Carter Starocci, five-time national champion who recently completed his fifth and final season with the Penn State wrestling team, is part of an ongoing controversy regarding alleged sexual misconduct and property theft. The Daily Collegian, Penn State's student newspaper, reported the experiences of young students and Starocci's former teammates on Thursday as well as rumors revealed on an anonymous social media app, YikYak, circulating for "the past few years."
The anonymous sources came forward to The Collegian to discuss the rumors and Starocci's behavior towards another former Nittany Lion wrestler Beau Bartlett, his wife Sydney, and other Penn State students.
An anonymous student that spoke with The Collegian allegedly had a relationship with Starocci when she was 17 years old and he was 22, a relationship the wrestler initiated. While being aware of her age, he proceeded to invite the student to the Lorenzo Wrestling Center's sauna repeatedly and to his home. Once on campus for her freshman year, he also invited her various times to the wrestling center's gym. During her first semester in Happy Valley, she was invited to his home to watch a movie where she alleges Starocci raped her twice.
According to The Collegian, she claimed she believes to have been groomed to feel comfortable with the wrestler and now reflects on the manipulation she went through. Her experience was not uncommon as she met with other students who had similar interactions with Starocci.
Another instance of alleged misconduct posted on YikYak include Starocci sending 16- and 17-year-old girls explicit photos of himself in 2023. The student who shared the story on YikYak also wrote that he sexually assaulted her when she attempted to leave his home, according to The Collegian.
The anonymous student who alleged Starocci raped her had a conversation with Sydney. She informed the student of other alleged misconducts Starocci had with other young women. The Collegian reported that the student told Sydney she wanted to end her relationship with the wrestler at the conclusion of their conversation.
Beau claimed that out of retaliation, he believes Starocci broke into his locker and stole his property, according to The Collegian. He found over $1,000 of his property was missing. He asked his teammates about the situation, and was met with similar stories of Starocci stealing their property.
Beau also went to his coaches, but they did not help the wrestler discover an answer as to who was breaking into and stealing his property. In response, he informed his coaches that he opened an investigation with the Penn State University Police. The security footage obtained showed Starocci and Tyler Kasak entering the locker room within the time frame after Beau last saw his property, but the police required an admission of guilt from either of the men since Beau's items were not seen in either of their hands in the footage. Without a word from Starocci for six months, The Collegian stated that the case was closed and referred to student conduct.
According to The Collegian, Beau and his teammates recounted instances when Starocci would inappropriately touch other wrestlers in the training room with head coach Cael Sanderson's knowledge. One wrestler noted how Starocci sent photos of nonconsensual explicit photos of teammates into a group chat with the wrestlers — another situation Sanderson was made aware of.
Beau was informed that Starocci would not be signed to the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club after Beau announced he would continue his training with New York City Regional Training Center. A spokesperson from the university also stated that they are unaware of Starocci's training plans following his most recent FInal X preparation.