Penn State wrestler falls in rankings for second time in early season, drops out of the top 10

While No. 1 Penn State wrestling continues to surge after extending its dual win streak to 59 with a 36-3 win over No. 23 Lehigh on Sunday, one Nittany Lion did drop in the national rankings. Braeden Davis fell outside of the top 10 after picking up his first loss of the season to Lehigh’s top-ranked Ryan Crookham.

As a result, Davis fell one spot from No. 10 to No. 11 in the latest InterMat 133-pound rankings. The Nittany Lions sophomore fell 4-1 in what was a hard-fought match to the No. 1 wrestler in the country. The loss wasn’t surprising, given that Crookham was an All-American and finished third at the 2024 NCAA Championships as a redshirt freshman.

Braeden Davis is still recovering from a minor injury he suffered against Drexel, which caused him to miss the Black Knight Invitational. How much that injury impacted this match remains to be seen, but this result can more or less be chalked up to a quality loss.

Davis ultimately was jumped by Cal Poly’s Zeth Romney, who went from No. 12 to No. 4, and Ohio State’s Nic Bouzakis, who jumped from No. 15 to No.7. However, he did pass Dylan Ragusin of Michigan, who fell from No. 4 to No. 15 after picking up three losses at the Cliff Keen Invitational, including one to Bouzakis.

After starting the year as the preseason No. 7 wrestler at 133, Braeden Davis has now fallen twice early on this season. With no ranked opponents to face against Wyoming, Davis will have to wait until next weekend’s Journeymen Collegiate Wrestling Duals.

Davis’s most significant test will be against No. 3 Nasir Bailey of Little Rock. Bailey is widely viewed as a national title contender after finishing fourth at the NCAA Championships as a true freshman. Davis would immediately propel himself back into the national title discussion with an upset victory.

Based on the remaining Penn State wrestling schedule, other InterMat-ranked opponents Davis may face include No. 20 Jacob Van Dee (Nebraska), No. 9 Dylan Shawver (Rutgers), No. 5 Drake Ayala (Iowa), No. 15 Dylan Ragusin (Michigan), No. 17 Braxton Brown (Maryland), No. 7 Nic Bouzakis (Ohio State), and No. 2 Lucas Byrd (Illinois).

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