Penn State wrestling: Carter Starocci, Aaron Brooks win historic 4th NCAA titles

Carter Starocci and Aaron Brooks have secured their spots in Penn State wrestling lore. The pair of Nittany Lions have reached the pinnacle of the sport, becoming the first in program history to win four National Championships. Starocci and Brooks now take their places atop the college wrestling world, joining five other wrestlers, including their coach, Cael Sanderson, to achieve the feat.

Carter Starocci and Aaron Brooks join the four-timers club

With the team National Championship wrapped up Friday evening, Saturday was reserved for Penn State wrestling to chase history. Carter Starocci and Aaron Brooks did their part, becoming the first Nittany Lions to win four individual national titles.

The duo, become the sixth and seventh college wrestlers to reach the four-timers club, joining Pat Smith, Kyle Dake, Logan Stieber, Yianni Diakomihalis, and, of course, Nittany Lions head coach Cael Sanderson. Penn State wrestling becomes the second program with multiple four-timers, with Dake and Diakomihalis doing so at Cornell.

Diverging paths to the top

While Aaron Brooks and Carter Starocci both found their way to the top of college wrestling Saturday night, the Nittany Lions took quite different paths to the podium this season.

Aaron Brooks captures his first title at 197 pounds after three straight championships at 184. The Hagerstown, Maryland, native took down No. 2 Trent Hidlay of NC State in the final round of the NCAA Championships Saturday night to cap off an undefeated senior season.

Just as heavily favored coming into the season, the title run for Carter Starocci was marked by significant adversity down the stretch. Forced to injury default at the Big Ten Championships, Starocci wrestled from the nine-seed at Nationals, taking down four top-10 seeds on his way to the crown. The Erie native defeated No. 6 Rocco Welsh of Ohio State to claim his fourth title at 174 pounds. Starocci wouldn’t comment on his specific injury after the victory, but noted that he was on crutches 12 days ago.

And while the accomplishment puts Starocci and Brooks in a class all their own among the greats of Penn State wrestling, both Nittany Lions have tried to put the accomplishment in its proper context.

“So it’s a lot more going on when you’re actually living the experience, and in terms of staying focused, history comes and goes,” Starocci told Blue-White Illustrated on Friday night. “And it’s something that when I go out there, and it’s tomorrow night, and I win, and it’s cool everyone is screaming your name, and a month later it’s Olympic Trials, and it kind of fades as time goes on. So you can’t let the sport be bigger than it is.”

“I think you just don’t really think about it,” Brooks said. “You don’t let things consume you. Like the world wants to consume you; labels, titles, accomplishments. When you’re not defined by that stuff, and you’re not chasing that, it sets you free once again. I’m here to serve the Kingdom, not this world. So it sets me free.”

History-filled Saturday for Penn State wrestling

It’s not just Carter Starocci and Aaron Brooks who were going for history in the final round of the NCAA Championships. Cael Sanderson and the Nittany Lions came into Saturday with the potential for a monumental day for the Penn State wrestling program.

The 2024 Nittany Lions already tied the NCAA record with six wrestlers competing in Saturday’s final round. Penn State’s quest to become the first program with six individual National Champions came up short with defeats suffered by Beau Bartlett (141) and Mitchell Mesenbrink (165). Starocci and Brooks became the third and fourth Nittany Lions to find the winner’s circle, with Greg Kerkvliet (285) and Levi Haines (157) also taking home titles earlier in the evening.

Cael Sanderson’s squad also came into the night chasing the NCAA Championships team point record set by Iowa in 1997. Needing 170 to tie the Hawkeyes, Penn State ended day two with 148 points, already the highest point total of the Cael Sanderson era. The Nittany Lions surpassed the 170-point threshold with Brook’s victory, ending up with 172.5 points in total. The 100 point differential between Penn State and second-place Cornell also sets a new NCAA record for margin of victory.

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