Penn State's Carter Starocci is unquestionably one of the best college wrestlers of all time. With four NCAA titles and two Big Ten titles to his name at 174 pounds, he's already solidified himself in the history books with the chance to win an unprecedented fifth Division I NCAA title this year, now up at 184 pounds.
But Starocci's main focus this year is less on his last title and more on how he can improve.
"I really find peace in training and getting better," Starocci said. "My dad used to always tell me, 'every day, you have the option: either get better or get worse. If you stay the same, everyone else around you is getting better, and that means you're getting worse'...so every single second of the day I really try to utilize 'is this going to help me, or is it not?"
Starocci is one of seven returning champions from 2024 looking to add to his resume this season, and he's the only champ from last year with more than one title.
Ohio State's Jesse Mendez, Virginia Tech's Caleb Henson and Penn State's Levi Haines all earned All-American honors as true freshman, finishing sixth, fifth and second respectively at 141, 149 and 157 pounds before winning their first titles as true sophomores last season.
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UNI's Parker Keckeisen won his first title in 2024 at 184 pounds after finishing third twice and second in 2023, while Penn State's Greg Kerkvliet won his lone title thus far as a junior following seventh, fourth and second place performances at heavyweight. Arizona State's Richard Figueroa had the most unique path to a title last year, after missing out on the starting spot his freshman year to NCAA finalist Brandon Courtney, then starting his sophomore season at nearly .500 before rallying for a championship in his redshirt sophomore season at 125 pounds
This accomplished list of returning champs from 2024 joins other returning champs including Missouri's two-time title winner Keegan O'Toole (2022 & 2023), Northern Colorado's Andrew Alirez (2023), and Cal State Bakersfield's AJ Ferrari (2021).
Though these athletes all come from different backgrounds and have taken different paths, Mendez, Henson and Starocci, in particular, shared in interviews with krikya18.com one common goal: They want to repeat their achievements this year and more. They want to dominate.
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They know the spotlight that will follow them with their ‘returning NCAA champ’ title, but they’re ready.
Their quest for titles in Philly begins now.
Chasing perfection
Tech. Fall. Major Decision. Fall. Tech.
That was Mendez’s record in his first five matches from the Clarion Open. No hesitation, no slump, no rust — just domination.
These are the kind of results Mendez expects to produce all season at 141 pounds.
𝐁𝐀𝐃𝐃𝐄𝐒𝐓 𝐌𝐀𝐍 𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐕𝐄🏆
— Ohio State Wrestling (@wrestlingbucks)
He has his eyes set on the Hodge Trophy, wrestling’s version of the Heisman Trophy, this season, and while he’s off to a hot start, his weight class is loaded with talent, including 2023 NCAA champion Andrew Alirez, who holds the No. 1 spot in the weight, and Penn State’s Beau Bartlett, who is currently ranked No. 3.
Bartlett and Mendez split their matches last year before the NCAA tournament, with Bartlett winning the dual and Mendez winning Big Tens before the Buckeye ultimately took the national title on a last-second takedown, a takedown that Mendez said came from his commitment to “wrestling through the whistle.”
Mendez also beat Alirez this offseason in freestyle, but because of Mendez’s loss to Bartlett and his loss to Pittsburgh’s Cole Matthews last season, plus the fact that Alirez went undefeated when he won his title, the Northern Colorado star is ranked higher.
That doesn't sit well with Mendez.
“I felt a little disrespected being ranked No. 2,” he said.
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He likely won’t get a chance to showcase this talent against Alirez directly again and reclaim his No. 1 folkstyle ranking before NCAAs, but he will see Bartlett on Nov. 16 at the NWCA All-Star Classic. Penn State's four-time champ Starocci will also compete in the NWCA All-Star Classic, his first bout of the season, where he'll battle reigning 184-pound champion Keckeisen.
Starocci is not expected to face another top-ten opponent beyond the All-Star Classic until the Big Ten schedule starts in January, but Mendez could see a challenge at Cliff Keen Invitational in No. 4 Brock Hardy of Nebraska. Though Hardy has not been within three points of Mendez in either of their last two matches, the Husker is tough and scrappy.
Virginia Tech's champ, Caleb Henson, similarly, could face a threat from a Nebraska foe at Cliff Keen, where he'll potentially run into Ridge Lovett, an athlete who beat Henson at this tournament last year before dropping 1-0 to the Hokie in the NCAA semifinals.
Henson also has his eyes on a Hodge Trophy, but, to do that, he’ll not only have to run the table at Cliff Keen, he’ll also need to win the ACC tournament and put together a similarly smart, tough national tournament.
Henson knows exactly what it will take to accomplish his goals.
“Everything I did last year, plus some,” he said. “Continuing in that belief and building that confidence higher and higher, loving to compete, focusing on my effort, the things I can control, and let the results carry out themselves.”
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The coaches of Arizona State's reigning champ, Richard Figueroa, also expect him to be more dominant too. That’s just what happens when you win. The expectations increase.
All of these returning athletes want the Hodge. Only the most dominant will win it.
Setting a championship standard
No Hokie has ever won the Hodge Trophy. The last Buckeye to win it was Logan Stieber in 2015. And the last Sun Devil to win it was Eric Larkin in 2003.
Penn State has had a wrestler win six of the last 12 Hodge Trophies, including Starocci's teammate and fellow four-time NCAA champion Aaron Brooks last season.
The potential for any Starocci, Mendez, Henson or Figueroa to add to their school’s history and become Hodge Trophy winners, though, became more difficult on Tuesday when two-time NCAA champion and two-time Hodge winner Gable Steveson his return to college wrestling. He’ll look to dominate the heavyweight division, while Starocci will aim for his first Hodge at 184 pounds and returning 184-pound champ Keckeisen will try and stop him.
Starocci has confidence in himself though, confidence that he says is planted and maintained through his daily interactions with Penn State head coach Cael Sanderson, a three-time Hodge Trophy winner himself.
"It comes from a guy like Coach Cael where he's achieved everything, and not only is he saying it, he truly lives and that really inspires me most," Starocci said. "Every time I talk to him I pick up a new way of thinking and being. He challenges me to be a better person all the way around. He’s a 10/10 guy. If I were God, and you create a guy like Coach Cael, you’re looking back and seeing that he’s taken advantage of all of his gifts.”
Starocci has plenty of gifts of his own that he is consistently refining under Sanderson's mentorship.
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Regardless what happens in March though, Starocci, Mendez, Henson and Figueroa’s efforts to not only win but dominate have already left a lasting impression on their teams, raising the standard and increasing effort.
Mendez said that being that guy, the one people look up to, also comes with responsibility. He knows he’s a leader now, and guys follow him.
“There’s a national champ in the room, and if they see me slacking, they’ll think that’s okay,” Mendez said.
Therefore, there's no slacking from Mendez.
Coaches notice this trend too.
“Anytime you have a national champion, It lets everybody know, ‘hey the guy next to me, to the left of me, to the right of me is a national champion.’ He can win, and I can,” Arizona State head wrestling coach Zeke Jones said about his returning champ Figueroa in particular. “It lifts up all boats as they say. And I know the guys we got on our team are competitors. It's not that they don't want him to win. They want to do it too. ‘Man, if he can do it I can do it. I want to do it too.’”
Henson acknowledged this reality in the Virginia Tech room also, though he said he doesn’t feel like the only leader on his team because while he’s the only athlete on the current team with an NCAA title, he respects that “there's a bunch of guys in the room who've done things I want to accomplish, like World medals and winning certain tournaments.”
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐢𝐭𝐦𝐚𝐧: 𝐀𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝟏𝟒𝟗 👑
— Virginia Tech Wrestling (@HokiesWrestling)
𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨��: 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢��𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐨𝐧 ☑️ 🦃
Henson was also quick to credit his teammates for inspiring him and guiding him towards his success, and Mendez echoed those thoughts. He emphasized that he's the leader he is because of Buckeye All-Americans Sammy Sasso and Dylan D’Emilio, the latter of whom “doesn’t get enough credit.”
All three of these teams — Ohio State, Virginia Tech and Arizona State — could be in the race for a team trophy, led by their star returning champs, while Penn State is expected to pace the team race.
This will be a season all about chasing all those honors with newfound confidence, experience and belief though, now that Henson, Mendez and Figueroa really know what it takes to be the best, and Starocci readies for his final run.
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