“I'm here to take over”- 4-time NCAA champion Carter Starocci announces return to Penn State for a 5th year

Penn State’s Carter Starocci has announced that he will be returning to his fifth collegiate year during the 2024-2025 season.

Starocci, who has become one of the biggest names in collegiate wrestling, is known for his four NCAA individual titles across the 174 lb weight class for four consecutive years from 2021 to 2024.

Starocci took to his X (formerly Twitter) to share the news with his followers, writing:

“Build a legacy that won’t be touched EVER. Penn State, Stand Up. Onward and Upward”

He shared an image along with the post, announcing his comeback, stating:

“My journey here at Penn State has meant the world to me. When I stepped foot in the PSU wrestling room, I set a goal to dominate, and that's what I have done for the past four years. Since being in Happy Valley, I have racked up 7 NCAA Championships - 3 team and 4 individual titles.”

Carter Starocci further gave credit to his team members, support staff, coaches, and family, by thanking them.

“Even though this is an individual sport, none of this would've been possible without the support of my teammates, coaches, staff, and family. Each and every one of you has had a significant impact on me, and I want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart. God continues to bless me every day and I will continue to follow the plan guided through the Holy Spirit,” he wrote.

The 23-year-old also mentioned that it was a tough year for him and expressed his dissatisfaction, stating:

“As everyone knows, this year was difficult as I had to deal with many things both on and off the mat. Even though this season ended with me on top of the podium, I was not satisfied.”

Carter Starocci concluded by indicating that he has his sights on a record-breaking fifth title, adding:

“I'm here to take over. With one year of eligibility left, I want to end my collegiate career on my terms. Healthy, in style, and in a dominant fashion. With this in mind, I'm excited to announce that I will be returning to Penn State to bring another national title to State College, Pennsylvania.”

A look into Carter Starocci’s 2023-2024 Wrestling season

Carter Starocci claimed his fourth NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships title after winning against Rocco Welsh in the finals of the tournament held between March 21 and 23, 2024.

Starocci is one of the seven wrestlers, including Pat Smith, Cael Sanderson, Kyle Dake, Logan Stieber, Yianni Diakomihalis, and Aaron Brooks, to have won four titles. No wrestler has claimed five titles in the competition’s history.

However, he had a disappointing campaign at the 2024 US Olympic Team Trials for Wrestling where he lost against Trent Hidlay by 4-6 in the 86 kg category which shattered his dreams for representing the USA at the 2024 Paris Olympics.