Penn State true freshman rises in national rankings for second time this year after upset win

Spurred in part by a strong afternoon from some newcomers in the lineup, Penn State wrestling earned its first ranked win of the season with a 36-3 victory over No. 23 Lehigh last Sunday. One of those new faces is true freshman Luke Lilledahl, who defeated No. 15 Sheldon Seymour by a 4-1 decision. Gaining momentum in the 125-pound weight class, the upset win moved the new Nittany Lion up the national rankings for a second time this year.

Passing his first major test of his collegiate career, InterMat elevated Lilledahl to No. 12 in its latest 125-pound rankings. The former No. 1 recruit moved into the rankings for the first time at No. 33 after winning by forfeit in his college debut against Drexel. He then jumped all the way up to No. 16 following a 3-0 outing at the Black Knight Invitational.

The upset win over the Mountain Hawks’ Seymour moved Lilledahl to 5-0 on the season. He is quickly approaching the top 10 heading into Sunday’s dual against Wyoming and will have plenty of opportunities to determine whether or not he is a National Championship contender as a true freshman.

With No. 7 Jore Volk not traveling with Wyoming this weekend due to injury, Luke Lilledahl will likely square off against Jack Braman, who is 1-4 this season. While it won’t be the anticipated opportunity to go against an All-American from last spring’s NCAA Championships, the bout will still be the first time that Penn State wrestling fans get to see the true freshman compete before a Bryce Jordan Center crowd.

Sunday’s recently relocated dual will begin at 1 p.m. and can be streamed on B1G+.

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