WATCH: Carter Starocci to decide on Penn State wrestling return ‘soon’

Carter Starocci will soon decide whether he will return to Penn State wrestling for a fifth and final season, the Nittany Lions star said at U.S. Olympic Team Trials on Saturday. Starocci has already cemented himself as one of the greatest wrestlers in Penn State history after picking up his fourth National Championship in March. In a lengthy discussion after injury defaulting out the trials Friday, he provided an in-depth update on the progress of his injury recovery and how it could potentially factor into his decision to return for a final year.

Carter Starocci says decision on potential return coming “within next couple of weeks”

The path for Carter Starocci’s senior season was drastically upended with the leg injury suffered in the regular season finale versus Edinboro. The focus shifted to preserving the Penn State wrestling star for the NCAA Championships in March, followed by Olympic Team Trials this weekend.

The Erie native checked one box, becoming the first Nittany Lion in Penn State wrestling history to win four National Championships. Many believed the victory would be Starocci’s walk into the sunset moment in Happy Valley. But the senior hasn’t ruled out returning to State College for a fifth season, even telling FloWrestling last week he was now leaning toward a return.

Carter Starocci doubled down on those comments Saturday, speaking after injury defaulting out of the Olympic Team Trials on Friday. Starocci withdrew from the tournament after falling to Trent Hidlay.

“Right now, my focus is on getting these guys ready to achieve their dreams and goals with the Olympic Trials and then the Olympics,” Starocci said. “So my heart is going to be with those guys and anything they need. I’ll be there helping them out. If it’s a weight cut, if it’s anything — going to the grocery store. So, I want to make sure I’m getting these guys ready and things like that.

“And in the meantime, as I’m doing that, I’ll probably have another meeting with Coach Cael [Sanderson] and we’ll talk some things out. So, like I said, in my last interview, I was 60-40 toward not coming back. But now, thinking about it a little more, I’m 60-40 coming back. So we’ll see. I just know I don’t like cutting weight. I mean, it felt really good out there not having to cut weight and just and just be me. So we’ll see how it goes. I mean, I haven’t thought too much into it because, like, I was getting ready for this. And now this is still going on, and I have a bunch of my boys getting ready to go scrap. So when that’s all done and all the clouds are kind of gone, then I’ll kind of sit back and take more on that.”

As for when that decision will come, Starocci says the Nittany Lion faithful may not have to wait much longer. “Probably soon. I mean, hopefully within the next couple of weeks,” he said when asked about a timeline.

Will Starocci’s injury factor into a decision?

The elephant in the room around Carter Starocci for the last two months has been the injury, and how it will impact him moving forward. The Penn State wrestling star wasn’t willing to comment on whether he’ll need surgery, saying it’s a decision between “me, my family, and the coaches.”

However, Starocci was less decisive on whether the injury could impact his decision to return next season.

“Yeah. I mean, we’ll see,” he said. “I don’t know; that’s a good question. I mean, I just don’t want to speak on it, just because I just don’t think it’s a matter of necessity. You know, like, you can [say], ‘Oh, I was hurt, this, this, and this.’ And I mean, everyone saw the brace.

“Just like, obviously, things are the way [they are]. But it’s either, again, you either make it happen or you don’t. So you know, so I’m like, guys all like, here’s the injury. Here’s what happened. Like, it doesn’t matter. So, yeah, I just got to do a better job and make sure I’m healthy.”

Penn State wrestling star chasing five National Championships

A return from Carter Starocci could be historic, not just for Penn State wrestling, but for the sport overall. The Nittany Lion could become the first wrestler ever to win five NCAA titles after becoming the sport’s sixth four-timer in March.

Starocci currently sits with a 93-4 record and a 54.75% bonus percentage in his career with Penn State wrestling. Two of his losses came at the Big Ten Championships due to injury defaults. They snapped a winning streak of 64 consecutive matches dating back to his redshirt freshman season in 2021.

If Starocci is to come back, it also could mean a reshuffling of the lineup, with Levi Haines and Alex Facundo possibly moving up weight classes. If he does make the decision to return, it will solidify the Penn State lineup and mean that the Nittany Lions will return two NCAA Champions and two NCAA Finalists for the 2025 season.

Make sure to follow along with Basic Blues Nation here and on our social media channels for live on-site coverage of the U.S. Olympic Team Trials.

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