Some would argue that the Big 10 Wrestling Championships, which Penn State won this past weekend in Ann Arbor, Michigan, donโt matter.
Carter Starocciย and his teammates wouldnโt take it that far.
โI wouldnโt say that we donโt care about the Big 10 title, which we kind of do,โ Starocci told reporters not long winning the individual championship at 174 pounds.
Thereโs something to be said for winning the tournament of the Americaโs top wrestling conference, and naturally, itโs better to win than to not win.
But regardless of what Penn State wrestling did this past weekend, its season is going to be remembered for what happens in Tulsa, Oklahoma, March 16-18, not Ann Arbor.
Penn State is to college wrestling what Alabama is to college football, UConn is to womenโs college basketball and Joey Chestunt is to hot dog eating.
The team has won nine national titles in the past 11 tries.
Cael Sandersonโs program is the best there is, which means anything short of winning at national championship would mean that the season is viewed as a failure.
Itโs not that going 16-0 in regular-season dual meets wasnโt impressive.
It was.
Itโs not that winning the toughest wrestling conference tournament there is isnโt something to be proud of.
It is.
But at No. 1 Penn State, the individual and team trophies that matter most are obvious: national titles
“(Winning Big 10s) feels good,” Starocci said, “but in 10 days, or whatever it is, that’s what we really care about.”Oo
Starocci found out Penn State had clinched the team championshipโ which it won by 12.5 points over No. 2 Iowaโ while talking with media.
โOh, we locked it up?โ he asked. โNice.โ
โIt feels good. Like I just said, itโs always โwin or die,โ so itโs always good to get a team title, too.โ
Starocci loves his team and is always happy when it can get recognized.
โIt is special to get this team title because I believe that this is a really special team,โ Starocci said. โA lot of killers on there.
Penn State coaches, wrestlers and fans remember that the team didnโt win the Big Ten last season.
But they donโt care, because they won a national championships later that month.
If the opposite happens in 2023, the Big Ten win will serve as a cruel reminder of what might have been.
Starocci doesnโt feel Penn State gained momentum from winning the conference title.
โWe get in a parking lot in 10 days, five days, two days right now,โ he said. โSo thereโs always momentum no matter what. So this tournament doesnโt have a big impact on whatโs going on in 10 days.โ
But Penn State knows how much of a challenge winning a Big 10 championship is.
โItโs a different tournament,โ Sanderson said. โSometimes itโs tough to wrestle great two weekends in a row like this.โ
Starocci and teammate Roman Bravo-Youngย (133 pound weight class) have won two straight national titles.
RBY competed one three-peat this past weekend, and the more important three peat awaits.
Starocciโs quotes indicate that Penn State won despite looking ahead to nationals, and thatโs probably true in a way.
But Bravo-Young telling the Big Ten Network afterword that Penn State will worry about nationals when the time comes indicate that the team doesnโt look ahead to anything.
Every day brings its challenges, and Sandersonโs program does its best to be winners all the time even when there isnโt a meet or tournament to compete in.
Sanderson was asked after the championships how this team compares with the great squads heโs had in the past.
He doesnโt feel he can answer that question yet.
โI really canโt compare the teams. We still have the biggest event of the year. But this is a great tournament, right? Weโre back and forth. Iowa was right there the whole time and Nebraska was right there. Our guys just won some big matches. We lost some big matches. Thatโs part of a team event. But weโre happy and healthy, and thatโs the big thing. We have nine wrestlers through to nationals. Thatโs first and foremost so weโre happy with it.โ
Heโll have a better idea in less than two weeks.
โWeโve always kind of focused on the nationals,โ he said. โThatโs been our focus this year also. So weโll be ready to roll in Tulsa.โ
