Penn State wrestling: Braeden Davis returns to top 10 of national rankings

Penn State wrestling is up and running on its campaign to win a fourth consecutive National Championship this season. The Nittany Lions could potentially break the program’s own points record at the NCAA Championships in March, but Cael Sanderson will need multiple wrestlers to make deep runs in the bracket and claim All-American honors to do so. One key Nittany Lion took a critical step in that direction this week, as Braeden Davis has moved into the top 10 of the national rankings after picking up his second victory of the season against Wyoming.

After winning the Big Ten Championships at 125 and finishing in the round of 12 at Nationals as a freshman, it’s been a mixed start for Davis in his first year in the 133-pound weight class.

The sophomore suffered a scare against Drexel, narrowly escaping after sustaining a minor lower leg injury. His lone loss came to No. 1 Ryan Crookham of Lehigh, losing 4-1.

But Davis seemed to return to his former self with an 18-3 tech fall victory over Wyoming’s Stockton O’Brien on Sunday. It was a performance that should give fans hope that Davis can potentially make a deep run in his new weight class this season.

As a result of the commanding victory, Braeden Davis moved one spot in the InterMat rankings, from No. 11 to No. 10. Davis passed previously No. 9 Dylan Shawver of Rutgers, who dropped seven spots to No. 16 after picking up a loss over the weekend.

Davis will get next major test with Penn State wrestling’s trip to Music City

Penn State wrestling is set to compete in the Journeymen Collegiate Duals this weekend. The Nittany Lions will wrestle in three consecutive team duals against Binghamton, Little Rock, and Missouri.

The biggest test of the duals for Davis will be in the second matchup against No. 5 Nasir Bailey of Little Rock, who is currently 4-1 on the season. That match will be a good measuring stick to see where exactly he stacks up at 133 pounds. We already know a bit based on Davis’s loss to Ryan Crookham, but there isn’t much shame in falling to the No. 1 wrestler in the country.

A 3-0 sweep this weekend would most likely vault Davis inside the top seven nationally, if not higher. It would also slot in another potential national title contender for Cael Sanderson and the Nittany Lions.

The Journeymen Collegiate Duals will begin at 3:00 pm ET against Binghamton. Each subsequent dual will start approximately two hours following the conclusion of the previous match.

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