Carter Starocci's bid for a fourth NCAA title got more difficult in the final dual of the regular season when he suffered an injury in a technical fall victory over an opponent from Edinboro. The injury forced Penn State's top-ranked 174-pounder to default out of the Big Ten Championships which ended his 64-match winning streak, the longest active winning streak in NCAA wrestling at the time.

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Starocci's Path At The 2024 NCAA Championships

Despite being a three-time NCAA champ, Starocci enters as the #9 seed due to two injury default losses at Big Tens. He hasn't competed since suffering an injury in the final match of the regular season, so his health status will be the biggest question at NCAAs.

Starocci starts with #24 seed Andrew Sparks of Minnesota, the wrestler he would have seen for the first time in his opening bout at Big Tens had he not injury defaulted. If he wins there he could see Cal Poly Pac-12 champ Adam Kemp in the second round followed by 2019 NCAA champ Mekhi Lewis in the quarters. Starocci defeated Lewis in the 2022 NCAA finals and two other times at the NWCA All-Star Classic this season and last.

If Starocci makes the semis, his opponents could include 2021 NCAA champ Shane Griffith, Harvard's #5 seed Philip Conigliaro, and Iowa's Patrick Kennedy. Griffith would be the most likely opponent to come out of that group if he was 100% healthy, but after suffering a recent injury, it's unclear if he'll be able to compete at his best.

Potential NCAA finals opponents for Starocci could include #2 seed Cade DeVos, #3 seed Edmond Ruth, and #6 seed Rocco Welsh among others. #22 seed Peyton Mocco is the only returning All-American on the bottom side of the bracket. The only one of those opponents Starocci has faced is Welsh who he beat 4-2 in February.

Carter Starocci vs Mekhi Lewis at 2023 NWCA All-Star Classic

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