Penn State's Carter Starocci Brings Home Big Ten Wrestler of The Year

Penn State Wrestling standout Carter Starocci entered the Big Ten Tournament as the No. 1 seed and No. 1 ranked wrestler at 184lbs.

Starocci earned a bye directly into the quarterfinals where he took care of business with a tech fall win (18-1) and moved on to the semi-finals.

A 12-2 major decision win then set up a match with the tournament No. 2 seed and No. 4 ranked wrestler at 184, Max McEnelly.

Penn State Wrestling, Carter Starocci — Carter Starocci defeats Jaden Bullock 19-4 in Penn State’s dual meet against Michigan, February 7, 2025.
Credit – Lloyd McCully

McEnelly took the bout into sudden victory, however Carter Starocci ultimately came out victorious to win the 2025 Big Ten Championship on Sunday in Evanston, Ill. Starocci not only came back with a championship but he was named Big Ten Wrestler of the Year.

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Carter Starocci Cements Status as Penn State Wrestling Legend

The Big Ten championship run was preceded by a season where the lights were the brightest as Starocci was at his best.

Conference pride is something which holds enough weight that top grapplers push harder to perform their best against conference opponents. When you are a dominant wrestler like Carter Starocci, it’s hard to distinguish great performances from regular domination.

Starocci had an undefeated season, but against Big Ten competition, he took it to another level.

In the first four matches of the B1G regular season, Starocci won all four comfortably. As the season continued, the competition increased. Facing higher-ranked opponents, Starocci seemed to simply show off.

In a string of three matches, Carter Starocci scored 19, 20, and 22 points en route to three consecutive tech fall finishes. By the final Big Ten dual of the season against Illinois, Starocci made his opponent literally stall out. After running up a 17-4 lead, No. 12 Edmond Ruth was disqualified after receiving his sixth stalling penalty.

Carter Starocci won the Big Ten Wrestler of the Year after taking individual domination to another level in conference matchups.

And Starocci also looks to take home a national title at the NCAA tournament in Philadelphia, PA March 20-22. If he does, he will be the first wrestler in the history of DI wrestling to win five individual titles.