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Penn State Affiliated Wrestlers Go Six-for-Six Medals at Senior World ChampionshipsPenn State Affiliated Wrestlers Go Six-for-Six Medals at Senior World Championships
Frank Lomas

Penn State Affiliated Wrestlers Go Six-for-Six Medals at Senior World Championships

Haines’ title at 79kg secured the team race for the United States

ASTANA, Kazakhstan – Highlighted by a trio of gold medal results at 79kg, 86kg and 97kg, Penn State affiliated wrestlers went a perfect six-for-six in medal finishes at the 2026 United World Wrestling Senior World Championships from Barys Arena in Astana Kazakhstan.

Penn State, the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club and Penn State RTC recorded one of the strongest finishes at the Senior World Championships in program history in 2026. Had Penn State/NLWC competed as its own nation in Astana, the organization would have finished fourth with 125 points behind the world champion United States, runner-up Russia and third-place Iran. For the United States, Penn State and the NLWC secured one half of the American world team spots and medaled at all five weights, highlighted by Kyle Snyder’s win at 97kg, Kyle Dake’s victory at 86kg and Levi Haines’ gold medal finish at 79kg. Haines’ result at 79 kilos secured the team title race for the United States early in Sunday’s final session.

SNYDER GOLD

Senior world championship competition got underway on Thursday, with Snyder being the first Penn State affiliated wrestler to compete. The American sensation opened the tournament with a decisive 10-0 win by technical superiority in 4:15 of action against Turkey’s Alperen Tokgoz. One of the most anticipated quarterfinals in the history of international wrestling got underway shortly thereafter, with Snyder battling longtime Russian rival Abdulrashid Sadulaev. The American managed a 4-4 win on criteria to punch his ticket to the semifinals, where Snyder dispatched Polish wrestler Zbigniew Baranowski. The 97kg final took place Friday, with Snyder challenging Arash Yoshida of Japan. Yoshida netted one on a passivity point and forced a step-out to take a 2-0 lead through the first period. The Japanese wrestler led by a 4-0 margin, but a herculean finish from Snyder with a pair of takedowns inside 30 seconds gave the American gold in a 4-4, criteria decision.

Blaze

In the early session on Friday, Penn State sophomore and 61kg athlete Marcus Blaze got going in his bracket with a pair of dominant results in the qualifying round and round of 16. Blaze pinned Turkey’s Emrah Ormanoglu in 3:35 before rolling past Leomid Colesnic of Moldova by technical superiority, 10-0, in two-and-a-half minutes. Blaze came up short in the quarterfinal to eventual world champion Ahmad Mohammadnezhadjavan of Iran in a hard-fought, 3-2 result, but the American returned to action Saturday in repechage competition. Blaze dominated Indias Nikhil in a 9-1 decision to punch his ticket to the bronze medal match and ultimately came away with a senior world medal following a 4-2 decision over Assyl Aitakyn of host-Kazakhstan.

Retherford

Nittany Lion alumnus Zain Retherford started his senior world championship tournament run at 70kg on Friday, dominating his opponents on the path to the semifinals. Retherford registered a pair of pins in the qualifying round and round of 16, defeating Belgium’s Muhammad Abdurachmanov in 1:09 and Hungary’s Iszmail Muszukajev in 4:57 to reach the quarters. Retherford battled Azerbaijan’s Kanan Heybatov and shut him out, registering a 7-0 decision to reach the semis. Kyrgyzstan’s Ernazar Akmataliev got the better of Retherford in a hard-fought 3-2 result, but the American remained in contention for a bronze medal finish on Saturday. In the bronze medal bout, Retherford faced recent Michigan alum and Canadian wrestler Lachlan McNeil, ultimately controlling the match for a 4-0 decision that secured a third medal for Penn State and the NLWC.

Dake1

American wrestling saw further heroics in the 86kg bracket on Friday and Saturday, with Dake taking the mat looking for his third world title at a third different weight class. Facing the largest bracket at the senior world championships, Dake immediately got to work with a pair of qualifying round wins. The American battled past Mongolia’s Batbilguun Naadambat in a close 6-5 affair before breaking things open against Lithuania’s Paulius Lescauskas, winning by technical superiority 13-2, in 1:29. Dake teched Bolat Sakayev of Kazakhstan, 11-0, in just under five minutes to reach the quarterfinals. There, Dake managed a 6-2 decision over Kyrgyzstan’s Malik Shavaev, and defeated Russia’s Ibragim Kadiev in a 6-3 finish to earn a chance at gold. Dake faced Arsenii Dzhioev of Azerbaijan in the world championship bout, where the American worked up a 3-0 lead and defended deep into the second period to hold on for a 3-2 decision. Dake becomes the only wrestler in world history to win both four NCAA Championships at four different weight classes and follow that up with three world championship titles at three different weight classes.

haines

The Arendtsville, Pennsylvania, native Haines got his tournament underway on Saturday in the qualifying round and immediately electrified Astana with a pin over Morocco’s Mohammed Bouazouni midway through the opening period. In the round of 16, Haines displayed further dominance by registering a 10-0 win by technical superiority in just two minutes and 38 seconds of Szymon Wojtkowski of Poland, securing his spot in the quarterfinals. There, Haines was dominant yet again, rolling past Russian opponent Ismail Khaniev by decision in an 8-1 finish. A closely contested match ensued in the semifinals, but Haines was able to work past Mongolia’s Suldkhuu Olonbayar by criteria in a 3-3 result. Sunday saw Haines turn his attention to the gold medal match against Iran’s Mohammad Nokhodilarimi. The Iranian traded blows with Haines in the first period and led by a 3-2 margin through three minutes, but a single-leg shot turned into a takedown and a 4-3 lead for Haines with just over two minutes to go. The Nittany Lion remained steadfast defensively over the waning moments and ultimately powered his way to the first senior-level world championship in his career by way of a 4-3 decision.

RBY

Penn State alumnus Roman Bravo-Young was the only Penn State affiliated athlete that did not compete for the United States, with the Tucson, Arizona, native representing Mexico in the 57kg bracket. Bravo-Young got his tournament started with a 5-2 decision over Kazakhstan’s Meirambek Kartbay and followed that up with a win by technical superiority in the round of 16, defeating John Leopold of Mauritius 10-0 in 2:14. RBY booked back-to-back decisions in the quarterfinals and semifinals, downing Mongolia’s Munkh Batkhuyag, 4-3, and North Korea’s Chong Song Han, 4-1, to reach the world championship bout. Bravo-Young squared off against Spencer Lee of the United States, with the American netting a 10-0 tech in 25 seconds. Bravo-Young finished as the world silver medalist at 57kg, netting Mexico the first senior-level world medal in the nation’s history.

The 2026 freestyle season was a tremendous success for Penn State and the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club. In addition to the organization’s six senior world medals, Penn State affiliated athletes picked up a quartet of gold medal results at the Poland Open earlier this season, with Luke Lilledahl, Marcus Blaze, Zain Retherford and Levi Haines netting those honors. PSU signee and Nittany Lion Wrestling Club athlete Jayden James also earned a spot in the limelight this season, with the New Jersey native picking up a pair of age-group silver medals at both the U20 and U23 world championships this fall. Penn State turns its attention to the collegiate campaign and a return to folkstyle action later this month, as the Blue & White kick off their 119th varsity season and 18th under the direction of head coach Cael Sanderson on Thursday, November 12, with a 7 p.m. (ET) dual meet against the Bloomsburg Huskies inside Rec Hall.

WRESTLING MATCH RESULTS

UWW Senior World Championships

Barys Arena – Astana, Kazakhstan

Roman Bravo-Young (MEX) | Men’s Freestyle | 57kg | Silver

QUAL | Roman Bravo-Young (MEX) dec. Meirambek Kartbay (KAZ) 5-2

R16 | Roman Bravo-Young (MEX) tech over John Leopold (MAUR) 10-0, 2:14

QF | Roman Bravo-Young (MEX) dec. Munkh Batkhuyag (MGL) 4-3

SF | Roman Bravo-Young (MEX) dec. Chong Song Han (PRK) 4-1

GOLD | Spencer Lee (USA) tech over Roman Bravo-Young (MEX) 10-0, 0:25

Marcus Blaze (USA) | Men’s Freestyle | 61kg | Bronze

QUAL | Marcus Blaze (USA) fall over Emrah Ormanoglu (TUR) 3:35

R16 | Marcus Blaze (USA) tech over Leomid Colesnic (MDA) 10-0, 2:30

QF | Ahmad Masoud Mohammadnezhadjavan (IRI) dec. Marcus Blaze (USA) 3-2

REP2 | Marcus Blaze (USA) dec. Nikhil (IND) 9-1

BRONZE | Marcus Blaze (USA) dec. Assyl Aitakyn (KAZ) 4-2

Zain Retherford (USA) | Men’s Freestyle | 70kg | Bronze

QUAL | Zain Retherford (USA) fall over Muhammad Abdurachmanov (BEL) 1:09

R16 | Zain Retherford (USA) fall over Iszmail Muszukajev (HUN) 4:57

QF | Zain Retherford (USA) dec. Kanan Heybatov (AZE) 7-0

SF | Ernazar Kubatbekovich Akmataliev (KGZ) dec. Zain Retherford (USA) 3-2

BRONZE | Zain Retherford (USA) dec. Lachlan McNeil (CAN) 4-0

Levi Haines (USA) | Men’s Freestyle | 79kg | Gold

QUAL | Levi Haines (USA) fall over Mohammed Bouazouni (MAR) 1:30

R16 | Levi Haines (USA) tech over Szymon Wojtkowski (POL) 10-0, 2:38

QF | Levi Haines (USA) dec. Ismail Khaniev (RUS) 8-1

SF | Levi Haines (USA) dec. Suldkhuu Olonbayar (MGL) 3-3, criteria

GOLD | Levi Haines (USA) dec. Mohammad Nokhodilarimi (IRI) 4-3

Kyle Dake (USA) | Men’s Freestyle | 86kg | Gold

QUAL | Kyle Dake (USA) dec. Batbilguun Naadambat (MGL) 6-5

QUAL | Kyle Dake (USA) tech over Paulius Lescauskas (LTU) 13-2, 1:29

R16 | Kyle Dake (USA) tech over Bolat Sakayev (KAZ) 11-0, 4:57

QF | Kyle Dake (USA) dec. Malik Shavaev (KGZ) 6-2

SF | Kyle Dake (USA) dec. Ibragim Kadiev (RUS) 6-3

GOLD | Kyle Dake (USA) dec. Arsenii Dzhioev (AZE) 3-2

Kyle Snyder (USA) | Men’s Freestyle | 97kg | Gold

R16 | Kyle Snyder (USA) tech over Alperen Tokgoz (TUR) 10-0, 4:15

QF | Kyle Snyder (USA) dec. Abdulrashid Sadulaev (RUS) 4-4, criteria

SF | Kyle Snyder (USA) dec. Zbigniew Mateusz Baranowski (POL) 5-0

GOLD | Kyle Snyder (USA) dec. Arash Yoshida (JPN) 4-4, criteria

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The 2026-27 Penn State Wrestling season is presented by The Family Clothesline.