Penn State wrestling star Carter Starocci hints at ‘new chapter’ after exit from Big Ten Championships

Penn State wrestling is sending seven wrestlers to the final round of the Big Ten Championships after cruising through the semifinal round Saturday night. The only significant bump in the road from a stellar day one for the Nittany Lions came at 174 pounds, where three-time National Champion Carter Starocci was forced to injury default out of the tournament. Now, Carter Starocci has spoken out following his exit from the Big Tens, leaving some to wonder if we’ve seen the last of the Nittany Lion star in a Blue and White singlet.

Penn State wrestling star injury defaults at Big Ten Championships

The top story surrounding Penn State wrestling for the better half of the last two weeks has been about the health of Carter Starocci. Looking to become the first Nittany Lion to win four National Championships, Starocci’s postseason outlook took a significant hit after suffering a lower leg injury in the regular season finale against Edinboro.

Penn State wrestling head coach Cael Sanderson has been optimistic that the injury wouldn’t sideline his 174-pounder for the entire postseason, but it did at least cost him the Big Ten Championships. On Saturday, Carter Starocci injury defaulted out of the conference tournament. The move was presumably to give the star more rest for Nationals, which begin on March 21.

Carter Starocci hints at “new chapter” following exit from conference tournament

While many expect to see Carter Starocci back in action at the NCAA Championships later this month, the Penn State wrestling star may have other plans.

In the early hours of Sunday morning, Starocci posted on X, “Looking forward to a new chapter. Thank you Penn State forever.” Although the location has since been removed, the message was initially tagged from State College and not College Park, Maryland, where the Nittany Lions are competing in the Big Ten Championships.

Looking forward to a new chapter . Thank you Penn State forever .

— Carter Starocci (@carterstarocci) March 10, 2024

Needless to say, the message caused quite a stir on social media. At face value, it seems as if Starocci is hinting at the end of his collegiate career. But this decision wouldn’t flow from the events of the last 24 hours.

If Cael Sanderson and the Penn State wrestling coaches had a sense that such a decision was coming, it would have made more sense to start Terrell Barraclough at the Big Ten Championships rather than having Starocci medically forfeit. It also wouldn’t align with the message out of Rec Hall this week, where Sanderson made it seem that the Penn State coaches would be the ones to intervene in Starocci’s interest if they felt competing at the Big Tens would hamper the star’s shot at another national title.

“Obviously, getting into Nationals is number one [priority], and being at your best at Nationals is number two,” Cael Sanderson said on Monday. “So what we have to do to help him do that is the plan.”

But on the other hand, Carter Starocci has noted in the past that he wants to compete in the Olympics. Depending on the extent of his injury, participating at the NCAAs may impact his chances of making it to Paris for the 2024 Summer Games.

It also must be noted that Carter Starocci is known for having fun on social media. This could be another case of him trying to stir up a bit of debate, and we ultimately could see the Nittany Lion star back on the mat in Kansas City in two weeks. At any rate, all this does is add another layer to the most compelling storyline around Penn State wrestling this month.

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