Penn State’s true freshman Levi Haines (15-1) continues to prove why he will be a force for the Nittany Lion lineup going forward.
On Friday night, Haines kept it rolling with a huge win over Iowa’s Cobe Siebrecht. Haines’ win over Siebrecht is his second consecutive victory over a top-15 ranked opponent, which started with an upset over returning All-American and Michigan’s Will Lewan.
Prior to Penn State’s dual with Iowa, Cael Sanderson and the Nittany Lion coaching staff had a big decision to make with Haines’ availability, as he surpassed the redshirt threshold.
“That was a big win for him, obviously him wrestling tonight means his redshirt is basically gone. He’s the guy we’re going with,” said Sanderson.
The decision to burn Haines’ redshirt swung the momentum of the dual last night, especially with Iowa winning consecutive bouts at 141 and 149-pounds. Haines looked really good over Siebrecht and showed off his composure that his teammates praised him for.
“It’s been exciting, it’s like he’s anointed. How young he is, how calm he is… two big matches in the BJC. I think it’s great for him and a great experience,” said teammate Aaron Brooks.
Haines has a good chance to meet up with Lewan and Siebrecht again as the postseason looms, and it will be exciting to see how fast Haines is progressing.
Haines has a few more tough matches to wrap up the dual season, set to face off against Ohio State’s Paddy Gallagher, Indiana’s Derek Gilcher, and Maryland’s Michael North. Haines will wrestle all of these opponents in a nine day stretch, and has a good chance to bust into the top-10 rankings at 157-pounds.
