The Open Mat presents awards annually in three categories for each division of college wrestling at the conclusion of the season. Awards are presented for Wrestler of the Year, Freshman of the Year and Coach of the Year.

The Open Mat NCAA Division I Freshman of the Year: Levi Haines (Penn State)

Penn State's Levi Haines was the nation's best collegiate freshman wrestler on the nation's best collegiate wrestling team. Before arriving in Happy Valley, Haines was an undefeated Pennsylvania state champion as a junior and opted not to compete at the high school level as a senior. Instead, Haines competed at collegiate open tournaments during his senior year, winning tournament titles at the David H. Lehman Franklin & Marshall Open and the Edinboro Open. He started the 2022-23 season in redshirt at 157 pounds. After competing in two open tournaments, Haines made his Penn State debut at the Collegiate Wrestling Duals, where he went 3-0 and helped the Nittany Lions win the team title. He then went on an incredible run, picking up ranked win after ranked win in the nation's toughest conference. He took an 18-match win streak into the Big Ten Wrestling Championships. Haines, seeded No. 2 in the event, defeated Indiana's Derek Gilcher and Purdue's Kendall Coleman to reach the finals at 157 pounds against top-seeded Peyton Robb of Nebraska. After the two wrestlers traded escapes in regulation, the match went to sudden victory. Haines wasted little time in sudden victory, getting in on a single leg in the first 30 seconds before lifting Robb and securing the takedown to capture the Big Ten title. Haines kept the momentum rolling into the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in Tulsa. Seeded No. 2, Haines cruised to the semifinals with two decisions, outscoring his first opponents 18-5, before pinning Virginia Tech All-American Bryce Andonian in the quarterfinals. That victory set up a semifinal showdown with Robb. Haines defeated Robb for the second time in three weeks, 5-3, to earn a spot in the NCAA finals as a true freshman. In the NCAA finals, Haines fell to North Carolina's Auston O'Connor 6-2, which snapped his 25-match win streak. Haines finished the season with a 25-2 record, which included 10 bonus wins. He was 11-0 in dual meets, including 7-0 in Big Ten duals.