Carter Starocci on Jordan Burroughs and David Taylor's victories to make 2024 World Championships team. PHOTO: All from Getty Images

Carter Starocci reacts as veterans Jordan Burroughs and David Taylor dominate Team Trials to qualify for 2024 World Championships

Modified Sep 16, 2024 15:35 GMT

Carter Starocci recently reacted to veteran wrestlers Jordan Burroughs and David Taylor’s dominating run at the 2024 USA Wrestling World Team Trials. The trials determine the team for the World Wrestling Championships scheduled from October 28 to 31 this year in Tirana, Albania.

Burroughs and Taylor competed in the USA Wrestling World Team Trials in the men’s freestyle 79kg and 92kg respectively. Burroughs, a six-time World Champion, advanced to the Best-of-Three Championship series after defeating Alex Dieringer in the challenge tournament semifinals. He then eased past Chance Marsteller in the Best-of-Three by 2-0 (3-0, 6-3) to qualify for the USA’s World Championships team.

Meanwhile, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics gold medalist David Taylor thrilled his fans at the USA Team Trials by not only returning to the wrestling mat after announcing his retirement following his failure to qualify for the Paris Olympics but also securing a spot in the USA’s team for the upcoming World Championships.

Taylor won the Best-of-Three Championship by getting past Zahid Valencia, the 2023 World Championships bronze medalist, by winning both the first and second games. Since Taylor scored a second-period takedown, he secured the victory in a 3-3 tie after scoring the final point in the match. In the second game, the three-time world champion defeated Valencia by fall to book his place in the world team.

After Jordan Burroughs and David Taylor secured their places, Starocci reacted to the veteran wrestlers displaying a high level of wrestling. The Penn State wrestler wrote on X (formerly Twitter):

“Good to see Burroughs and Taylor still in top form 💪🏽”

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Carter Starocci’s performance at the USA World Team Trials

Carter Starocci during the Division I Men's Wrestling Championship 2024 in Kansas City (Photo by Evert Nelson/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

Although Carter Starocci did not compete in this year's USA World Team Trials, his best performances at the tournament came in 2022 and 2021. Despite not making the World Championships team, the four-time NCAA champion finished third twice in both editions of the tournament in the men’s freestyle 79kg weight class.

Starocci recently announced his biggest goal for the 2025 season, i.e., to win a fifth NCAA title in the 2025 season as he returns to represent Pennsylvania State University in his final year. If the former U23 World Championships bronze medalist manages to become the NCAA champion for the fifth time, he will become the most successful wrestler in American collegiate history.