"Always told me I'm the best" - Carter Starocci makes his feelings known for his mother as he competes in final season as an NCAA athlete

Carter Starocci expressed his feelings about his mother after the Penn State Nittany Lions clinched their 69th straight win, trouncing Ohio State in two-weekend duals in Columbus. In the following clash with Illinois, the Nittany Lions clinched the 70th consecutive win, recording the second-longest streak in NCAA history.

Carter Starocci, the sixth four-time NCAA Division I National Champion in wrestling history, made waves in the faceoff with Ohio State in Columbus on Friday. He also unfurled his prowess in the 184 pounds category, contributing to Penn State's win over Illinois 29-9 on Sunday. Clinching the Big Ten regular season title with his team, the 24-year-old will look to make it big at the Big Ten Championships just a month away.

In a post-match interview after Friday's feat, Starocci wished his mother, Starla Starocci, a birthday. When asked to speak about his mother, the World bronze medalist revealed that his mother also believed he was the best in his craft.

"She's one of the toughest people I know, I mean from a young, young age she was just always, always very confident in me and just always, always told me I was the best and anything I was doing and so that's kind of something I always believed."

He added:

"She's always on me too, if I ever have like some french fries or something she's always giving me that look and so I mean I couldn't ask for a better mom"

Starocci was in the run for the Paris Olympics but faced a setback at the US trials. He competed in the 86 kgs, triumphing over US National champion Pat Downey but succumbed to U23 World finalist Trent Hidlay to end his bid.

Carter Starocci revealed the reason behind his return to Penn State for fifth-year

Carter Starocci winning the bout at the 2023 NCAA Division I Men's Wrestling Championship - (Source: Getty)

Carter Starocci came to the 2023/24 NCAA Division I Championships to defend his title but suffered a knee injury in his last dual meet. Though he ended his Big Ten Championships bid, he was in the running for the Nationals for his impressive track record. He defeated Rocco Walsh to clinch his fourth NCAA trophy and shortly after, announced his return to utilize the fifth year of his eligibility.

In a recent interview after the Nittany Lions' win against Ohio, the 24-year-old expressed his love for his sport and gave the reason behind his return to the program.

"I love wrestling and that's part of the reason why I came back is because I love the sport so much and so that's just kind of honestly the approach that we take and I think that comes from our coaches you know what I mean because they really love it and that's kind of the energy that they feed us and I feel like that's kind of how our team carries ourselves as well."

Starocci also boasts two Big-Ten Conference Champions titles alongside other victories.