Why Didn’t Braeden Davis Wrestle Against Iowa? Penn State Wrestling HC Carl Sanderson Explains

Originally posted on Nittany Sports Now | By Joe Smeltzer | Last updated Feb 1, 2025 1:14 AM ET

Plenty of Penn State wrestling fans were surprised that Braeden Davis didn’t wrestle against Iowa, and coach Cael Sanderson explained why afterward.

Sanderson explained that Davis, who’s ranked No. 7 at 133 by Intermat, was “banged up” from last week’s dual meet at Rutgers.

Davis has a tough opponent that night in No. 9 Dylan Shawver and grinded out a 2-1 win.

He would have had another tough opponent in Iowa’s Drake Ayala but didn’t get to wrestle him. Ayala is ranked No. 3, and Davis battled him in a 4-2 loss last season when both were at 125 pounds.

A healthy Davis would have had a shot against Ayala but alas, it wasn’t to be.

Instead, Kurt McHenry wrestled for Penn State and lost 19-4 in a tech fall

Here’s what Sanderson said about the decision to not have Davis wrestle.

WHAT CAEL SAID

Photo by Penn State Athletics: Cael Sanderson

“(Davis was) just a little banged up from a week ago,” Sanderson said. “Kurt’s a little undersized, obviously. He’s competes hard, is a great wrestler and he wanted that shot. So we gave it to him. Obviously, that was a tall order… But Davis was just a little banged up from last week, so we figured it’d be in his best interest.”

WILL DAVIS BE BACK NEXT WEEK?

Photo by Penn State Wrestling: Braeden Davis

So will Davis wrestle in Penn State’s next dual meet Friday evening against Michigan, which is again at the Bryce Jordan Center? Sanderson didn’t confirm, but “just a little banged up” implies that he’ll be ready to go. We‘ll see what happens.

No. 1 Penn State is scheduled to take on No. 19 Michigan at 6 Friday night on the Big Ten Network.

This article first appeared on Nittany Sports Now and was syndicated with permission.

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