Less than a week out for the Penn State wrestling season opener against Bloomsburg, we got our answer: Levi Haines will not be eligible for a fifth season.
Haines competed all four of his years at Penn State, winning two national titles, making three national title matches, winning four Big Ten titles and becoming a four-time All-American.
His legacy at PSU is now final after the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals sided with the NCAA Friday in a case that sought an additional season of eligibility for athletes from the 2022 class who did not use a redshirt.
Haines’ wrestling journey is far from over, considering he just won a world championship at 79 KG, already giving him two world medals.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.For Penn State, it means that, barring something surprising, reigning Dan Hodge Trophy winner Mitchell Mesenbrink will move up from 165 to 174 pounds. FloWrestling has Mesenbrink ranked No. 1 in that weight class. It also likely means that PJ Duke will move up from 157 to 165, where he’s also No. 1 in Flo’s rankings.
Had Haines been granted another year, it would have made things much more interesting. With him back at 174, it likely would have meant that Mesenbrink stayed at 165, meaning 157 would be a battle between Duke and Tyler Kasak. Now, Kasak’s job is safe, and he’s ranked No. 2 at 157.
It also means that William Henckel will have to continue to wait for his moment. Henckel, a U20 World Silver Medalist, is an example of how, something, Penn State has to leave great wrestlers out of the lineup.
Penn State-Bloomsburg is scheduled to begin at 7 on Big Ten+ from Rec Hall.
