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Carter Starocci received high praise from Purler Wrestling founder Nick Purler following his visit to the athletic facility. Starocci visited the facility, which was built by Purler in 2017, on April 5 for a wrestling clinic.
On March 22 this year, Starocci scripted history by becoming a five-time NCAA champion, a feat never accomplished before. He achieved it with a 4-3 victory over Parker Keckeisen of Northern Iowa at the championships. Earlier in May 2024, Starocci took advantage of the extra year of collegiate eligibility granted due to COVID-19 to return for the final time.
After claiming the NCAA title, Carter Starocci visited the Purler Wrestling headquarters for a clinic. Nick Purler spoke about Starocci’s visit and the impact he had during the clinic, where he admitted that while he was already a fan, he became an even bigger admirer after seeing how the 24-year-old connected with the kids. He praised Starocci via the Purler Wrestling Instagram handle, stating:
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“Carter, I was a huge fan, now I’m a bigger fan. Thank you @carterstarocci for sharing your knowledge with 80+ athletes at the Purler Athletic Center. You’re as good with kids as anyone I’ve seen in 30+ years of coaching and my phone is blowing up with over the top happy parents. If anyone has been hesitating about booking Carter for a clinic, I can assure you that you should pull the trigger.”
“The only 5X NCAA Champion on planet Earth is impressive. Thanks again Carter and looking forward to having you back,” the former Oklahoma State University alumnus added.
Notably, the clinic had over 80 participants and included a question-and-answer session with Starocci along with drilling and live wrestling.
Carter Starocci reflects on the growth he’s had during his years at Penn State
Carter Starocci reflected on the growth he has had over the years while being at Penn State. He first addressed how he was ‘misunderstood’ during his high school days due to his intense level of competitiveness, while others didn't share the same ‘drive’.
In an interaction with FloWrestling on March 23 after his historic achievement, he spoke about his commitment to wrestling during high school days, stating (4:52 onwards):
“If people didn't have that same drive, it would piss me off, and I'm like, "Dude, like, let's go!" Then, like, no one kind of matched that intensity. So maybe I was kind of misunderstood a little bit.”
He then went on to talk about his transition after arriving at Penn State and how coach Cael Sanderson's perspective on life has been an influence on him, adding:
“Obviously, coming to Penn State, even Coach Cael, he's the greatest of all time. He's a guy, if you talk about his accomplishments, he kind of puts his head down and he doesn't like talking about it.”
He further spoke about Sanderson’s humility, noting that from a spiritual perspective, being a wrestling champion doesn’t make someone more valuable in God’s eyes. He added that this mindset of his coach has deeply inspired him and played a major role in his own personal growth.
