Scouting the Crimson
Harvard enters the weekend ranked No. 24 in the country by InterMat. The Crimson is coming off a 1-2 record at the Lone Star Duals last weekend. Harvard defeated Air Force, 27-12, but fell to No. 7 Oklahoma (28-9) and Appalachian State (22-21). The Crimson has three wrestlers ranked in the top 15 of their respective weight classes. At 157 pounds, Walter Peppelman is ranked No. 5 and earned EIWA Wrestler of the Week Honors after going 3-0 at the Lone Star Duals. Corey Jantzen is ranked seventh at 149 pounds, while Steven Keith is 13^th at 133.

Last Time Out
Last season the Big Red defeated Harvard, 40-9, in Cambridge, Mass. on Feb. 19, 2011. Harvard won two bouts, with Steven Keith defeating Frank Perrelli 4-3 in a tie breaker at 125 pounds, while Walter Peppelman won by fall in 6:30 over DJ Meager at 157.

Looking at the Bears
Brown brings a 2-4 record into the weekend and will wrestle at Sacred Heart on Friday before heading to East Hill. The Bears two wins for the season come from Franklin & Marshall and Millersville. Last weekend, Brown went 0-2 at the Lone Star Duals with losses to Air Force and Appalachian State.

AT THE HELM
Rob Koll, the David R. Dunlop ’59 Head Coach of Wrestling, begins his 19th season as mentor of the Cornell wrestling program. In that time, Koll has amassed a 211-74-5 overall record in duals and has led the Big Red to 12 Ivy League titles. Cornell has captured five EIWA team championships and earned 36 EIWA individual titles. Last season he helped Cornell to its first ever National Duals title Jan. 8-9, 2011 in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Koll, a four-time All-American and former NCAA champion, has helped Big Red wrestlers to capture seven individual NCAA titles and 40 All-America honors.

A Close Call…
The No. 5 ranked Cornell wrestling team defeated No. 24 Binghamton on Jan. 15 in a 22-21 nail biter that came down to criteria for the win. The dual was tied at 21-21 after 10 matches with each team winning five bouts apiece. Each team also had a pin and a technical fall, but Cornell came away with the win after scoring more points in individual matches than Binghamton.

Follow the Action
Fans can follow the Big Red throughout the season by Twitter. Cornell coaches will keep fans updated match-by-match throughout the tournament at http://www.twitter.com/bigredwrestling. Another great way to follow the Big Red throughout the season is to become a fan on Facebook. The team reached its goal of 10,000 fans this summer.

Down South
Two-time NCAA champion Kyle Dake won his third-straight Southern Scuffle title to start the new year off on the right foot. Dake took first at 157 pounds after earning titles at 141 and 149 pounds in 2010 and 2009, respectively. The Big Red junior shut out Penn State’s No. 10 Dylan Alton, 3-0, in the finals to go 6-0 for the weekend. Cornell placed a total of nine wrestlers in the top eight of their respective weight classes. At 184 pounds, junior Steve Bosak took second after losing by decision to returning NCAA champion Quinton Wright of Penn State. At 197 pounds, Cam Simaz placed second after a medical forfeit before the championship bout. Also placing for Cornell was Bricker Dixon (8^th, 125), Frank Perrelli (3^rd, 125), Mike Nevinger (7^th, 141), Chris Villalonga (5^th, 149), Craig Eifert (8^th, 149) and Marshall Peppelman (7^th, 165).

Mat Town Open
Over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, eight Big Red grapplers headed to the Lock Haven Mat Town USA Open. Eight wrestlers placed in the top six including: Nick Pena (3rd, 133), Joe Stanzione (6th, 141), Ryan Dunphy (3rd, 149), Michael Alexander (5th, 174), Lukasz Stala (3rd, 197), Stryker Lane (1st, HWT) and Oney Snyder (5th, HWT).

Second Straight Title
The Big Red wrestling team won the team title at the Body Bar Invitational after crowning three champions. Kyle Dake (157), Billy George (174) and Steve Bosak (184) all won titles in their individual weight classes. Frank Perrelli (125) and Mike Nevinger (141) both took second, while Joe Stanzione (133), Craig Eifert (149) and Marshall Peppelman(165) placed fifth. Heavyweight Maciej Jochym finished in sixth place

All Things Ivy
With another 5-0 season against Ancient Eight foes, the Big Red won its ninth-straight Ivy League title last season. Cornell had an impressive 10 wrestlers earn All-Ivy honors.Cam Simaz was named Ivy League Wrestler of the Year. Simaz was joined by Frank Perrelli (125), Mike Grey ’11 (133), Kyle Dake (149), Mack Lewnes ’11 (174), Steve Bosak(184) on the first-team. Corey Manson ’11 (141) and DJ Meagher (157) earned second-team nods, while Stryker Lane was honorable mention at heavyweight.

Sin City
Junior Kyle Dake won the individual title at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational at 157 pounds, Dec. 2-3. The two-time NCAA champion defeated Nebraska-Kearney’s TJ Hepburn, 4-0, in the championship bout. Steve Bosak (184) and Frank Perrelli (125) each took second in their respective weight classes. Sophomore Mike Nevinger placed eighth at 141 pounds.

On My Honor…
Kyle Dake earned his second EIWA Wrestler of the Week honor on Jan. 3 after winning his third-straight Southern Scuffle title. Dake won all six of his matches at the Scuffle without allowing a single offensive point. He notched three pins and added a major decision to help Cornell to a fourth place team finish. In the finals, Dake shut out No. 10 Dylan Alton of Penn State, 3-0.

EIWA Wrestler of the Week
Kyle Dake was named the first EIWA Wrestler of the Week for the 2011-12 season on Dec. 5. He won the award after charging his way through the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational to win the championship at 157 pounds. With a 4-0 record on the weekend, he recorded two falls and never had an offensive point scored against him.

Being a Good Host
On Jan. 21-22, the Big Red will play host to the New York State Intercollegiate championships with the junior varsity competing against the best teams in the state. Action will take place in Newman Arena. Sunday, Feb. 12, Cornell will welcome Central Michigan, Oklahoma, Purdue, Illinois and American to Newman Arena as a regional location for the NWCA/Cliff Keen Division I National Dual Meet championship. There are four regional competitions from which the final team from each location will advance to the championship on Feb. 19. The final event will be held on one of the final team’s campuses.

London Calling
Former Cornell wrestler Mack Lewnes ’11 has qualified for the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for wrestling. Lewnes qualified after placing second at 84 kg at the Men’s Freestyle Olympic Trials Qualifier on Saturday at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The Olympic Team trials will be held at the Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa, April 21-22. Lewnes is the all-time winningest wrestler in Cornell history with 150 victories. He also tops the charts with 55 career falls. Lewnes is a three-time All-American, and was the NCAA runner up at 174 pounds in 2010. He is a four-time EIWA champion.

Down for the Count
Cam Simaz currently ranks second in the Cornell record books in pins with 41. He is second only to Mack Lewnes ’11, who holds the top spot with 55. The Big Red senior is tied for the top spot in pins in a season after finishing 2010-11 with 17. He is tied with Steve Anceravage ’09, who pinned 17 opponents during his junior season. Simaz is also 10^thwith 11 pins in 2010. Kyle Dake also ranks 13^th in career pins with 22.

Winner Winner
Cam Simaz currently holds the fifth spot in the Cornell record books with 129 victories. Mack Lewnes ’11 ranks first with 150 wins. Simaz is also tied for the top spot in wins in a season with 42 in 2010. He is tied with current volunteer assistant coach Mike Grey ’11, who totaled 42 victories during the 2007-08 season.

Racking Up Points
Cam Simaz is second in the Big Red record books in bonus wins with 89. Mack Lewnes ’11 ranks first with 91. Junior Steve Bosak ranks 10^th with 57 bonus wins. Simaz also holds the record for the most bonus wins in a season with 32 in 2010. He also is tied for fifth with his 25 bonus wins last season. Bosak is tied for 19^th with 21 wins in 2011.

That’s Major!
Cam Simaz is tied for 9^th in the Cornell records with 26 career major decisions. Teammate Steve Bosak is 16^th with 21. Junior Kyle Dake and senior Frank Perrelli are tied for 19^th with 18. Volunteer assistant coach Mike Grey holds the third spot with 37.

Winning Percentage
Junior Kyle Dake is second in the Cornell record books in career winning percentage at 95.59%. Dake has an 87-4 overall record. Two-time NCAA champion Dave Auble holds the top spot with 98.08%. Auble was 51-1 from 1957-60. Dake is also third in career dual win percentage at 96.55%. He has a 28-1 record.

Next Up…
Cornell will travel to Ames, Iowa next weekend to wrestle at No. 16 Iowa State. Cornell will take on the Cyclones on Sunday, Jan. 29 for a 1 p.m. CT start.