"Goes by quick I can tell you that"- Carter Starocci opens up about competing in his final year for Penn State Wrestling

Carter Starocci revealed that his return to the Penn State program was partly because of his love of the sport and the drive to get better. Starocci and the Nittany Lions touched Ohio State and Illinois to clinch the 70th straight win, the second-longest in NCAA history.

Carter Starocci, who came fresh off his Olympic heartbreak after getting defeated by U23 World finalist Trent Hidlay at the US trials, is en route to the Big Ten Championships with the Nittany Lions. After its 70th win on Sunday, it became the only program to record the longest win streak in the Big Ten history.

Starocci, who is in his final year at Penn State, spoke candidly in a post-race interview about his approach this season. Expressing his love for wrestling and emphasizing living in the moment, he said:

"I mean it's fun honestly, I hadn't really thought about it too much but just because I'm in the moment right now...it goes by quick I can tell you that and so I guess for me it's honestly just keep focusing on getting better and things like that and just keep getting positions because I mean, 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, he said. (via Shane Nebi Sparks Instagram)

Starocci became the sixth four-time NCAA Division I National Champion in wrestling history in the 2023/24 season.

Carter Starocci shared an important lesson as he stepped into the new year

Carter Starocci has been one of the most formidable names in college wrestling history. He soared to the bronze podium at the U23 World Championships in 2022 and added two Big Ten titles to his repertoire. Entering into 2025, he opened up about his mindset of not getting the hang of wins but continuing to get better in the sport.

"You can’t let winning affect who you are, you just remain driven to perfection. Most people when they get there, they lose some of that drive, they get satisfied. Success is not continuum, it’s momentary and unless you keep doing all of the things you have done but even more so, to continue to improve, and get better!"

He added:

"More. And it’s hard. The thing is when you get to the top you become the mountain. You’re the standard, everyone is trying to be you, everyone is shooting at you. Every match week is circled. And that’s when the climb really begins. All Day Work. It’s hard but I make it look easy."

Carter Starocci was in the running for the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 but lost back-to-back matches to Bo Nickal and Myles Martin.