"No surprise why wrestling isn't mainstream"- Carter Starocci lashes out on the early scheduling of the historic final match

Carter Starocci expressed his disappointment with the match schedule in the finals at the NCAA Wrestling Championships 2025. The American athlete will be competing towards a historic milestone, and according to Starocci, his match should have been scheduled towards the end of the prestigious event given the hype and anticipation around the match.

The 24-year-old athlete spoke to the media in a post-match press conference after winning the fifth consecutive NCAA Wrestling Championship title in his final year as an athlete. Starocci spoke about the role of the media in hyping up an event and expressed how he was completely focused on his task at hand.

However, he was unhappy about the fact that his match was the first one on the card despite featuring two great wrestlers along with the fact that he was competing for a historic milestone in the sport—winning his 5th consecutive NCAA title.

"You guys just hype it up. A guy like me, you're not going to hype it up. You know, I stay focused on all the tasks at hand. So, I do my job and that's what I'm out there to do. As far as the next question, I mean I was the first match-up," he said.

"I'm not sure why ESPN elected the 184-pound match to be the first match. I mean you have a guy going for his fifth title and you have the reigning champ and I think whoever wins that match is the hottest trophy winner. We've been dominant all year. To put that match first for whatever reason ESPN kind of makes me laugh and giggle because of some of these rules that wrestling has in place, things like that it's just no surprise why wrestling isn't mainstream. You guys are the ones who can have influence on that so you guys should look into the mirror and ask yourself questions," he added.

He expressed how these aspects have a profound impact on the overall popularity of the sport as they create hype and push the sport to the masses.

---

Carter Starocci on his distinguishing factor as a wrestler

Carter Starocci wins the 2025 NCAA Division I Men's Wrestling Championship - Source: Getty

Carter Starocci spoke about an aspect that distinguishes him from the rest of wrestling in a post-match interview at the NCAA Wrestling Championships. The 24-year-old revealed that he tries his best to go all-in on a task despite facing multiple challenges in his life.

According to Starocci, that aspect as an athlete truly helps him to dominate the wrestling circuit in the USA.

“As you get older, life starts knocking on your door, questions about getting a job, responsibilities, relationships, paying bills. That pressure makes some guys take different paths. At this level, only a few guys are truly all in and obviously, I’m one of them,” he said.

Furthermore, Carter Starocci expressed how multiple other aspects like his training and the ability to handle stressful situations while competing give him an upper edge on the mat.