Carter Starocci sets new Penn State wrestling NCAA Championships record

Penn State wrestling is on its way to making history at the 2025 NCAA Championships in Philadelphia. But Thursday night, it was superstar 184-pounder Carter Starocci who added another milestone to his illustrious Nittany Lion career.

With his 15-0 tech fall win over Rutgers’s Shane Cartagena-Walsh, Starocci set a new Penn State wrestling program record for career wins in the NCAA Tournament. Now 22-0 all-time in the tournament, Starocci surpassed Nittany Lion legend Ed Ruth, who went 21-1 during his career. 

The sixth-year senior tied Ruth with an 18-2 tech fall over Lehigh’s Caden Rogers in Thursday’s afternoon opening session. That win broke a tie for second with former teammate Aaron Brooks, who was 20-0, and Nittany Lions assistant coach Nick Lee, who went 20-4 as a competitor.

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Advancing to Friday’s Quarterfinals, Starocci is three wins away from becoming the first wrestler in NCAA Division I history to win five individual national titles.

“For me, it’s not necessarily about these next three days. I feel like your career isn’t just based on a three-day span,” Starocci said of his final NCAA Championships experience. “I think it’s about going out there every single time you have the chance to compete, no matter if you’re sick or hurt, just putting it all on the line. I feel it’s something I’ve done every single time.

“As far as all the other stuff, I mean, for me just, like I said, it’s just about dominating. It’s not just about winning and things like that. These next three days are another opportunity for me to go out and do that and prove that I’m the best.”

With Starocci’s win, Penn State wrestling extended its team lead to 13.5 points on the tournament field. Our coverage of the second round of the NCAA Championships continues here.

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