Penn State wrestling: 3 takeaways from the Lions' 2-0 night at the Collegiate Wrestling Duals

Penn State wrestling has swept the opening day of the Collegiate Wrestling Duals for the second consecutive season. The Lions crushed Central Michigan 50-3 in their opening bout on Monday night in New Orleans before beating North Carolina 37-3 in the nightcap. It earns head coach Cael Sanderson’s team a date with Iowa State in the blue pool final at 8 p.m. ET on Tuesday night.

“Sometimes coming into an event after final exams, we’re never really sure where you’re going to be, especially when guys are maybe thinking ahead about the holidays and heading home,” associate head coach Cody Sanderson told the Penn State Sports Network. “But, you know, I was happy with what we did out there today.”

Here are our top takeaways from the first day of action.

1. Is Penn State ready to make a change at 157?

Penn State put freshman phenom Levi Haines into the lineup for both matches at 157 pounds. He beat No.31 Corbyn Munson of Central Michigan by fall in 1:38. Then, with top-10 Tar Heel Austin O’Connor sidelined, he beat Danny Nini, who bumped up from 149, by decision 4-1 with 2:56 of riding time. It’s unclear if the Lions now plan to burn Haines’ redshirt. Terrell Barraclough, who traveled to the Collegiate Wrestling Duals, had been the team’s starter at 157. But, Haines beat him at the Black Knight Invitational at Army West Point last month and has always been seen as a potential first-year contributor. That said, the Lions could still decide to keep his action limited and preserve a year of eligibility.

“He looked really good today, and he’s doing some great things,” Cody Sanderson told the Penn State Sports Network. “It’s just getting them more mat time. So this was a great opportunity.”

Penn State has a big decision to make here. It would make sense to give Haines the full-time job. But, it would also be logical to try and redshirt him as the team did with second-year wrestlers but first-year starters Shayne Van Ness and Alex Facundo at 149 pounds and 165, respectively.

2. The Lions have no clear fix at 125

Penn State brought in a transfer portal addition last season to qualify for the NCAA tournament at 125 pounds. Drew Hildebrandt did not perform as expected in the postseason. But, he still wrestled well for the Lions.

The team may need to find another transfer if it plans to qualify in that weight class this year. Robbie Howard was expected to be back. But, another injury has him sidelined again this season. Former Ohio State wrestler Will Betancourt joined the Lions last spring and appeared to be the answer in that weight class. But, he’s no longer with the team, which led to Gary Steen earning the starting job. However, he has struggled. The second-year Nittany Lion lost to Central Michigan’s Anthony Walker by decision, 5-4. Then, he fell to North Carolina’s Jack Wagner by a 5-1 count.

The 125-pound weight class is easily the Lions’ weakest. And, there does not appear to be a clear fix for the program at the moment unless Steen improves. He has few takedowns so far this season, which has been his biggest problem. And, it will thus be the biggest issue for Penn State moving forward, even if it continues to be the postseason favorite.

“He’s really close with these guys, and hes’ wrestling well with them,” Cody Sanderson told the Penn State Sports Network. “He has the skill. He has the technical skills. We just need him to find a way to put himself in more scoring opportunities. He is spending a lot of time right now not really engaged in the match; he’s mentally engaged, but physically, he’s kind of circling. He’s waiting, and he’s at his best when he’s pursuing to get the leg.”

3. Penn State-Iowa State will be fun

Penn State will face a good test on Tuesday when it battles the Cyclones. We’ll see if Haines or Barraclough wrestle at 157. But, beyond that, Shayne Van Ness will face No. 5 Paniro Jojnson at 149 pounds. At 165, Alex Facundo will battle No. 3 David Carr. Penn State will be favored. But, it will be an entertaining match.

“I know they got a lot of young guys that are energetic,” Cody Sanderson told the Penn State Sports Network.

“They have some attitude, and they feel like they’re supposed to be out there and be on top. So those are fun teams to wrestle. We’re really looking forward to it. There’ll be some big bouts tomorrow.”