It’s been nearly three years since Carter Starocci last lost a collegiate wrestling match, but Penn State’s star can’t help but feel like he’s lost some time this season.

Thanks to a lingering illness that bogged him down earlier this winter, the chiseled, energetic 174-pounder has been forced to watch more than he’s used to.

When Starocci begins his pursuit for a fourth straight NCAA championship in just a few weeks, he’ll enter the tournament having wrestled his fewest amount of matches in a season. Starocci is 11-0 and the Nittany Lions have one dual — against Edinboro on Feb. 25 — remaining.

“You probably wouldn’t want to be next to me when I’m not wrestling. I’m not very happy,” Starocci said. “But it’s just one of those things, I’ve realized that I’ve matured and understand that your best wrestling is in March and have been focused on that. But it’s not a good feeling not being out there wrestling, especially seeing your guys suit up and you’re kind of just laying low.”

Starocci missed duals against Michigan, Michigan State and Rutgers and was limited in how much he could train during those spans.

In his first two years in the program, Starocci wrestled 16 matches each year. He wrestled 22 and 24 matches in each of his next two seasons, respectively. 

If he could’ve, Starocci would’ve liked to take on the same workload in what could he his final year in Happy Valley. But Penn State coach Cael Sanderson said a number of wrestlers had been dogged by colds all winter and Starocci specifically “had been sick for a month.” He’s been able to get into some of the team’s bigger matches despite not feeling his best. 

Starocci contributed to convincing wins against Ohio State and at Iowa before returning against a gritty Nebraska team this past weekend. The three-time NCAA champion had little trouble with Nebraska’s Bubba Wilson, turning in a 20-4 technical fall in 5:58.

Sanderson has routinely called Starocci “special” in relation to how he stays in shape and maintains his conditioning. His offense against Wilson backed that up.

“I think it’s frustrating for him just because he just wants to wrestle really well every time,” Sanderson said. “I don’t know if he’s missed any matches before this year, so that’s not something that he’s really excited about. You want to have him in your lineup.”

Always feisty, Starocci has been a bit more subdued this season. He hasn’t been available for interviews as much as in past seasons. 

But on Sunday after Penn State’s 22-13 win over the Cornhuskers, Starocci was among those who spoke to reporters afterward. After saying he struggled with watching when he’s supposed to be wrestling, Starocci grinned and offered some of his trademark machismo with a sly grin. Maybe he couldn’t technically wrestle while sick, but he wanted his teammates to know he had their backs.

“If things escalate outside of the mat, I’ll be right there,” Starocci said.

Get Going Sooner

February has been an up-and-down month for Bernie Truax.

Penn State’s 184-pounder is 2-2 but knows with just a little bit more effort, could be 4-0.

Truax got caught and pinned by Ohio State’s Ryder Rogotzke on Feb. 2 then ripped off a pair of wins against Iowa’s Aiden Riggins and Rutgers’ Shane Cartagena-Walsh, outscoring both by a combined score of 15-0. 

He dropped an 8-6 decision to Nebraska’s Lenny Pinto on Sunday. Pinto is a two-time NCAA qualifier and has gotten hot down the stretch. But even though Pinto entered on a five-match winning streak, Truax clearly had the upper hand midway and through the latter portion of their match on Sunday. 

The start, however, wasn’t what Truax wanted. Pinto was able to force his pace early and finished the first two takedowns, both in the first period. Truax threw a few nice shots and landed one before cutting Pinto loose with 35 seconds left. Truax was in on Pinto’s legs again as time expired, but wasn’t able to score. 

“Bernie’s just got to stay on the legs and finish and just maybe kind of get that pace going a little earlier,” Sanderson said. “Gives him a bit more time, maybe he finishes, maybe he doesn’t, but it was good experience for him. I think Bernie’s fine. He knows his best wrestling is going to be at the national tournament.”

Hanging Tough

Freshmen Braeden Davis and Tyler Kasak had two of their toughest matches yet as they faced Nebraska’s Caleb Smith and Ridge Lovett at 125 and 149, respectively.

Smith, who’s 18-5 on the season, majored Davis 11-3 while Lovett, a former NCAA runner-up and three-time qualifier, clipped Kasak 7-3. 

Sanderson, who rarely gives anything away with his body language or overall temperament in his wrestler’s corner, said he has full confidence in both Nittany Lion youngsters and was even encouraged by their efforts against two much more experienced wrestlers.

Smith has wrestled 115 college matches and has been with two different programs while Lovett is a veteran of 84 folkstyle scuffles.

Lovett entered as the top-ranked 149-pounder in the country and immediately ran into trouble against Kasak. The freshman doubled Lovett for the opening takedown before a Lovett reversal got the riding time clock going in the Cornhusker’s favor. Tied 3-3 to start the third, Kasak chose neutral and shot twice before Lovett scrambled for the winning takedown just before the final buzzer.

Penn State coaches thought it was close enough to challenge the takedown, but lost under review. 

“It was a tight score in the third period, so (Kasak’s) close,” Sanderson said. “It’s easier to keep something close than win a match, but I think he’s right there and he’s a freshman, he’s going to get better each match, he just needs more experience. Great test for him.”

Sanderson said the massive experience difference was the key in the 125-pound match where Smith forced Davis on the defensive immediately. While the freshman was able to fend the graduate student off, he couldn’t withstand a third-period attack where Smith took him down and exposed him for four back points. 

“He just needs the experience,” Sanderson said. “Everybody’s kind of changing up a little bit the way they wrestle, so he’s just got to make notes of those adjustments as well.”

Nagao Nearing Return

Aaron Nagao has been off the mat dealing with an illness but could return this weekend when Penn State hosts Edinboro at Rec Hall. 

Sanderson said the plan is to get Nagao back on the mat later this week as the team prepares to host the Fighting Scots in their final dual meet. Nagao has alternated wins and losses and is 2-3 at 133 since Penn State faced Michigan on Jan. 19.

Ahead Of Schedule

Shayne Van Ness sported a leg brace that appeared to allow an almost full range of motion as he headed into the wrestling room for practice on Tuesday.

It’s been rare to see Van Ness without a smile in the room when it is open to reporters. Maybe that’s odd for a wrestler considered a rising star who had this season — what was supposed to be his coming-out year — cut short by a knee injury. Not to the guys who really know him, Sanderson would say.

There’s more to that, though, and there may be a silver lining to the decision to shut Van Ness down in order to have surgery to repair something that had been ailing him for quite a while.

“He’s doing really well,” Sanderson said. “He’s ahead of where he probably should be. You hate losing a guy like Shane. Obviously, the energy and just you were seeing where he was trending and how well he was competing, but its going to be nice for him to feel good too, because he always kind of had that bum knee that was an issue for him off and on. Looking forward to getting him healthy and back in here every day.”