Three-time national champion Penn State wrestler Carter Starocci will return for a final season with the Nittany Lions in 2023-24, he announced in a video published on the Penn State Athletics website Thursday afternoon.
“I will be back for my fourth and final year, my senior year,” Starocci said. “It was a hard and long decision, but I just realized Penn State has given so much to me, and I kind of owe it to Penn State and the whole community.”
Starocci closed his unbeaten 2023 campaign at 174 pounds in the with a first-period pin of Nebraska’s Mike Labriola for his third national championship.
The Nittany Lions also solidified head coach Cael Sanderson’s 11th national championship in March.
Starocci holds the longest active streak in Division I wrestling with 52 consecutive bout wins. His last loss came at the hands of Michael Kemerer of Iowa in the 2021 Big Ten Tournament final.
Since he is returning to the collegiate wrestling scene, Starocci will have four chances in the next year to qualify for the 2024 Olympics: the Bill Farrell Memorial International, Senior Nationals, NCAA Championships and the Last Chance World Team Trials qualifier.
“This is a monumental moment for me, myself, Penn State, and my family,” Starocci said. “I have my whole family watching me, supporting me, and that means a lot. I’ll make sure I take care of business and get that fourth natty daddy and that Olympic title.”
Starocci and the rest of Sanderson’s squad will begin their run to the 2024 National Championship on Sunday, November 12, in the Journeyman Collegiate Classic. The rest of the 2023-24 schedule can be viewed here.
