Carter Starocci reacts to major honor amid misconduct allegations and interim membership suspension from USA wrestling

NCAA champion Carter Starocci recently reacted to being awarded a major honor amidst multiple allegations and his recent suspension from USA wrestling. Starocci has been awarded the B1G Jesse Owens Male Athlete of the Year.

The wrestler has become the third wrestler from the Penn State Nittany Lions after David Taylor and Bo Nickal to receive this award. Starocci shared his two-word reaction on his Instagram story.

The wrestler wrote in the caption of his Instagram story:

"All Day"

Screengrab of Carter Starocci's Instagram story [Image Source: Carter Starocci's Instagram]

Carter Starocci has been undergoing a rough phase for the past few months. After the NCAA Championships win, the wrestler was accused of theft by his teammate Beau Bartlett. The controversy hadn't been settled when he was accused of sexual misconduct in a report by The Daily Collegian.

USA Wrestling has now placed Starocci on the interim suspension list along with 16 other wrestlers. However, the exact reason for his suspension has not been specified yet, unlike the four other wrestlers whose reason for suspension was explicitly mentioned by USA Wrestling in their list.

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How Carter Starocci reacted after winning five national titles

Carter Starocci at the podium of the 2025 NCAA Division I Men's Wrestling Championship [Image Source: Getty]

Carter Starocci shared his thoughts about winning five national titles as a collegiate wrestler. Starocci had defeated Parker Keckeisen of Northern Iowa in the finals to win the gold medal.

In a long post on Instagram, the wrestler mentioned:

"It’s funny – people think the best part of reaching the top is the titles and the money. Finishing my college career stacking up every title possible, 9 Total National Championships? Yeah, that’s fun. Not gonna lie lol. But that’s not what drives me."

Starocci mentioned that it was not just about trophies, but about his process to achieve success. The Penn State wrestler added:

"What really gets me up early every morning and keeps me up late every night? The hunt. That’s everything to me. The battle within myself – how far am I willing to go? It reveals who you are and what you stand for. Way bigger than any sport or accolade."

Carter Starocci made his collegiate debut as a wrestler in the 2021 edition, winning the gold medal in the 174lbs. category. Four years later, despite upgrading himself to the 184 lbs. category, Starocci went on to win his fifth consecutive title as a collegiate wrestler.