Two of the best to ever do it in college wrestling, Carter Starocci and Kyle Dake, will meet in the finals of the U.S. World Team Trials at 86 KG.
There are a lot of differences between the two.
Starocci is the only five-time national champ in NCAA Division I history, while Dake won it four times (he likely would have had five with another year).
Carter Starocci Makes History, Penn State Breaks Own Points Record at NCAA Wrestling Championships
Starocci wrestled at Penn State. Dake went to Cornell. Starocci’s post-college career is just getting started. Dake’s is nearing its end.
But, at the end of the day, regardless of these differences, these are two of the best to ever do it, and both have ties to Penn State wrestling.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.Starocci wrestled at Penn State, and Dake is a manager of Nittany Lion Wrestling Club.
Dake, 34, has built on his folkstyle success with a decorated freestyle career. He’s won four world championships and took silver at Belgrade in 2023. He’s also won two Olympic silver medals.
The elephant in the room is that Dake has never won Olympic Gold, and there are doubts as to whether he’ll have the chance to do it again. The doubts don’t stem from Dake’s ability, as he is an all-time great. No, they stem from his age. By the time the LA Games roll around in 2028, Dake will be 37, which is young for a lot of things but not wrestling. Time will tell how long Dake has to go.
The men’s freestyle finals are set to begin at 1:30 ET. The winners will advance to Final X, scheduled for June 14 in Newark, New Jersey.
