Carter Starocci shares a strong message as he gears for the Big Ten Championships in his final year as an NCAA athlete

American wrestler Carter Starocci seems to be all geared up for the season ahead. The 24-year-old wrestler shared a strong message on his Instagram profile ahead of the upcoming Big Ten Championships, where he will be competing for the final time as an NCAA athlete from Penn State University.

Starocci shared a carousel of photos on his Instagram account, which included snaps from his training session. With the lone exception of the 2024 Championships, Starocci represented the Penn State Nittany Lions thrice at the Big Ten Championships, and won gold medals in the 2022 and the 2023 editions, respectively.

Starocci wrote in the caption of his post,

"These are the opportunities on why I do it. Time for the Big Ten Tournament!"

Previously, in February, Starocci had shared another motivational message on his Instagram timeline with the caption,

"I don’t have an off button. I can do this all day long. When things get hard, good. That means no one else will do it. More for me ;) Never let victory defeat you. Stay dialed in. It’s a long journey, but goes by quick!"

Carter Starocci also aims to end his collegiate career on a high by winning the NCAA Championships for a fifth consecutive time. Since 2021, Starocci has won the NCAA title for the Penn State Nittany Lions four times in a row.

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Carter Starocci appeals for help for a young wrestler in crisis

Carter Starocci appeals for a young wrestler [Image Source : Getty]

A few weeks ago, Carter Starocci proved that he is not just an aggressive, tough wrestler but a man with a golden heart. He appealed to crowdfund a young wrestler from Virginia who faced a double crisis in February 2025.

According to an Instagram post made by the Empire Wrestling Academy,

"Hoping the wrestling community can step up and help these guys through this tough time."

For the unversed, the wrestler in concern was Rocco Lore, whose father had passed away unexpectedly. To make matters worse, the high school wrestler was afflicted with a chest infection. Starocci immediately responded to the appeal, commenting on the Instagram post,

"Prayers Up!"

The 24-year-old wrestler also shared his personal experience with Lore on his Instagram story, as he wrote in the caption,

“Great kid I got to meet last summer. Really sad what happened to him and his family. Let’s help support.”

Carter Starocci joined the Penn State Nittany Lions in 2019. Before that, he had an impressive high school career record of 172-10.