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Penn State Wrestling: Nittany Lions Dominate Day 1 of US Open

By Mike Scott

ST. LOUIS, MO - MARCH 18: Head coach Cael Sanderson of the Penn State Nittany Lions reacts during the championship finals of the NCAA Wrestling Championships on March 18, 2017 at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Hunter Martin/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
ST. LOUIS, MO - MARCH 18: Head coach Cael Sanderson of the Penn State Nittany Lions reacts during the championship finals of the NCAA Wrestling Championships on March 18, 2017 at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Hunter Martin/NCAA Photos via Getty Images) /
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Mar 18, 2023; Tulsa, OK, USA; Penn State wrestler Carter Starocci runs out towards the mat before the 174 pound weight class finals match against Nebraska wrestler Mikey Labriola (not pictured) during the NCAA Wrestling Championships at the BOK Center. Mandatory Credit: Brett Rojo-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 18, 2023; Tulsa, OK, USA; Penn State wrestler Carter Starocci runs out towards the mat before the 174 pound weight class finals match against Nebraska wrestler Mikey Labriola (not pictured) during the NCAA Wrestling Championships at the BOK Center. Mandatory Credit: Brett Rojo-USA TODAY Sports /

The next weight class is 79KG, where we are represented by current Penn State Wrestling great Carter Starocci.

Starocci was slotted in as the #2 seed. As I mentioned in the preview article, 79KG was seen as the deepest weight class at the tournament so the run to the finals would be a challenging one.

But Starocci had different ideas. The current Penn State Wrestling national champion won his first three matches without giving up a single point to his opponents. This included a victory over the very tough Michael Kemerer in the quarters. Starocci won that bout 9-0 which was a little surprising because Kemerer is an accomplished wrestler and not your typical 7-seed.

Carter Starocci was onto the semifinals where he faced #3 Alex Dieringer. Dieringer is a very accomplished freestyle wrestler and won a silver medal on the 2021 US Team Trials. Dieringer would start the match with a takedown on Starocci which unfortunately led to an apparent injury for Starocci.

Starocci wrestled in this tournament with a big wrap around his knee. When he got taken down, his knee hit the mat and the Penn State wrestler quickly started writhing in pain, grabbing his knee. After a couple of minutes of injury stoppage time, Starocci surprisingly continued the match. I was shocked because Starocci seemed to be in a lot of pain. Unfortunately, Starocci could not overcome the early deficit and whatever injury he was wrestling through, and he fell to Dieringer 7-1.

Starocci will continue in the consolation bracket and can go for third place. He is currently in the consolation semifinals where he will face the winner of Marinelli and Skatzka.

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