Freshman phenom: Will Levi Haines' Big Ten crown lead to another title this year?

Levi Haines has never been one to show much emotion.

But Sunday proved to be an exception.

The Biglerville graduate continued his stunning true freshman season for the Penn State wrestling team with an individual title at the Big Ten wrestling championships. Ranked seventh in the country entering the weekend, Haines beat undefeated and top ranked Peyton Robb of Nebraska, 3-1, in overtime to win the conference title at 157 pounds.

Trailing 1-0 entering the third period, Haines earned an escape to tie the match and send it to sudden victory (overtime). The freshman landed a single-leg move and put Robb on the mat, and then continued to work as the Cornhusker junior desperately tried to prevent Haines from controlling his other leg. But Haines took Robb down a second time and completed the takedown.

The usually stoic Haines let out a roar as he point to the crowd. Then he flexed in celebration.

Haines was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year at the conclusion of Sunday's championship round. He's 22-1 so far this season.

Now the Adams County native will turn his attention to the NCAA Wrestling Championships in Tulsa in two weeks. After winning a title in the toughest wrestling conference in the country — there were 10 Big Ten wrestlers ranked in the top 20 at 157 pounds by InterMat entering the weekend — Haines has to be seen as a legitimate contender to win a national title. He beat another top 10 wrestler, Purdue's Kendall Coleman, by a 3-2 score in the Big Ten semifinals.

Another Nittany Lion champ: Hagerstown’s Aaron Brooks wins his third Big Ten wrestling title

He seems almost a lock to finish in the top eight and earn All-American honors.

All this from a true freshman who wasn't a starter entering the season.

While Haines was highly-touted entering college, he entered the season as a backup to Terrell Barraclough. It's common for many top wrestling recruits to redshirt their first season, and that seemed like a realistic path for Haines. But the freshman was so impressive during the five "free" matches he was granted that Nittany Lions head coach Cael Sanderson decided to start him in a pivotal dual meet against Iowa on Jan. 27 — which prevented him from redshirting and proved he was the team's chosen starter at 157 pounds.

He's certainly made the most of his opportunities since then.

While Penn State has been a dynasty in college wrestling for more than a decade, the Nittany Lions haven't had many true freshmen standouts. Mark Hall won a national title at 174 pounds as a true freshman in 2017. Zain Retherford was an All-American at 141 pounds as a freshman in 2014, redshirted the following season, then won three straight national titles.

Haines is the only true freshman in Penn State's starting lineup this season. The Nittany Lions will try to win their 10th NCAA team title in the past 12 seasons in two weeks. The NCAA Wrestling Championships take place from March 16 to March 18.

Related:Former YAIAA state champion wrestler turning heads at Penn State

More on Haines:How Adams County's state champion wrestler became a Penn State commit

The son of former Gettysburg High School state champion Ken Haines, Levi went 100-5 over three seasons while wrestling for his father at Biglerville. He lost in the state title match his first two seasons, but went 30-0 and won the Class 2A title at 145 pounds his junior season. He also competed for the U.S. national team at the Cadet World Championships in Budapest while in high school.

His 100th win came in the 2021 state final and it ended up being his final high school match. Haines elected not to compete his senior season and instead competed in open college tournaments to prepare for his Penn State career — even winning tournaments at Edinboro and Franklin & Marshall.

Haines is part of a small list of YAIAA wrestlers to compete for Penn State during its dynasty. Central York's James English and New Oxford's Jordan Conaway both overcame obstacles to become NCAA All-Americans. Bermudian Springs' Austin Clabaugh was a preferred walk-on for the Lions but did not start.

Matt Allibone is a sports reporter for GameTimePA. He can be reached at 717-881-8221, mallibone@ydr.com or on Twitter at @bad2theallibone.

This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: Penn State wrestling: Freshman Levi Haines wins Big Ten title