Penn State's Carter Starocci Asks Why His Bout Opened the NCAA Wrestling Finals

Starocci became a five-time NCAA wrestling champion in the marquee matchup of the finals. The NCAA Championships usually saves the best for last.

Penn State's Carter Starocci celebrates after winning his fifth national title at the 2025 NCAA Wrestling Championships. | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

PHILADELPHIA | The main event of the NCAA Wrestling Championships began with the main event Saturday night. The championship round of college wrestling's biggest tournament opened with Penn State's Carter Starocci, wrestling for an unprecedented fifth NCAA Division I title, meeting defending champ Parker Keckeisen of Northern Iowa at 184 pounds.

It was an unusual move for a tournament that normally saves its best for last. So after defeating Keckeisen 4-3 for his fifth NCAA title, Starocci wondered why this bout went first for the finals broadcast live on ESPN.

"I'm not sure why ESPN elected for the 184-pound match to be the first one," Starocci said after his landmark victory at Wells Fargo Center. "You've got a guy going for his fifth title, and you have the

reigning champ. I think whoever wins that match is the Hodge Trophy winner [college wrestling's top award].

"We've been dominant all year, you put that match first, for whatever reason, ESPN or whatever. It just makes me laugh and giggle because some rules that wrestling has in place, things like that, it's no surprise why wrestling isn't mainstream."

Starocci, voted outstanding wrestler of the tournament, always has been refreshingly open when discussing his sport, his approach to it and his place in it. Plus, he's entertaining. Starocci's walk-out music for the NCAA final, as it has been, was the theme from the movie "Halloween."

Starocci punctuated his career by achieving a feat no other Division I wrestler has before, largely because they haven't had the opportunity. Starocci won his first NCAA title in 2021, a tournament that did not count toward wrestlers' eligibility because of COVID. He returned this season with an opportunity to win a fifth title, one not afforded to previous Division I wrestlers.

As a result, Starocci thought his final should have been the finale. Last year in Kansas City, Starocci and teammate Aaron Brooks concluded the NCAA Championships by winning their fourth NCAA titles back-to-back. Starocci and Brooks became just the sixth and seventh wrestlers in NCAA history to win four NCAA titles.

Instead, the NCAA and ESPN chose to begin the championship finals with their marquee bout and close it at heavyweight, where 2021 Olympic champion Gable Steveson sought to become a three-time NCAA champ. Which Starocci didn't understand.

"That's for you guys to figure it out," Starocci told reporters in his post-match interview. "You're the ones that can have influence on that. I think you have to look yourselves in the mirror and ask yourselves questions."

Penn State’s Carter Starocci asked why his 184-pound final was chosen to open the finals of the NCAA Wrestling Championships. pic.twitter.com/UOCaZe2aCn

— Mark Wogenrich (@MarkWogenrich) March 22, 2025

After winning his fifth title, Starocci put it in context by praising Penn State coach Cael Sanderson and the program. Penn State had clinched its fourth straight team title in Saturday morning's consolation round, well before the finals even started. Under Sanderson, Penn State has won 12 of the past 14 NCAA wrestling team titles. And Starocci's win helped the Nittany Lions break the tournament scoring record of 172.5 points they set last season.

"I think that's one of the blessings of going to Penn State University," Starocci said. "You have really high-level guys. One of my old teammates [Brooks] wrestled [Keckeisen] a few times, and he beat him for a national title [in 2023]. We have almost every single look in the room possible. Obviously we have the greatest wrestler of all time in coach Cael Sanderson, and all of our coaches too. Having that alone, I think that piece alone already separates you. And add in everything else, and you've got to go out there and have the will to win."

"It means a lot to me, but as for me, I never want to down play the moment," Starocci added. "It's always cool, but one thing that coach Cael really instills in us is, this is all just preparation for the next thing. In God's eyes, I don't think he looks at anyone different if you're national champ or not. I feel he kind of goes off your character and who you are as a person. All this is just preparation for that.
I mean, it's important because obviously I'm here doing it and I love to do it. But I think it ends at that. I don't think it's anything more or anything less."