Penn State edges Michigan behind Carter Starocci's overtime heroics
Penn State coach Cael Sanderson said last week that he wants Carter Starocci to wrestle "boldly and fearlessly." The redshirt freshman listened Sunday, delivering the decisive win of Penn State's 18-13 victory over second-ranked Michigan.
Starocci, ranked eighth by InterMat Wrestling at 174 pounds, stunned No. 2 Logan Massa with an aggressive four-point move in the first tiebreaker period. Massa, a three-time NCAA qualifier who placed third at 165 in 2017, could not solve Starocci's savvy defense, which propelled Starocci into his sterling overtime move.
No. 3 Penn State (4-0) fairly controlled the match early against Michigan, winning four of the first five bouts. Though the Lions had not wrestled in nearly two weeks, they looked mostly fit and aggressive in the morning start at Michigan, which defeated Ohio State 18-16 on Friday night.
But Starocci's win proved to be the match's inflection point. And it was something Sanderson foreshadowed recently.
Starocci arrived in Penn State's lineup this season with a fine pedigree. He went 18-0 wrestling unattached as a true freshman last season, winning the 174-pound title at the Southern Scuffle.
But in the Lions' season-opener at Indiana in January, Starocci got caught a few times by the Hoosiers' Donnell Washington, who took a 10-1 lead. Starocci rallied late but ultimately lost a 10-9 decision. Sanderson, though, said it would be a "blessing for him, 100 percent."
"That's a story that would be told at the end," Sanderson said before the visit to Michigan. "Probably not now, because he's the one who's got to make it happen. He's the one who's got to take that experience and learn from it."
Starocci did just that. He prevented Massa, a national freestyle champ, from hitting any of his shots in the second and third periods. In the tiebreaker, Starocci rolled through a strong move to clinch back points and the important victory.
"Carter Starocci, he's really good," Sanderson said prior to the match. "It's up to him to go win matches, but we feel confident that he's competing for a national title this year as a freshman. Of course, that's up to him to do that."
Fellow freshman Robert Howard (125) delivered an important opening victory for the Lions. It not only was Howard's first match for Penn State but also was the team's first dual-meet bout wrestled at 125 this season. Penn State had forfeited the weight class in its first three matches.
Brady Berge (157) turned a third-period takedown into a 3-1 victory over eighth-ranked Will Lewan. Berge (No. 9) made an aggressive shot for the score, improving to 4-0.
Aaron Brooks (No. 3 at 184) continued his high-scoring start with a 10-5 win over Jaden Bullock. Brooks has scored 62 points in his first four matches, all victories.
Nick Lee (No. 2 at 141) easily moved to 4-0 with a 10-4 decision over 25th-ranked Drew Mattin.
Roman Bravo-Young (No. 3 at 133) did not see. No. 2 Stevan Micic, who did not wrestle Friday vs. Ohio State or Sunday. Bravo-Young moved to 4-0 with a 9-2 decision over Dylan Ragusin, who wrestled up from 125.
The victory was Sanderson's 200th as a head coach, including his first three at Iowa State. Sanderson has had four undefeated seasons at Penn State, where his teams have won eight NCAA titles.
Penn State's next match is scheduled for Friday at Ohio State. Big Ten Network will televise.
Penn State 18, Michigan 13
125: Robert Howard (Penn State) dec. Jack Medley 6-5
133: Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State) dec. Dylan Ragusin 9-2
141: Nick Lee (Penn State) dec. Drew Mattin 10-4
149: Kanen Storr (Michigan) dec. Terrell Barraclough 4-3
157: Brady Berge (Penn State) dec. Will Lewan 3-1
165: Cameron Amine (Michigan) dec. Joe Lee 4-1
174: Carter Starocci (Penn State) dec. Logan Massa 7-1
184: Aaron Brooks (Penn State) dec. Jaden Bullock 10-5
197: Myles Amine (Michigan) dec. Michael Beard 8-5
285: Mason Parris (Michigan) dec. Seth Nevills 12-2