3x Big Ten Champion Levi Haines reveals why he chose to join Penn State Wrestling

Penn State Nittany Lions wrestler and three-time All-American Levi Haines revealed that his decision to join Penn State wrestling was heavily influenced by his relationship with former Nittany Lion David Taylor and his training at M2 Training Center. Haines is set to face Evan Wick in the 79kg bout at Final X on Saturday, June 14, at Prudential Center.

Haines joined Penn State in 2022. In his freshman year, he advanced to the NCAA finals, finishing as the national runner-up in the 157-pound weight class. He continued his impressive run over the next two seasons. In his sophomore year, he secured his first NCAA title by defeating Arizona State’s Jacori Teemer. And in his junior year, he finished third.

Recently, on the Nickals and Dimes podcast, Haines opened up about why he chose to join Penn State:

“The relationship I had with David—who obviously wrestled at Penn State and stuff—it was a no-brainer. I was like, ‘Ah yeah, I want to wrestle at Penn State.’ And I wrestle at M2, so I’ve been exposed to that kind of school of wrestling, right," he said.

Haines further explained that his desire to become a national champion solidified his choice:

“It was a pretty easy decision for me. I just felt like if I went anywhere else, I would’ve been like, ‘Well, what could it have been if I went there?’ In my mind, it was like, if I wanna be national champ, I’m gonna go there. If I don’t go there, I’m probably gonna have to wrestle a guy on that team to be the national champion. So I might as well go beat him in practice rather than beat him in competition.”

Levi Haines is also a three-time Big Ten Champion. He competed at 157 pounds in 2023 and 2024. Ahead of the 2025 season, he moved to the 174-pound weight class and captured his third consecutive Big Ten title by defeating Nebraska’s Lenny Pinto in the finals.

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Levi Haines set to compete at 79 kg in men’s freestyle at Final X

Levi Haines wrestles Simon Ruiz at 2025 NCAA Division I Men's Wrestling Championship - Source: Getty

Levi Haines secured his spot at the 2025 Final X by winning the 79 kg men’s freestyle bracket at the Senior World Team Trials Challenge Tournament in Louisville, Kentucky.

In the tournament, Haines defeated Carson Kharchla 10–5 in the semifinals, followed by a dominant 10-2 victory over Dean Hamiti in the finals.

At Final X, Haines will face Evan Wick, and the winner of the best-of-three series will earn a spot to represent the US at the 2025 Senior World Championships in Zagreb, Croatia.