Erie City Council OKs street naming honoring 5-time NCAA wrestling champ Carter Starocci
Erie's Carter Starocci made NCAA wrestling history in March — and his unprecedented accomplishment is being recognized by city government.
At its regular meeting on May 7, Erie City Council approved a resolution that ceremonially designates the 1000 block of West 30th Street as 'Carter Starocci 5X Way' in honor of Starocci's five national Division 1 wrestling titles.
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Starocci, as a fifth-year senior at Penn State, won his fifth NCAA crown in March, defeating defending 184-pound national champion Parker Keckeisen of Northern Iowa via a 4-3 decision.
Mar 22, 2025; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Carter Starocci of the Penn State Nittany Lions wrestles Parker Keckeisen of the Northern Iowa Panthers during the Division I Men's Wrestling Championship held at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
During his Penn State career, Starocci also won four NCAA championships at 174 pounds. Starocci was a two-time PIAA champion at Prep, from which he graduated in 2019, posting a career high school record of 172-10.
City Councilman Chuck Nelson sponsored the resolution, which was on council's agenda for the second time in roughly a month.
The panel failed to approve it on April 2, with some council members debating whether it was too soon to honor Starocci and/or if he should be celebrated in a different manner, such as a key to the city.
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That vote ended in a 3-3 tie. This time, City Council passed the resolution without discussion.
A dedication ceremony will now be scheduled at a date and time to be announced later.
'I'm very grateful and hoping to have many of us go and celebrate that,' Nelson said.
Contact Kevin Flowers at kflowers@timesnews.com. Follow him on X at @ETNflowers.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: How Erie City Council is honoring NCAA wrestling champ Carter Starocci
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