What to know ahead of Penn State wrestling’s Senior Day matchup with Princeton
Penn State wrestling will close out its regular season Friday night as head coach Cael Sanderson leads the program against the Princeton Tigers in Rec Hall.
Here’s what you need to know about the matchup and what the team’s Senior Day dual means for the program.
Celebrating Senior Day
The Nittany Lions’ matchup with Princeton will be the final one of Levi Haines’ career in Rec Hall. He’s the only wrestler in the starting lineup who will exhaust their eligibility after this season, and will take center stage on Senior Day as an elite wrestler who made an impact with the program. He’s spent two years at 157 pounds, winning one individual national title, and two years at 174 pounds, where he’s chasing his first title at the weight this season.
Haines is a three-time All-American, and it would be a stunner if he doesn’t become a four-timer this year. He’s finished in the top three in all three years at nationals and is the No. 1 wrestler at 174 pounds this year and the favorite at the weight to win the individual title. Sanderson said he’s excited for what’s to come for Haines.
“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. Obviously, not a guy you’re excited to graduate, just from a leadership standpoint. You’re excited for him. Every stage in life’s designed to be more exciting, I think, and he’s given a great effort every day in here.”
Impact on roster construction
Haines’ departure being the only one from the starting lineup is further proof that the Penn State wrestling train isn’t stopping anytime soon. The Nittany Lions are primed to win it all this year and next and pretty much as far into the future as you can reasonably look. But the one downside to only having one departure is how much it will limit Sanderson and his talent when it comes to infusing even more talent into the greatest wrestling dynasty in college athletics history.
“We don’t have a lot of guys walking, which is good,” Sanderson said. “It’s good for the program. I mean, it’s not as good if you’re trying to bring new guys in, and you have a roster cap, but obviously you’re planning and you see what’s going to happen in the future.”
That being said, there will still be changes next year. Wrestling’s flexibility with scholarship usage should allow some starters to redshirt and some others who are doing so this year — like world-class wrestler Masanosuke Ono — to step into the lineup next season. So while Friday night’s group will represent much of the starting lineup next year, it still won’t represent all of it.
How to watch
Princeton (4-10, 2-3 Ivy League) at No. 1 Penn State (14-0, 8-0 Big Ten)
Where: Rec Hall, University Park
Radio: Big Foot Legends (103.7 & 104.3 FM)
Stream: BTN+
Online: Streaming, Big Ten+; Radio, Lionvision at GoPSUsports.com
