Carter Starocci, whose name has become synonymous with Penn State wrestling over recent years, decided to return to Happy Valley once more this past offseason.

He is looking to achieve a feat no college wrestler has ever done before and to put himself in a separate category that no college wrestler after him will likely ever reach: win five national championships.

Starocci has found himself in a peculiar spot in the world of college wrestling, representing the tail-end of a generation of NCAA athletes who received an additional year of college eligibility due to repercussions felt from the COVID-19 pandemic.

College wrestling is no stranger to athletes spending well over four years in the sport. Between traditional, medical, and Olympic redshirt opportunities, it isn’t uncommon for a wrestler to identify outside the qualifications of an undergraduate student, as is the case for Starocci. The four-time national champion is entering his sixth year as Nittany Lion and his fifth year of true collegiate competition.

Throughout his career, Starocci has an impressive 78-4 overall with a pair of four-peats in All-Americans and national championships, putting him head and shoulders above all other active collegiate wrestlers.

After Starocci became just the sixth wrestler in the history of the sport to win four individual titles, as well as his teammate Aaron Brooks becoming the seventh just minutes after, this season very well could be the sport’s only chance to see a wrestler achieve the impossible feat of title No. 5.

However, with just one more season separating him and a rewritten history, Starocci’s hardcore mentality remained unwavering amid the possible once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

“I always have a lot going through my mind (on the mat), but for me, I couldn’t really care less about the NCAA titles. Four titles, five titles, it doesn’t matter. For me, it has never been about that,” Starocci said in the first media session of the year earlier this week. “For me, I just truly love going out there and just smashing somebody. That’s part of the reason I chose to do the all-star match. I didn’t have to do the all-star match, but I just love wrestling and honestly, that’s why I chose to come back… I just love the fight.”

“It’s also partly due to how I was brought up, how I was raised, so I see it as just another opportunity to compete and to fight… I just love that, and I can do that all day,” Starocci said.

Starocci is slated to take on Northern Iowa’s Parker Keckeisen in this year’s 2024 NWCA All-Star Classic, an annual event compiling a slate of matches of the best male and female college wrestlers from around the country. The classic, also including four other Penn State wrestlers, will take place on Saturday, November 16, one day before Penn State’s season opener.

Most notably, Starocci has bumped up to the 184-pound weight class this season after winning all four of his national titles at 174 pounds, opening up the door to a slew of new wrestlers, such as Keckeisen, trying to knock off the four-timer. The Panther is a national champion and four-time All-American in his own right, posting an undefeated 31-0 record in the 184-pound weight class last year.

“I just feel like [184 pounds] was my natural weight. I talked to my coaches and they wanted me to go at 184 last year, but I can be stubborn at times and things like that. So for me, if they come in to do something, I want to do the opposite,” Starocci said. “But, I just don’t want to be up until 3 a.m. anymore every night trying to cut weight. This year, it just made sense for our lineup, we have a lot of good guys in other places and things like that.”

As one of the last remaining pillars of a standout 2019 squad comprised of Mark Hall, Vincenzo Joseph, and Roman Bravo-Young, Starocci has seen his fair share of changes throughout his time at the program. Although, the graduate senior has the utmost confidence in every aspect of this year’s squad.

“I think especially with our new athletic director, Pat Kraft, he just keeps finding new ways to make things better, and our coaching staff has really been exploiting that. As you can see, last year our team was really dominant, breaking a bunch of records and things like that, but this year even after losing some guys, I think we could be even better,” Starocci said. “This year, we are all seniors, (Starocci, Beau Bartlett, and Greg Kerkvliet), this is our last year, but even after us, I think we will just continue to be better.”

Despite Starocci suffering a late-season leg injury that bounced him from the Big Ten Championships, the No. 1 pound-for-pound wrestler in the country feels better than ever moving into his last season and a shot at history.

“I feel great. I always feel great. Every day I get to wake up and wrestle, every day I get to practice, that’s the kind of stuff I look forward to, and even with the all-star match coming up, I’m going to throw that guy (Kerckeisen) around,” Starocci said. “That guy was pretty dominant all of last year, so I’m excited to go out and show him that I’m the dominant one.”