2023 NCAA WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIP

March 17, 2023

Levi Haines

BOK Center

Penn State

Semifinals Media Conference

THE MODERATOR: Levi Haines, Penn State, finalist at 157. Your initial thoughts and feelings about being a finalist this year?

LEVI HAINES: A step closer to my goal.

Q. Levi, you're a true freshman. What were your goals at the start of the season and the expectations and now how does it feel to kind of get a taste of the national championship as a freshman so early on?

LEVI HAINES: My goal has always been to be a national champ, and you only get four chances to do that. So I came out and that's what we're trying to do this weekend.

Q. Levi, you come from a small town in Pennsylvania, I believe, probably was not a blue chipper in the state. What happened in the last couple of years for this to happen?

LEVI HAINES: I just had a lot of people that supported me. And even though maybe it was a hard choice at the time, it was the right choice. My parents, super supportive, drove me all over the place to train with the best guys. I think what really helped was that everybody in my family was so willing to help out, driving me to places, to tournaments, my grandfather, my uncles, the ones that kind of started me wrestling. My dad, he's a school teacher. He would be at school for eight hours a day, and then we would jump in a car, drive two hours to practice, have two hours of practice, drive home at midnight. When we got home, he would be up at 6:00 to go to work, just kind of part of my support system I would say.

Q. Did David Taylor have an impact on you? Didn't you train with his club?

LEVI HAINES: Absolutely. David was a big help in my career so far. He was one of my heroes when I was growing up, and he is my coach now, and we get to workout together, so it's pretty awesome.

Q. You obviously beat Tony Robie in the Big Ten championship. You didn't need that this time. You had two takedowns. It looked like you were in which more control. Did anything change from when you wrestled him two weeks ago?

LEVI HAINES: Just little things. I was more calm out there being myself. Sometimes just depends on who is on and who's not. At Big Ten, we went into sudden victory, just part of the sport. Not every match is going to be picture perfect, so just finding a way.

Q. You know, you were on the outside looking in last year at Nationals. Talk about that Penn State magic, right? Friday night, it seems like it comes out. You're now a part of that. What is it?

LEVI HAINES: It's not really any magic. They just recruit guys that love to wrestle. And when you have a true passion for the sport, it makes everything else a lot easier.

THE MODERATOR: Thanks, Levi. Appreciate it. Good luck tomorrow.