Carter Starocci drops 4-word message as Penn State Wrestling gears up to extend winning streak to 70 

Carter Starocci shared a strong-worded message ahead of Penn State Wrestling's faceoff with Ohio State and Illinois in two-weekend duals. The Nittany Lions are on an unbeaten 68-match streak and have the chance to make it the second-longest streak in NCAA Division I men's wrestling history.

The Nittany Lions lost their last dual match on Jan. 31, 2020, to the Iowa Hawkeyes and have since won 68 consecutive matches and three NCAA team titles. According to Jason Bryant of Mat Talk Online, Penn State's streak ranks fifth all-time among Division I men's programs.

Penn State is also the defending NCAA champion and is 12-0 this season ahead of the last weekend of the Big Ten regular season. They will visit Ohio State at 7 p.m. ET Friday, looking for its 13th win of the season and 69th in a five-year winning streak.

Starocci took to Instagram to share a short message ahead of the Ohio State clash and wrote:

"Show up and perform."

Starocci is in his fifth year at Penn State and is undefeated this season. The four-time champion downed AJ Ferrari during the Nittany Lions' 30-8 victory over Iowa Hawkeyes last week and is one of the favorites to win the 184-pound NCAA title this season.

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Carter Starocci explains why Penn State always has an 'upper advantage'

Carter Starocci during Penn State v Rutgers - Source: Getty

While Penn State's 68-match winning streak is already an incredible achievement, the school has displayed utter dominance this season. So far, the team is a staggering 493-37 in individual bouts, with none of the 12 teams having won more than two bouts in a single match against Penn State.

Carter Starocci shed light on the Nittany Lions' mentality during an interview with Big Ten Wrestling following the win over Iowa last week and said:

"It's just another practice for us, another opportunity for us to get better and just kind of improve our skills for the next morning. Even national tournaments, that's practice for the world championships and world championships are practice for the Olympics. So if you have a perspective like that, you always have the upper advantage," Carter Starocci said.

Penn State will conclude its season against American on February 21. If they win all three of their bouts, the Nittany Lions can break Oklahoma State's men's Division I record of the longest streak of 76 in their sixth dual match of the 2025-26 season.