It’s hard to imagine Penn State’s lineup without Levi Haines.

The fluffy-haired, bearded, easy-going outdoorsman has been a mainstay in Happy Valley, where he’s brought home a handful of NCAA Tournament medals — including a championship as a sophomore — and has been one of Cael Sanderson’s most consistent performers for the last four years.

He’s always done it with humble professionalism, something Sanderson’s not ready to lose when Haines exhausts his final year of eligibility over the next few weeks.

“He’s just a kid who continued to get better when we were watching him in high school,” Sanderson said. “Everything we heard about him was just all the things you look for in a student-athlete. He was also a kid who just wanted to come here.”

Haines will be one of just three Nittany Lions who are out of eligibility after the season. After the NCAA Championships — where Haines is 12-2 with three falls, two techs and two majors — he’s most likely going to stick around.

Sanderson said the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club would do all it could to keep Haines in Happy Valley, training for whatever comes next while also rubbing off on the next wave of incoming Nittany Lions.

“You don’t let a guy like that leave, so we’ll do everything we can to keep him here and keep him part of the program,” Sanderson said.

Whatever it takes to keep him, Haines will likely be good with it. That’s just his style.

During his standout high school career at Biglerville, Haines watched enough Penn State wrestlers dominate Big Ten and NCAA tournaments to know it’s where he wanted to wrestle in college. His dad Ken, a star for nearby Lock Haven, was an early proponent for staying in the state.

After a perfect junior season for the Canners, Haines opted for forgo his senior year to train with college wrestlers. He’d regularly make the roughly 130-mile drive to State College to battle with former Penn State star and Olympic champion David Taylor and others at Taylor’s M2 facility.

It’s where he built upon an already aggressive style that caught older already-enrolled collegiate wrestlers off guard.

“M2 was huge for him,” Sanderson said. “Obviously, great training partners and coaching there and his dad was a tremendous resource for him, just his approach with him.”

Wrestling unattached in collegiate opens in 2022, Haines blistered his way through bigger opponents with more experience. He went 9-0 with three falls in a major. Among his first collegiate opponents were two seniors and a sixth-year senior.

None of them could keep up with Haines, who parlayed his success into a partial scholarship offer. Haines wasn’t particularly concerned about getting a full ride, he just wanted the blue and white singlet and a line of opponents.

“He just wanted to come here and we did our best to take good care of him, and obviously he’s taken very good care of us,” Sanderson said. “He just keeps getting better, great leader. Not a guy you’re excited to see graduate just from a leadership standpoint.”

Off The Mat

Haines is one of Penn State’s most accomplished personalities off the mat, too, considering if any of his teammates were stranded in the wilderness, they’d want to be stuck with the 174-pounder.

He’s an avid hunter and fisherman. If he’s not working out, Haines could likely be found scouting hunting spots, checking trail cams, baiting tree stands or field-dressing deer. He’s in his element in the woods as much as he is on a wrestling mat.

Haines has lost big matches before, but has never seemed rattled by them. He battled back for third at NCAAs last year after falling to Oklahoma State’s Dean Hamiti 4-2 in the 174-pound semis.

“You’ve got to have other passions, I think, and other things that give you life and joy and that’s something that he really loves,” Sanderson said. “Obviously, he loves wrestling, but I think being well-rounded and having something else to look forward to is important.”

Easily approachable, Haines has often been a welcoming presence for newcomers to the team.

Sanderson said the coaching staff likes to introduce prospects to Haines as often as they can when they visit campus for overnight stays during recruiting weekends.

“He’s everybody’s friend,” Sanderson said. “He’s kind, has a big heart, which is really cool. Obviously, a tremendous competitor. Very consistent every day. Very genuine, but just a caring, kind person. What you see with him is what you get.”

Under The Radar?

Sanderson believes the exploits of Marcus Blaze have gone a bit unnoticed this season.

The freshman 133-pounder has been so good so early in Penn State’s duals, it’s almost easy to forget he’s a true freshman in a weight class that appears wide-open. Sanderson believes the best is yet to come, especially considering Blaze’s recent output.

Over the last month, Blaze has earned a pair of conference awards while staying unblemished at 133. In that span, he has wins against four Top 25 grapplers without allowing a takedown.

Still, unblemished doesn’t mean perfect, and the freshman is seeking something closer to the latter. He left the mat last Friday after his closest bout yet ended in a tiebreaker win over Ohio State’s Ben Davino.

“He’s his own greatest critic, so he’s coming off the mat even when he’s winning dominantly or controlling a match, and he’s self-reflecting and he’s trying to figure out what he can do better or how he can score more points,” Sanderson said. “Ultimately, it comes down to what he wants.”

Sanderson admitted that winning in tiebreakers isn’t how Penn State wants to do it. He’d rather Blaze get the takedown in sudden victory.

Still, he knows those kinds of bouts — decided by rides or escapes — usually await in the postseason and young wrestlers must learn how to survive them.

“Two of the best guys in the country,” Sanderson said. “Great match and it kind of showed his poise and his ability to land on his feet in a tough spot and figure it out.”