Penn State Wrestling fans are officially going wild after Carter Starocci threw some serious shade at the official Penn State Wrestling post. It was following Tyler Kasak’s injury default on February 10. The No. 1-ranked 157-pounder Tyler Kasak, who was undefeated before this match, had to take an injury default during the Nittany Lions’ dominant 35-10 win over Maryland. The injury happened when Kasak took a tough hit above his right eye, which had already been injured during the February 2 match against Iowa. But this? This is where the drama started.

In response to the official post of Penn Wrestling on X that said, “Tyler Kasak unable to continue, loses by injury default Miller the inj. def. win at 4:21 Penn State 14, Maryland 10” to Maryland’s Ethen Miller, Carter Starocci came through hot on X (formerly Twitter), blasting the wording: “Not a loss. The wording is horrendous.” That post has racked up a crazy 135k views and ignited a fiery debate about whether Kasak’s injury should be counted as an actual loss. So, naturally, fans were ready to throw down in the comments.

So, what went down in the match? Well, Tyler Kasak, who was sitting at a solid 13-0 going into the match, took a brutal shot to the head against Miller. This happened just a few days after Kasak got cut above his right eye in his match with Iowa. Kasak was then placed in concussion protocol and was forced to withdraw, resulting in an injury default. But should that be a “loss”? We’re about to dive into this.

Carter Starocci wasn’t having any of it. He straight-up called out the phrasing of the official statement, saying that it was “horrendous.” He’s got Tyler Kasak’s back, and that post caused an absolute storm of reactions from fans who weighed in on the controversy.

Fans dropped mixed opinions on the stance

One fan went in like, “Literally a loss. Counts the same way as your two one-second losses at Big Ten’s last year.”
Let’s break this one down. This fan is straight-up calling it a loss, no excuses. And they’re bringing up a major point here. In the 2024 Big Ten Championship, Carter Starocci had two one-second injury defaults. Those were quick injuries, and in the official record, they count as losses. So, based on the rules, Tyler Kasak’s injury default counts the same way—as a loss in the official standings. It doesn’t matter that it wasn’t a “regular” loss; it’s still a withdrawal due to injury, which means it’s treated the same way in the record books. The facts here? Starocci’s injuries were just as serious—one of them was a knee injury against Iowa that forced him to pull out, so this is just how the system works.

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This rule and wording has been around for a long time and Carter know it, he’s awful sensitive for a...more

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Debate

“No way! It’s should be a ‘forced to withdraw due to injury’! And no way should you be awarded six points. The kid got kicked in the head,” says another fan. Kasak’s injury was brutal. Remember, this injury was a reopened wound from his Iowa match just days before. On February 2, Kasak had a cut over his right eye after a tough scrap with Iowa’s Jacori Teemer. Fast forward to February 10, and that injury flared up again during the Maryland dual. So, while the hit to the head was tough, Kasak had already been battling that injury. He wasn’t just knocked out by a random kick; this was an injury that had been ongoing and eventually forced him to pull out. While the six points went to Miller due to the injury default, it was due to protocol. The rules are clear—if a wrestler can’t continue, the opponent gets the points.

This fan’s making a good point about the forward-thinking movement around concussions. “I agree….And everyone is so quick to jump on Penn State when they can, it’s sickening….I think concussions should not count as a loss. It’s forward thinking to not proceed.” As we know, concussions are no joke, and wrestlers like Tyler Kasak are expected to make it to the Big Ten Championships and the NCAA Tournament. But the issue is that, in the eyes of the rules, concussions still count as an injury that leads to a default—and that default counts as a loss in the standings. Would this be different in the future? Possibly. But for now, those injury defaults are treated the same way, no matter how the injury happens. So even though it was a safety-first decision, it still counts as a loss.

This fan isn’t pulling any punches, he said, “Penn State or not it 100% is a loss. Same way Nola’s knee injury or Carter’s 1-second inj defaults at Big10s count. That said I agree it was a great move by PSU to not proceed.” They’re saying it straight: injury defaults count as losses, period. And they’re referencing some real facts here. Remember Nola’s knee injury or Carter Starocci’s Big Ten one-second injury that injured his right knee during a match against Edinboro on February 25, 2024? Yeah, those are losses by the official rulebook, and it’s the same for Tyler Kasak. The thing to note here is that no one is denying the wisdom of pulling Kasak from the match. It was the right decision. But the fan’s right—the rules are clear, and an injury default is still a loss on paper.

“It’s not the same as a regular loss. Let’s see where his seed is later this week.” Now we’re talking seeding. This fan is pointing out a crucial fact: injury defaults don’t hit as hard as regular losses when it comes to tournament seeding. For example, while Kasak’s record might show an injury default, his overall performance—and how he performs going forward—will play a huge role in how he’s seeded for the Big Ten Championships and the NCAA Tournament. As of now, Kasak is 13-1, and if he comes back strong, that injury default won’t weigh him down. The fact is, Kasak’s future results will determine how it affects his ranking—and in the big picture, that’s what matters most.

“It’s called a loss by injury default. No need to be so soft about the wording.” No sugarcoating here—the fan’s right. An injury default is technically a loss in the official records. Even though it wasn’t a “regular” loss, the rules don’t care about intent. Starocci’s point about the wording is valid in terms of defending his teammate, but at the end of the day, the injury default gets recorded as a loss, and Miller gets the six points. It’s a tough situation, but that’s how the system operates.

So there it is, folks: an injury default is still a loss, even if it’s from a freak injury. Everyone’s got opinions, but at the end of the day, Tyler Kasak’s health is the top priority. Whether fans like it or not, the rules remain the same—and the Nittany Lions are focused on what’s next: getting Kasak back to 100% for the Big Ten Championships. What’s your take on this? Let us know in the comments below!