Penn State Sports Magazine
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4 6 S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 6 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M L evi Haines had seemingly used up his eligibility in March when he defeated Nebraska's Christopher Minto, 2-1, in the 174-pound final at the NCAA Tournament to earn his sec- ond national title. But thanks to a recent court ruling, Haines could potentially return in 2027. The ruling by U.S. District Court judge Charlotte Sweeney requires the NCAA to provide a fifth year of eligibil- ity to athletes who entered as part of the class of 2022 and did not redshirt at any point in their career. Under the NCAA's previous rules, those athletes would have used up the last of their eligibility during the 2025-26 academic year. But Sweeney said the NCAA must provide a fifth year to bring them in line with subsequent classes, who will now have five years to complete five seasons of eligibility following the NCAA's adop- tion of a new eligibility model in June. Haines is one of the athletes who fall into that category, and he will have the option of returning if the ruling stands. An Arendtsville, Pa., native, Haines has remained in State College and was set to join the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club to continue his career in interna- tional freestyle competition. He could delay that plan for another year if he wants to compete at the collegiate level in 2026-27. Haines' return would have ripple effects. If he reclaims his 174-pound spot, it would knock his expected re- placement, redshirt freshman William Henckel, out of the lineup. If Haines doesn't want to come back, or if Swee- ney's ruling is overturned, Henckel will be the favorite to start, but the Lions do have other options. Sophomore PJ Duke could bump up after cutting to make 157 last year, and incoming freshman Jayden James could also be a contender. Elsewhere, Penn State has a few lineup spots that are already set in stone. Junior Luke Lilledahl will man the 125-pound spot. Senior Shayne Van Ness is locked in at 149 pounds, and so is senior Mitchell Mesenbrink at 165. Junior Rocco Welsh should be the guy at 184, while junior national champion Josh Barr is definitely the guy at 197. It's not clear what Penn State will do at 133 and 141 pounds. Last year's start- ers in those weight classes — Marcus Blaze and Braeden Davis — are back for their sophomore and senior years, respectively. However, others will be pushing them, namely sophomore Nate Desmond and senior Masanosuke Ono. At 157 pounds, Duke is back and could keep his job. But senior Tyler Kasak fig- ures to fight for it, too, and others could be in the mix as well, especially if Duke can- not or does not want to cut to 157 again. With 165-197 accounted for, the only other question mark is at heavyweight. Redshirt sophomore Cole Mirasola is back after starting in 2025-26 but miss- ing the podium at nationals. It looks like his twin brother, Connor, could bump up from 197 to 285 pounds to challenge for the job. ■ WRESTLING Court Ruling Opens Door To Levi Haines' Possible Return G R E G P I C K E L | G R E G . P I C K E L @ O N 3 . C O M Haines won national championships in 2024 and '26 and could be in contention for an unexpected third title shot this coming season. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS Lion Wrestlers Prepare For Freestyle Tournaments The Nittany Lions are now roughly three months away from opening their 2026-27 season. As of early August, no dual meet dates had been announced. But there is plenty to watch between now and then if you want to see head coach Cael Sanderson's team in action. Jayden James is the next Nittany Lion to take the mat this summer. He is competing at the U20 World Wrestling Championships Aug. 16-23 in Slovakia. The class of 2026 signee is wrestling for Team USA in the 74-kilogram (163.1-pound) men's freestyle division. James is aiming to win his sec- ond age-group world title after taking U17 gold home from Greece last August. On the same day James makes his U20 debut, Masanosuke Ono will make his Real American Free- style debut. It will be his first match since coming to the U.S. to enroll at Penn State last year, and he will face Ohio State's Ben Davino on Aug. 22 in Cleveland. Ono could find his way into the Lions' lineup this year at 133 or 141 pounds. "I don't know when it's going to be. I don't want to lead anyone on," Sanderson told FloWrestling recently. "It could be this year. It could be next year. But he's definitely going to wrestle at Penn State. Hopefully for a couple of years." In October, U23 Worlds and Senior Worlds will end the international freestyle season for the year. Junior Luke Lilledahl will compete at the former event for Team USA in men's freestyle in the 57-ki- logram division, and James will man the 74-kilogram spot. James' tournament runs Oct. 16-17 and Lilledahl's is Oct. 17-18. In addition, Marcus Blaze (61 kilograms), Zain Retherford (70 kilograms) and Levi Haines (79 kilo- grams) make up the Penn State contingent competing for the men's freestyle Team USA at Senior Worlds. That championship will take place Oct. 24-Nov. 1 in Kazakhstan. — Greg Pickel