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Carter Starocci fell to Olympic medalist Kyle Dake in the US World Team Trials 2025 finals on Saturday. The game did not side with any single wrestler until the very last second of the game, ending in a controversial decision. Starocci made his feelings clear after the 86kg final loss against the 'deserving' Kyle Dake.
The 24-year-old Starocci recently finished his collegiate wrestling career with Penn State wrestling and posted a 17-2 overall record in his last season with the Nittany Lions. Starocci has posted an impressive record at Penn State, clinching the National Title in his senior year. Starocci won the NCAA Championship title at 86 kg in March 2025 with a 4-3 victory against Parker Keckeisen of Northern Iowa.
Carter Starocci had a competitive end to his US World Team Trials campaign as he faced Dake in the most anticipated match-up of the event. Wrestling for the 86-kg title, Starocci fell 5-3 to the four-time National champion. Dake joined the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club in 2022, which meant the two wrestlers shared the same coach.
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Sharing his first reaction after the final game through a post on X, Starocci wrote:
"Man it’s super weird having your coaches coach against you. Dake deserved it, good job man and thanks for the help along the way!"
The four-time gold medalist in the World Championships, Kyle Dake, was leading in the points until the last 10 seconds when Starocci changed the game, dominating the game and posting 3-3 and a takedown against Dake at the very end of the time. But the decision was overturned after a review, and the takedown was recalled, triggering a 5-3 win for Dake.
Carter Starocci shares a heartfelt note after he ended his college career
The 2025 Dan Hodge Trophy finalist shared a heartfelt note as he finished his illustrious collegiate career with Penn State University a few weeks ago. Carter Starocci shared multiple accolades and titles with the Nittany Lions, dominating his domain.
The wrestler shared a video of his experience with Penn State on Instagram and captioned it with:
"Half a decade of pure dominance. Everyone involved play an immense role and I can’t thank all of you enough. It always takes the correct team of people to do powerful things. ❤️"
The 24-year-old wrestling star was a four-time All-American from 2021 to 2024. Carter Starocci also earned the Big Ten Freshman of the Year in 2021 and became the Big Ten Champion in 2022 and 2023. The wrestler also had an unbeaten sophomore and junior season, posting 23-0 and 24-0 overall for the Nittany Lions.
