Of the 10 Penn State wrestling starters, Levi Haines is the only one who doesn’t have the option to return next season.
Once the national championships are over next month, so too will be Haines’ college career.
What a career it’s been.
Three All-America honors, three Big Ten championships, two national final appearances and the 2024 national championship is quite the resume, and Haines will have his chances to add to it next month when postseason tournaments begin.
But Friday’s regular-season finale against Princeton will be Haines’s last chance to compete inside Rec Hall, where he’s never lost a match.
When coach Cael Sanderson reflected on the time he spent recruiting Haines out of Biglerville High School in Arendtsville, Pennsylvania– less than 2.5 hours from State College– Sanderson remembered that Haines just wanted to wrestle at Penn State, regardless of whether he had a scholarship.
“We agreed on maybe half a scholarship at the time, and just promised him we’d do the best we could for him, and he wasn’t worried about that,” Sanderson told reporters Wednesday afternoon. “He just wanted to come here, and we did our best to take good care of him, and obviously, he’s taken very good care of us.”
Yes, indeed.
Haines has the sport of wrestling in his blood, with his father, Ken, being an all-conference performer at Lock Haven.
Growing up, Haines learned from Penn State legend and future Olympic Gold Medalist David Taylor, who ran the M2 Training Center in State College.
“I think M2 was huge for him,” Sanderson said. “Obviously, great training partners and coaching there, and his dad is a tremendous resource for him. Just his approach with him helped him to love to compete, and just kind of was really positive with him and made a big difference for him. Partners set the foundation for kids and the way they approach competition, whether good or bad, for the most part.”
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.As a true freshman, Haines burned his redshirt in dramatic fashion against Iowa in a No. 1 vs. No. 2 dual meet at the Bryce Jordan Center.
Haines took on Iowa’s Patrick Kennedy, who was No. 6 at 157 coming into the bout, and almost got a bonus point win over him, beating Kennedy 10-3 and announcing to the college wrestling world that he had arrived.
Off the mat, Haines loves to hunt, and has a personality that Sanderson feels makes him easy for anybody to get along with.
“He’s everybody’s friend,” Sanderson said. “He’s kind. He has a big heart, which is really cool. Obviously, a tremendous competitor, very consistent, just every day. Very genuine. Just a caring, kind person. He’s a fierce competitor, so just everything you see, what you see with him is what you get, and when you get him in these interviews and stuff, he’s just a good dude.”
He’s a “dude” that Sanderson is hoping will stay with Nittany Lion Wrestling Club after graduation.
“You don’t let a guy like that leave,” Sanderson said. “So we’ll do everything we can to keep him here and keep him for the program training.”
For Sanderson, Haines’s moving on from college wrestling will be tough for the program, but great for Haines, as he’ll dive into whatever life has to offer next.
“You’re excited for him,” Sanderson said. “Every stage in life is designed to be more exciting, I think, and he’s given a great effort every day in here. Every time he steps on the mat, he gives a great effort. So, we love that.”
“Seeing him come up through the system and then come here and kick butt has been a lot of fun.”
