Will Starocci wrestle at the Big Ten Championships? What Penn State coach Cael Sanderson said

Penn State wrestler Carter Starocci’s status remains up in the air ahead of the 2024 Big Ten Wrestling Championships.

Head coach Cael Sanderson said Starocci, who suffered an injury in the Nittany Lions’ final dual of the season against Edinboro and had to be helped off the mat, is improving.

“Doing pretty good,” Sanderson said Monday. “I don’t know if it’s a situation where me talking really does a lot of good, really. But what his plans are, they haven’t really changed. I think it’s still search and destroy, basically.”

While Sanderson did not provide an update on what the injury is, or whether Starocci will wrestle at Big Tens this weekend, he did say what the overall plan is.

“It’s like a day to day thing where he’s getting better, significantly, over time,” Sanderson said. “His plan is to do what he does and go compete. That’s something that we’ll have to step in there if we don’t feel like it’s in his best interest. Getting to the nationals is number one, and being at your best at nationals is number two, so what we have to do to help him ... that is the plan.”

Despite the injury, the Nittany Lion 174-pounder remains in good spirits, according to Sanderson.

“The first day was tough for him, because we really didn’t know where he was, and he was in a lot of pain,” Sanderson said. “Usually that’s a good thing. If you know knees and injuries and stuff, if there’s no pain that’s usually more of a concern because that means something is no longer there. He’s doing good.”

More clarity on Starocci’s situation will likely wait until Saturday when the Nittany Lions take the mat for the Big Ten Wrestling Championships.

This story was originally published March 4, 2024 at 2:01 PM.

Jon Sauber

Centre Daily Times

(814) 231-6461

Jon Sauber covers Penn State football and men’s basketball for the Centre Daily Times. He earned his B.A. in digital and print journalism from Penn State and his M.A. in sports journalism from IUPUI. His previous stops include jobs at The Indianapolis Star, the NCAA, and Rivals.