BREAKING: Penn State wrestling star Carter Starocci leaves dual with injury

Penn State wrestling may be facing potentially disastrous news for one of its biggest stars heading into the postseason. In the regular season finale against Edinboro on Sunday, top-ranked Carter Starocci was forced to leave the mat with an injury after securing the 22-5 tech fall at 174. The Nittany Lions secured their fourth straight undefeated regular season with a 55-0 win, and we will now wait to hear more from Cael Sanderson about his injured star with the postseason on the horizon.

Penn State wrestling star Carter Starocci leaves dual with an apparent lower-body injury

Penn State wrestling star Carter Starocci was forced to leave his match with an apparent knee injury Sunday. Starocci was on his way to securing a 22-5 tech fall win over Joey Arnold of Edinboro when the senior appeared to have twisted his right leg while attempting a pin.

Carter Starocci immediately ripped off his headgear and reached for his leg. After a scary few moments on the mat, Starocci had to be helped off the mat by Cael Sanderson and the Penn State wrestling coaching staff. Apparently unable to put any weight on his leg, Sanderson helped Starocci all the way back to the locker room.

Good news. Carter Starocci recorded a first period technical fall in his final home match.
Potentially apocalyptic news. He appeared to injure his right knee at the end of this clip. The Cathedral Prep graduate was helped off the mat.
Scheduled to interview him. Wait and see now. pic.twitter.com/M3F74uuMFC

— Mike Copper (@ETNcopper) February 25, 2024

The silence in Rec Hall was deafening, given the potential consequences of any prolonged absence for the Nittany Lion senior. Carter Starocci was looking to become one of the first Penn State wrestlers to win four straight NCAA Championships, along with teammate Aaron Brooks.

“I don’t know if I can really discuss any specifics about an injury,” Cael Sanderson said after the dual. “But he was obviously in some pain, and we carried him off the best we could. He’s just gonna go to work and get ready to roll.

“But well, yeah, we’re obviously thinking about Carter right now and, and getting them [the doctors] over to kind of figure out what’s going on, but we’re optimistic.”

The Big Ten Championships get underway on March 9, with the NCAAs starting a week and a half later on March 21. While we await to hear more of an update from Cael Sanderson in the coming days, any potential time missed from Starocci could have implications on the Nittany Lions’ postseason run. Penn State wrestling is looking to win a third consecutive National Championship and the 11th of the Cael Sanderson era.

*Note: This is a breaking news story, and the information included is subject to change.

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