True freshman Penn State wrestling star continues rapid rise in national rankings

Penn State wrestling is off to a 7-0 start and appears to be on its way to a third consecutive national title. A key part of the Nittany Lions’ success has been a collection of freshmen performing well above expectations in their first seasons in the Blue and White. Particularly at 125 pounds, Braeden Davis continues to rise in the rankings, moving up yet again after last weekend’s results.

Braeden Davis moves into top 3 of national rankings

Braeden Davis has been the star that Penn State wrestling has been longing for at 125 pounds. The true freshman is finally the wrestler who gives the Nittany Lions a chance to compete in every dual and not just have a throwaway loss to start. This past weekend, Davis cruised to a 15-0 tech fall win at the 2:47 mark of the first period over Maryland’s Tommy Capul.

The win improved the freshman’s record to 13-0 on the year. As a result, Braeden Davis moved up to No. 3 in the latest rankings at 125 pounds by InterMat. He is the only remaining undefeated wrestler in the weight class.

The move can be credited to a loss from No. 2 Luke Stanich of Lehigh, who fell to high school sophomore Jax Forrest at Mat-Town 2 in Lock Haven last weekend. Stanich’s loss is evidence of just how wide open and unpredictable the 125 class is this season.

Penn State true freshman in the thick of the national championship hunt

We will find out a lot more about Braeden Davis in the coming weeks. This Friday, he will face fellow freshman No. 24 Brendan McCrone of Ohio State.

The bigger test will be next weekend, when the Nittany Lions travel to Iowa City to take on the Iowa Hawkeyes. There Davis will face No. 5 Drake Ayala in his own building.

The top two wrestlers ahead of Davis right now are No. 1 Matt Ramos (Purdue) and No. 2 Eric Barnett (Wisconsin). The Big Ten Tournament will be an absolute bloodbath. Any combination of Ramos, Barnett, Davis, and Ayala will have an opportunity to win the title.

Whoever wins the Big Ten will certainly be the favorite to win the national title hunt, and most likely will be the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Braeden Davis will get his opportunities, but right now, all he can do is just keep on winning.

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