Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1490816
F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 3 4 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M WRESTLING I t wouldn't be a Penn State wrestling season without a weight class or two being in limbo late into the season. This year it's at 157 pounds, and while Penn State fans did not know as of Jan. 22 if freshman Levi Haines is going to wrestle for the remainder of the year, they do know that he is quite good at it. Haines is a 2021 Pennsylvania state champion from Biglerville and was a runner-up the previous two seasons, winning 100 bouts against five losses in just three years. Already a Penn State commit, Haines opted not to compete for his high school team during his senior season and in- stead devoted his time to training with former Nittany Lion NCAA champion and Olympic gold medalist David Taylor at his M2 Training Center facility a few miles from the Penn State campus. As a grayshirt, Haines also could work out with wrestlers of similar status to Taylor in the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club. New N CA A re g u l a t i o n s p e r m i t freshmen to wrestle on five dates and still preserve their redshirt status. If an athlete wrestles three times in one day, that's classified as one date. Prior to Penn State's matchup against Iowa EARLY RISER Levi Haines' success as a true freshman has brightened PSU's future … and left his coaches with an interesting dilemma J I M CA R L S O N | B L U E W H I T E C O N T R I BU TO R Haines prevailed over Michigan's 10th-ranked Will Lewan 3-1 in sudden victory, helping propel Penn State to a 30-8 dual meet win over the Wolverines on Jan. 20. PHOTO BY DANIEL ALTHOUSE