The Penn State Nittany Lions continue their indomitable run in the 2024/25 NCAA wrestling season. On Sunday, Cael Sanderson‘s team trounced visiting Maryland 35-10 at Rec Hall to take its unbeaten record to 12-0. However, #1 Tyler Kasak‘s performance of the night wasn’t on par with his reputation, and fans were left with concerns after what went down on the mat in the 157lb bracket.

The NLWC recorded its 40th consecutive Big 10 victory tonight after defeating the Terrapins. However, Kasak incurred an injury in the middle of his bout against Ethen Miller, which resulted in Miller winning by an injury default at 4:21. This has been the latest in the series of injuries that have plagued Tyler in recent weeks, and naturally, flags are being raised.

A post by Saturday Night Lights on X from February shared how, thanks to his injury, Kasak had to forfeit the match to the Maryland wrestler. “No. 1 Tyler Kasak (Penn State) injury defaults to No. 6 Ethan Miller (Maryland) after taking a hit to the face,” reads the caption of the post, with prayers for the Penn State athlete’s wellbeing.

On Friday, when the NLWC locked horns with Michigan at the Bryce Jordan Center, Tyler also took injury time to beat Zack Mattin (7-2). For obvious reasons, Kasak taking blows in back-to-back bouts has concerned fans. “Hope he’s alright…i hope the coaches and training staff do a full evaluation,” wrote one such alarmed fan, who wished the Penn State star “godspeed recovery“.

But Tyler’s trysts with injuries haven’t been something that started to happen overnight. On January 31, when Penn State welcomed Big 10 arch-rivals, the Iowa Hawkeyes to the BYC, Tyler Kasak was the central figure in one of arguably the most iconic wrestling scenes in the NCAA. Holding Iowa’s Jacori Teemer in the air and lifting his left fist with a bloodied face to assert his dominance, the NLWC’s 157-pounder showed why he’s considered so highly by the wrestling community. That being said, the gash on his face wasn’t a pretty sight. But now, it looks like it was a foreshadowing of the greater threat to his health in the subsequent days. Without much pondering over, it’s easy to understand that the fans are worried.

Tyler Kasak’s latest woe has the fans bothered

FloWrestling’s Christian Pyles also took to social media to note his distressed state of mind after looking at how Kasak had to concede ground to the Terrapins athlete. “A little concerned seeing Kasak getting bonked pretty good in back to back matches,” wrote the wrestling expert, hinting that a little time off the mat could do good for Tyler’s form. “Hope Kasak is okay, went down & that’s never a good sight to see,” another fan sounded perturbed by the scenes tonight. The latest defeat has ended the Penn State sophomore’s perfect run this season, and he’s currently sitting on a 13-1 overall record. Albeit impressive, experts would contend that injuries won’t help his wrestling journey, and Pyles’ comment bolsters the sentiment.

The 2025 NCAA D1 Wrestling Championships will kick off next month, and the 2023 All-American Tyler will undoubtedly be one of the NLWC’s biggest hopes to uphold the program’s supremacy this time as well. At last year’s tournament, Kasak won seven straight matches after losing the opening round to be placed third in the 149lb bracket, and this year, with a bump in his weight class, fans can’t wait to see what he has in store for the NCAAs. Citing that, one fan commented, “Keep this kid healthy for Nationals,”

Last year, Penn State won the national team title. This year, the team would look to make it four in a row. Taking into account how the NLWC has transformed under the coaching of Cael Sanderson, many think that making Tyler compete today wasn’t a reflection of his otherwise calm and strategic mind. “Should not have come out today, not healed yet from Iowa match. Unusually questionable decision by Cael,” sounded a fan in amazement. What do you think is going on inside the veteran coach’s mind? What do you think he has planned for Tyler Kasak for the next match against Ohio State on Friday? Tell us in a comment!