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Penn State Wrestling's Levi Haines Makes Dramatic Run to Senior Worlds Final
Penn State's Levi Haines laughs as he answers a question at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials Wrestling. Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK

Penn State Wrestling's Levi Haines Makes Dramatic Run to Senior Worlds Final

Originally posted on Penn State Nittany Lions on SI
By Mark Wogenrich  |  Last updated Sep 14, 2025 1:29 PM ET

Penn State's Levi Haines made perhaps the most dramatic run at the 2025 World Wrestling Championships, earning an unexpected spot in the freestyle finals as a wrestler ranked outside the top 25.

The three-time NCAA All-American and 2024 national champion went 4-0 Sunday and defeated Mongolia's Suldkhuu Olonbayar 4-1 to reach Monday's 79 kg championship match. Haines, ranked 36th in the world entering the tournament, defeated three wrestlers ranked above him, including Olonbayar, who was No. 3, according to the United World Wrestling rankings.

Haines is one of two current Penn State wrestlers representing the U.S. at the championships in Zagreb, Croatia. Freshman PJ Duke competed in the 70 kg weight class, where he went 1-1 in his second world event of the freestyle season. Duke won a U20 world championship in August.

Haines is the top U.S. story so far at Senior Worlds, where he delivered his most impressive victory in the quarterfinals, defeating 2023 world champion and current European champion Akhmed Usmanov. As USA Wrestling noted, Haines dictated the pace but was put on the shot clock twice during the match. Despite that, Haines hit a takedown with 2 seconds remaining for a 3-2 victory at the buzzer.

Haines was an afterthought in the weight class, according to UWW, which pronounced pre-tournament that Usmanov "should have no trouble winning his second title." But here, Haines attacked Usmanov relentlessly through the final 20 seconds until securing the decisive takedown.

In the semifinals, Haines also scored the bout's lone takedown for the win over Olonbayar. Competing in his first Senior World Championships, Haines will meet Greece's Georgios Kougioumtsidis of Greece for the gold medal Monday night. Kougioumtsidis, ranked 23rd in the world at 79 kg, represented Greece in the 2024 Paris Olympics. He defeated Haines 7-3 at a tournament in Hungary in July.

Haines, a junior who wrestled at Biglerville (Pa.) High, is a two-time NCAA finalist who won his first national championship in 2024. Haines capped a perfect 23-0 season with a 5-0 win over Jacori Teemer in the 157-pound national final. Wrestling at 174 pounds last season, Haines fell to eventual national champ Dean Hamiti of Oklahoma State 4-2 in the semifinals and placed third for his third NCAA medal.

Penn State freshman PJ Duke goes 1-1 at worlds

Freshman PJ Duke, who won an under-20 world title in August, went 1-1 in his first appearance at Senior Worlds. Wrestling at 70 kg, Duke began the tournament with an 11-0 technical decision over Shuang Chen of China. Duke controlled the action and clinched the win with a takedown early in the second period.

Duke got into a scoring duel with Nurkozha Kaipanov of Kazakhstan in the quarterfinals. He took an early 4-0 lead with a pair of takedowns, but Kaipanov turned Duke early in the second period for a 6-4 lead that he would not relinquish.

The 19-year-old Duke has been one of the great U.S. freestyle stories this season, qualifying for Senior Worlds in dramatic fashion and earning spots on three U.S. world teams. He also is scheduled to compete at the U23 World Championships in October. Duke will be a freshman for the Penn State wrestling team this season.

This article first appeared on Penn State Nittany Lions on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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