-1 in dual victory over the Wildcats. Wisconsin (2/2): Posted 5-3 win over Jared Krattiger in Madison. Michigan (2/14): Beat #2 Logan Massa 7-1 (tb), using a four-point turn in the tie-breaker to break away for the win in Ann Arbor...Named Big Ten Wrestler of the Week (2/16). Ohio State (2/19): Used tie-breaker escape then rideout to post thrilling 2-1 (tb) win over #3 Kaleb Romero in dual at Columbus. Michigan (2/14): Majored Maryland’s Phillip Spadafora 15-6 in Rec Hall dual debut.
Big Ten Championships (3-1, 2nd, NCAA Qualifier): Was Big Ten runner-up at 174, losing to #1 Michael Kemerer in the finals. Beat #6 Kaleb Romero and #2 Mikey Labriola to reach the finals. Went 3-1 with a pin overall. Was named 2021 Big Ten Freshman of the Year.
NCAA Championships (5-0, 1st, National Champion): Went 5-0 in his first trip to the NCAA tournament to become the NCAA National Champion as a freshman. Downed the #30 and #14 seeds to reach the quarterfinals. Beat #6 Andrew McNally of Kent State in the quarters and then used a ride-out and escape point to beat #2 Demetrius Romero of Utah Valley 2-0 in the semis to advance to the NCAA finals. Scored midway through extra time to beat #1 Michael Kemerer 3-1 (sv) to win the national title.
2019-20 / REDSHIRT SEASON:
Season: Wrestled unattached in open tournaments during his redshirt season...Went unbeaten during the year...Posted an 18-0 overall record with three pins, two tech falls and six majors...Won the 174-pound Southern Scuffle title.
HIGH SCHOOL / PERSONAL:
Wrestled at Cathedral Prep in Erie...Four-year letterman and four-year team captain...Rolled to a 172-10 record for the Ramblers...Won state title as a senior with a 46-0 mark...Won state title as a junior with a 50-0 mark...Took second at states as a sophomore and placed as a freshman as well...Received academic honors twice...Has two older siblings, brother, Chris and sister, Ceci.
STAROCCI MATCH-BY-MATCH
2022-23
Date Wt. Result Opponent Place Rec
11/11 174 W, 19-5 Tyler Stoltzfus, Lock Haven (major) dual 1-0
12/2 174 W, 18-6 Shane Reitsma, Rider (major) dual 2-0
12/4 174 W, 22-8 Jake Logan, Lehigh (major) dual 3-0
12/11 174 W, 14-3 #28 Aaron Olmos, Oregon State (major) dual 4-0
12/19 174 WBF Alex Cramer, Central Michigan (2:21) dual 5-0
12/19 174 W, 18-3 Cade Tenold, North Carolina (TF; 6:21) dual 6-0
12/20 174 W, 5-1 #21 Julien Broderson, Iowa State dual 7-0
1/6 174 W, 22-8 Josh Otto, Wisconsin (major) dual 8-0
1/20 174 WBF #30 Max Maylor, Michigan (4:15) dual 9-0
1/22 174 W, 19-4 Cesar Garza, Michigan State (TF; 6:39) dual 10-0
1/27 174 W, 2-1 #16 Nelson Brands, Iowa dual 11-0
2/3 174 W, 11-5 #7 Ethan Smith, Ohio State dual 12-0
2/5 174 W, 11-3 #15 DJ Washington, Indiana (major) dual 13-0
2/10 174 W, 16-3 Jackson Turley, Rutgers (major) dual 14-0
2/12 174 W, 14-6 Dominic Solis, Maryland (major) dual 15-0
2/19 174 W, 19-3 John Worthing, Clarion (TF; 5:00) dual 16-0
3/4 174 W, 10-2 #15 Troy Fisher, Northwestern (major) B1G 17-0
3/4 174 W, 8-2 #8 Bailee O’Reilly, Minnesota B1G 18-0
3/5 174 W, 6-1 #2 Mikey Labriola, Nebraska B1G (1st) 19-0
3/16 174 WBF #33 John Worthing, Clarion (1:21) NCAA 20-0
3/16 174 W, 4-0 #17 DJ Washington, Indiana NCAA 21-0
3/17 174 W, 5-2 #8 Bailee O’Reilly, Minnesota NCAA 22-0
3/17 174 W, 6-0 #4 Chris Foca, Cornell NCAA 23-0
3/18 174 WBF #2 Mike Labriola, Nebraska (2:46) NCAA (1st) 24-0
2021-22
Date Wt. Result Opponent Place Rec
11/13 174 WBF Alex Marciniak, Sacred Heart (2:12) dual 1-0
11/13 174 W, 17-2 Mateo Olmos, Oregon State (TF; 4:49) dual 2-0
11/18 174 W, 23-5 Clayton Fielden, Army (TF; 6:56) dual 3-0
12/3 174 W, 13-3 #21 Nick Incontrera, Penn (major) dual 4-0
12/5 174 W, 13-3 Jake Logan, Lehigh (major) dual 5-0
12/20 174 W, 13-4 Pat Schoenfelder, Northern Iowa (major) dual 6-0
12/20 174 W, 3-2 #12 Chris Foca, Cornell dual 7-0
12/21 174 W, 17-2 Zen Coleman, Arizona State (TF; 4:50) dual 8-0
1/7 174 W, 8-3 Dominic Solis, Maryland dual 9-0
1/9 174 WBF Sean Grim, Indiana (2:07) dual 10-0
1/16 174 W, 19-2 Connor O’Neill, Rutgers (TF; 4:25) dual 11-0
1/21 174 W, 3-2 #6 Logan Massa, Michigan dual 12-0
1/23 174 W, 19-3 Marty Larkin, Michigan State (TF; 3:32) dual 13-0
1/28 174 W, 2-1 (tb) #2 Michael Kemerer, Iowa dual 14-0
2/20 174 W, 22-9 Shane Reitsma, Rider (major) dual 15-0
3/5 174 WBF Dominic Solis, Maryland (2:13) B1G 16-0
3/5 174 W, med.forf. #4 Michael Kemerer, Iowa B1G 17-0
3/6 174 W, 5-1 #5 Logan Massa, Michigan B1G (1st) 18-0
3/17 174 WBF #33 Connor O’Neill, Rutgers (6:38) NCAA 19-0
3/17 174 W, 10-4 #16 Adam Kemp, Cal Poly NCAA 20-0
3/18 174 W, 6-1 #9 Mikey Labriola, Nebraska NCAA 21-0
3/18 174 W, 10-3 #4 Hayden Hidlay, North Carolina State NCAA 22-0
3/19 714 W, 5-5 (TB2, RT) #2 Mekhi Lewis, North Carolina St. NCAA (1st) 23-0
2020-21
Date Wt. Result Opponent Place Rec
1/30 174 W, 18-1 Robert Detars, Indiana (TF; 2:37) IU extras 1-0
1/30 174 L, 9-10 Donnell Washington, Indiana dual 1-1
1/30 174 W, 4-1 Troy Fisher, Northwestern dual 2-1
2/2 174 W, 5-3 Jared Krattiger, Wisconsin dual 3-1
2/14 174 W, 7-1 (tb) #2 Logan Massa, Michigan dual 4-1
2/19 174 W, 2-1 (tb) #3 Kaleb Romero, Ohio State dual 5-1
2/22 174 W, 15-6 Phillip Spadafora, Maryland (major) dual 6-1
3/6 174 WBF Phillip Spadafora, Maryland (4:47) B1G 7-1
3/6 174 W, 2-0 #6 Kaleb Romero, Ohio State B1G 8-1
3/6 174 W, 3-1 (sv) #2 Mikey Labriola, Nebraska B1G 9-1
3/7 174 L, 2-7 #1 Michael Kemerer, Iowa B1G (2nd) 9-2
3/18 174 W, 10-2 #30 Victor Marcelli, Virginia (maj.) NCAA 10-2
3/18 174 W, 8-2 #14 Hayden Hastings, Wyoming NCAA 11-2
3/19 174 W, 6-3 #6 Andrew McNally, Kent State NCAA 12-2
3/19 174 W, 2-0 #2 Demetrius Romero, Utah Valley NCAA 13-2
3/20 174 W, 3-1 (sv) #1 Michael Kemerer, Iowa NCAA (1st) 14-2
Carter Starocci Season 2019-20
Position174ClassFreshmanHometownErie, Pa.High SchoolCathedral Prep
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Penn State wins nine of the ten individual titles, with 18 off 22 Lions placing at the event
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Four of five Penn Staters grab impressive wins in front of the home fans
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Wrestling Clinches NCAA Championship
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Carter Starocci: Then and Now
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Big Ten Wrestling Session 4 Notebook
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Big Ten Wrestling Session 2 Notebook
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Big Ten Wrestling Session I Notebook
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