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Previewing Penn State wrestlers at Worlds; RAF date change, latest schedule news

Greg Pickelby: Greg Pickel5 hours agoGregPickel

Penn State wrestling will return to the International stage this weekend and early next week. Two current Nittany Lions and one member of the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club will compete for Team USA at the Senior World Championships, Saturday through Tuesday in Zagreb, Croatia. Freshman PJ Duke, junior Levi Haines, and nine-time World and Olympic medalist Kyle Snyder are three of the 10 members of the U.S. men’s freestyle team. The full team is Spencer Lee at 57 kg, Jax Forrest at 71 kg, Real Woods at 65 kg, PJ Duke at 70 kg, David Carr at 74 kg, Levi Haines at 79 kg, Zahid Valencia at 86 kg, Trent Hidlay at 92 kg, Kyle Snyder at 97 kg, and Wyatt Hendrickson at 125 kg.

Duke, a Penn State freshman, will be on the mat first. The 70-kilogram bracket starts with qualification round action at 4:30 a.m. ET on Saturday. The semifinals then, are at 1 p.m. ET. The medal matches are at 12 p.m. ET on Sunday.

“PJ Duke is fresh off a gold medal performance at the U20 World Championships, and though he’s only 18, he’s already made a significant impact on the senior level,” Jon Kozak writes for FLO. “Duke’s hitlist over the past year is incredibly impressive, highlighted by victories over Yianni Diakomihalis, Bryce Andonian, Ridge Lovett, Antrell Taylor, and Will Lewan. Duke will be an underdog against many of the more experienced wrestlers in the bracket, but he’s more than capable of making a run in this bracket and wrestling for a medal.”

Haines, a Penn State senior, will wrestle at 79 kilograms starting at 4:30 a.m. ET on Sunday morning. His bracket’s semifinals are at 10:30 a.m. ET the same day with medal matches at Noon ET on Monday.

More: Penn State to host Real American Freestyle (RAF) 2; new date announced

“My prediction for Levi Haines is entirely dependent on his draw,” Kozak writes. “If he gets drawn on the same side as Usmanov and Nokhodi, I don’t think he wins a medal. However, if he’s opposite one or both, then his chances go way up, and I think he has the skills to beat anyone in the bracket. Because he’s so draw-dependent, I can’t predict Haines to win a medal before I see his path to the podium.”

Snyder will be among the gold medal favorites at 97 kilograms. That was the case before Abdulrashid Sadulaev of UWW dropped out of the tournament due to a visa issue and continues to be the case. He will first wrestle on Monday. Medal matches for his bracket are Tuesday.

And, speaking of Snyder, he will wrestle Mason Parris on the Real American Freestyle (RAF) 2 card at Penn State. It is now on a new date. It will take place Sat., Oct. 25 in State College instead of in November.

What’s the latest with the Lions’ 2025-2026 schedule?

Here are the dates we know are locked in as of Sept. 11:

Nov. 14: vs. Oklahoma

Dec. 5: AT Drexel

Dec. 13: AT Wyoming

Home Big Ten duals: Ohio State, Nebraska, Indiana, and Rutgers.

Away Big Ten duals: Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, and Northwestern.

The Lions are also likely to return to the Army Black Knight Invitational. That is set for Sun., Nov. 23 in West Point, N.Y.