Penn State wrestling star Carter Starocci wanted to wrestle this weekend.
Coach Cael Sanderson wanted something else.
After Penn State got done with an incredible night— placing seven in the Big Ten finals— Sanderson addressed a big topic, which was Starocci not competing due to injury.
Starocci took an injury default in both of his matches and thus didn’t get a chance to go for a third Big Ten title. His 64-match winning streak, which was the longest in the country, is also gone.
All of this happened due to Starocci suffering an injury in Penn State’s last dual meet of the season against Edinboro late last month. Sanderson explained why he held Starocci out to Nate Cobler of the Centre Daily Times.
“There’s just no reason, when he meets the criteria to get an at-large (bid), to put himself in a position to set himself back,” Sanderson said.
That was predicable. But the rest of Sanderson’s answer, while not shocking, is more compelling.
“He wanted to wrestle the whole tournament and was planning on wrestling the tournament,” Sanderson said. “It is really tough for him. He’s having a hard time about this. He’d wrestle if both of his legs were hurt. He’s just so competitive. He’s pretty upset…
Looking forward to a new chapter . Thank you Penn State forever .
— Carter Starocci (@carterstarocci) March 10, 2024
