Not happy with me: Cael Sanderson explains decision to rest Penn State wrestling star Carter Starocci at Big Ten Championships

Sunday evening, Penn State wrestling won the 2024 Big Ten Championships, the first time the program has taken home back-to-back conference tournament titles since 2014. It was a dominant weekend for the Nittany Lions, with five wrestlers claiming individual titles and a program-record 170.5 team points. However, the one glaring omission was Carter Starocci, who injury defaulted out of the tournament on Saturday. The decision to medically forfeit was unfortunate and upset many, starting with Starocci himself. But with the NCAA Championships on the horizon, Cael Sanderson explained why he made the difficult but necessary call to rest his star 174-pounder.

Carter Starocci speaks out after exiting Big Ten Championships with an injury

Penn State wrestling took complete control of the Big Ten Championships this weekend, winning the tournament with a school-record 170.5 team points. But for weeks, the headlines around the program have been dominated by a Nittany Lion who only wrestled for two seconds in College Park.

The postseason future for Carter Starocci has been in question ever since the three-time National Champion went down with a leg injury against Edinboro on February 25. We finally got the first piece of an answer Saturday, when the senior superstar injury defaulted out of the Big Ten Championships.

The move ended Starocci’s 64-match winning streak and put two losses on what was a perfect season. More importantly, the decision preserved the Penn State wrestling star’s eligibility — and health — for the NCAA Championships at the end of the month.

The choice was undoubtedly a difficult one, especially for a wrestler as ultra-competitive as Carter Starocci. Starocci was visibly upset when forfeiting his two tournament matches on Saturday. Overnight, the Nittany Lion standout even alluded that he may forgo the opportunity to become a four-time National Champion.

Cael Sanderson explains decision to rest Penn State wrestling star

While the decision for Carter Starocci to injury default out of the Big Ten Championships was shocking, it was by no means a surprise. Cael Sanderson made it clear during the lead-up to the tournament that the Penn State wrestling staff would step in to make sure the 174-pounder was as healthy as possible for Nationals.

“It’s a day-to-day thing where he is getting better, significantly, over time,” Sanderson said on Monday. “His plan is to do what he does, and that is go compete. [But] that’s something where we’ll have to step in there if we don’t feel like it’s in his best interest.”

However, the events of the last 24 hours could raise questions about Starocci’s willingness to compete at the NCAA Championships. Following Saturday night’s semifinals, Cael Sanderson spoke to Nate Cobler of the Centre Daily Times about the difficult decision to pull the reins back on his 174-pound star.

“He wanted to wrestle the whole tournament and was planning on wrestling in 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, but there’s just no reason, when he meets the criteria to get an at-large [bid at Nationals], to put himself in a position to set himself back. He’s not happy with me, but that’s why he’s Carter Starocci.”

Starocci is upset, and for good reason. But ultimately, cooler heads will likely prevail. Winning a Big Ten title is one thing, but a legacy-defining fourth National Championship is another.

The NCAA Championships begin on March 21 in Kansas City, Missouri.

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