Penn State wrestling: Budding true freshman star ascends into top 4 of national rankings

Penn State wrestling won its 50^th consecutive dual this past weekend after a 35-0 drubbing of Michigan State on Sunday. On Tuesday, 125-pounder true freshman Braeden Davis made a huge leap in the latest InterMat Rankings. Now among the top four in his weight class, does this new ranking make the Nittany Lions‘ rising star a legitimate national title contender?

Braeden Davis vaults into the top 4 of latest InterMat Rankings

Braeden Davis is the lone remaining undefeated wrestler in the 125-pound weight class. The true freshman improved to 12-0 last weekend with wins over No. 5 Michael DeAugustino (Michigan) and Tristan Lujuan (Michigan State). He currently has a 58.33% bonus percentage in those 12 matches. Davis went from unranked to No. 14 heading into this past weekend’s results.

After his upset of DeAugustino, Davis has now jumped up 10 spots to No. 4 in the latest ranking for 125 pounds by InterMat. It has been a meteoric rise for the true freshman, who finally looks to be the wrestler to break the Penn State wrestling curse at 125.

The Nittany Lions have often gone down early in duals the past few seasons because of the lack of depth at 125, and typically don’t qualify someone at that weight class for the NCAA Tournament. This year appears to be different, and could widen the gap more in the final team standings in March.

Does Penn State wrestling have a national championship contender at 125?

With his new ranking, Braeden Davis should officially be considered a contender to win the national title at 125. No wrestler has seemingly taken control in the weight class, and the NCAA Tournament will be unpredictable. Currently, Matt Ramos of Purdue is in the top spot with a 17-3 record. He knocked off previous No. 1 Drake Ayala of Iowa this past weekend.

The only two Big Ten wrestlers ranked ahead of Davis are Ramos and Eric Barnett of Wisconsin. Davis won’t face either in the regular season, so a matchup would most likely take place in the Big Ten Tournament.

As of now, the true freshman has three top 16 opponents left on the dual schedule: No. 5 Drake Ayala (Iowa), No. 16 Dean Peterson (Rutgers), and No. 12 Caleb Smith (Nebraska). The Ayala matchup will be his biggest challenge remaining in the dual season and will take place on the road at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on February 9. 

Thank you for reading Basic Blues Nation, the market’s fastest-growing Penn State sports outlet. Please follow us on Facebook and Twitter for the latest news and insights on your favorite Penn State athletics. For feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email us at basicbluesnation@gmail.com or direct message us on our social media. Also, be sure to check out our new site shop. It’s due to your support that we can proudly claim a readership of over 3.5 million in our first year of operation.