Penn State wrestling legend Carter Starocci rarely loses, so when he does, itโs big news.
Itโs bigger news when he loses amid controversy, which is what happened Saturday afternoon.
Starocci, facing another legend in Kyle Dake, was tied at three with Dake in the final seconds.
Because Dake led on criteriaโ which means he had the move that scored the highest amount of pointsโ Starocci needed to score to win. He got what many felt was a takedown, but instead, the referee ruled that it wasnโt.
โWhatโs the call?โ Christian Pyles, doing play-by-play- for FloWrestling, asked. โWhatโs the call? Time is up. They donโt do anything. Theyโre saying no takedown.
As a result, Kyle Dake is doing to Final X next month, taking on Zahid Valencia at 86 KG with a spot on the World Team on the line.
The silver lining for Penn State wrestling fans is that Dakeโ a four-time national champ at Cornell and four-time world champ in freestyleโ is one of their own. Although Dake didnโt wrestle at Penn State, he trains with Nittany Lion Wrestling Club.
Starocci, known for being outspoken, didnโt express any bitterness on social media after the bout.
โMan itโs super weird having your coaches coach against you ๐คฃ Dake deserved it, good job man and thanks for the help along the way,โ Starocci posted to social media.
