Penn State wrestling true freshman continues rise to No. 2 nationally

Cael Sanderson has assembled a terrifying Penn State wrestling lineup in 2024, featuring dominant veterans such as Carter Starocci and Aaron Brooks. But this season has been marked by a group of freshmen who have rocketed up the rankings. The Nittany Lions‘ true freshman sensation Braeden Davis continues to impress at 125, and once again finds himself moving up in the latest InterMat Rankings.

Penn State true freshman Braeden Davis up to No. 2 in national rankings

Braeden Davis wasn’t ranked to start the month of January but now finds himself No. 2  in the latest InterMat Rankings heading into a matchup with No. 3 Iowa on Friday.

Davis moves up one spot after winning a 4-3 decision over Ohio State’s Vincent Kilkeary this past weekend. The match was mostly known for the controversial no-call for a takedown that would have given Kilkeary the win.

They say sometimes it is better to be lucky than good. Braeden Davis kept his undefeated record intact with the win and now sits 14-0 on the season. The true freshman has a 57.14% bonus percentage and has truly been the wrestler that Cael Sanderson has been missing at 125 pounds.

Big test awaits against Iowa

The 125-pound weight class has been an absolute mess this season. The top-ranked wrestler seemingly has been knocked off every single week. Currently, Matt Ramos of Purdue sits at No. 1 with a 19-3 record. To put that in perspective, every other weight class still has an undefeated wrestler at No. 1, and most have multiple wrestlers still unbeaten within the top 10.

Braeden Davis is the last undefeated wrestler at 125 pounds. This weekend, he will wrestle his second-highest-ranked opponent of the season when he takes on No. 7 Drake Ayala of Iowa on Friday night. It will be another test to see if the No. 2 ranking is for real or, more the result of benefitting from chaos ahead of him.

Davis won’t get a chance to wrestle No. 1 Matt Ramos until potentially the Big Ten or NCAA Tournament, so this weekend may be the last opportunity that he will have until the postseason to wrestle a top 10 opponent. Either way, Penn State wrestling should be happy that it once again has a national title contender at 125 pounds.

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