Levi Haines accepts 79-kilogram Final X spot as Penn State wrestling star readies for fulltime freestyle focus

Levi Haines is officially going to Final X. The two-time NCAA champ at Penn State accepted his spot in the 79-kilogram finals at the event that will set the 2026 U.S. Senior Worlds team on Monday.

Haines earned the right to bypass the U.S. Open and go right to the finals by finishing second at last year’s World Championships. At this year’s Final X, he will face the winner of the Open’s 79-kilogram bracket. That event takes place April 24-25 in Las Vegas. Final X is June 19 at the Prudential Center in New Jersey.

“I’m grateful for the time I had at Penn State,” Haines said on Friday of this year’s NCAA Championships. “I don’t plan on going anywhere soon, so that helps as well. Lord willing, my wrestling career will be a lot longer than tomorrow night. But if it isn’t, I can say I did the best I could, hang my shoes up and know I’ve done my best. I hope to give back to Penn State, Coach Cael, Coach Casey, Coach Nick Lee, they’ve all done a lot to help me achieve my goals and keep on getting better.

“Yeah, just trying not to think about it too much, I guess. Mostly just being grateful for the time that I’ve had and looking forward to sticking around and helping the next group of guys come up through and get better.”

Haines will stay in State College to train with the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club. He is already quite accomplished on the International freestyle scene. Besides the 2025 Worlds silver medal, he also owns a 2025 U23 Worlds gold and a 2025 U23 Pan-Ams title.

Two-time Penn State champ Levi Haines is ready to make the move to full-time freestyle

Haines is the only Penn State 2025-2026 starter who is now out of eligibility. You can read more about who might replace him in the Lions’ lineup here. As for the Pa., native, he will turn his full focus now to trying to defend his spot on the Senior U.S. World team. Winning another medal — and surely he prefers gold — at this year’s World Championships will obviously be his next goal. But, above all else, he surely hopes that the work he puts in starting now will ultimately lead him to claiming a spot on the 2028 U.S. Olympic team, where he can set his sights on the sport’s most coveted gold medal.