Carter Starocci Explains Why He Selected Penn State
Carter Starocci didn’t grow up a Penn State fan. And while it will be nice for his parents to be able to drive 3 ½ hours from their Erie home to see him wrestle for the Nittany Lions, that wasn’t a deciding factor in his decision to commit to Penn State on Saturday either.
So, why Penn State?
Why not, the Cathedral Prep senior said in a phone interview with PA Power Wrestling hours after making his decision to join Cael Sanderson and the Nittany Lions.
“I chose it for many reasons,” Starocci said of the school, which has won seven out of the past eight NCAA team titles. “One, I feel I can accomplish my goals there. They have a great coaching staff and a great team there. I just feel it’s the best place for me.”
Worth The Wait
Starocci, who is the No. 1 Pennsylvania recruit in the 2019 class, was one of the biggest names in the country who had yet to commit for next year.
“My parents just always told me not to rush this decision,” Starocci said. “It’s the rest of my life. I didn’t want to rush into it. I had many great schools looking at me.”
He had narrowed his decision down to Minnesota, Virginia Tech and Penn State. He also had considered Arizona State, Ohio State and Michigan.
“I just asked myself a question: Why am I doing this?” he recalled. “It’s to be the best I can be. I feel like Penn State will help me do that.”
Starocci won the PIAA 3A title at 160 pounds last season, edging Belle Vernon’s Zachary Hartman 6-4 in sudden victory. That capped a 46-0 junior season for Starocci, who brings a 118-10 career record into his senior year.
Starocci finished second in the state as a sophomore and eighth as a freshman.
Injury Scare
After winning freestyle and Greco-Roman titles as a Cadet in 2017, Starocci placed fourth in freestyle at Fargo this time, but he also might have injured his shoulder, which became a lingering problem and kept him out of the Super 32 tournament last month.
“Something was wrong with my shoulder,” Starocci said. “I thought it was just sore. A couple months later, it was getting worse. I went to the doctor. They thought a whole bunch of things were torn in my shoulder and I’d be out for the season. I got it looked at by another doctor and he said I just need to rest it.”
Looking Ahead
He said he’s been practicing and lifting weights and the shoulder is fine now, so he’s ready to turn his attention to the high school season. He’s looking to win a PIAA team title this year after Cathedral Prep finished third in the state a year ago.
“I’m looking forward to our team this year,” Starocci said. “Our team is looking good and solid. We’re still pretty young. We only have a few seniors. I’m looking forward to helping the young guys. Hopefully, as a team we can win it all and obviously, for myself, I want to win it all. I just love competing.”
That’s also a factor why Starocci isn’t concerned about how he’ll fit into a Penn State lineup loaded with talent even after NCAA champs Bo Nickal and Mark Hall graduate in 2019 and 2020, respectively.
“I’m not sure exactly what weight I’ll wrestle,” said Starocci, who plans to wrestle 182 during his senior year at Cathedral Prep before dropping to 170 for the postseason. “Time will tell. I plan on going 174 (at Penn State) and maybe moving up to 184. There’s a lot of great guys on that team, but it’s all going to work out and we’re all going to help each other get better each.”
Starocci is also hoping to attend at least one college open tournament before the start of the high school season, and he said he’ll wrestle 184 instead of trying to cut to 174.
“I just want to get a gauge of where I’m at,” he said.