Tag Archives: Cornell Wrestling

From 'Tough to Unbreakable', Inside Trip Goes Behind the Scenes With Cornell Wrestling

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Taking them from ‘tough to unbreakable’.  That’s what Cornell head coach Rob Koll says his program aims to do with the wrestlers that enter the Big Red room.

What’s the method used to do that?  While most wrestling fans have seen Cornell wrestlers such as Kyle Dake in action, far fewer have witnessed what goes on behind the scenes to produce the kind of success the Ivy League squad has enjoyed, both on the mat and in the classroom, over the years.

Inside Trip, a DVD by Nick Garone and Riccio Productions, looks to change that, giving viewers an opportunity to see beyond the training.

“I was really excited when Nick [Garone] asked if he could do the video because it was another opportunity for us to show the difference between Cornell and almost any other program,” Koll said.  “It gives a deeper perspective into our program and lets people see not just what our team looks like in matches and in postmatch interviews but much more than that.  It lets them really meet our kids and see what they’re like and why they’re successful.”

Indeed, over 15 wrestlers and coaches, ranging from national champions to second or third stringers, provide insights on everything from practices, the academic experience, the camaraderie and the dreaded cold tub.

Freshman Nahshon Garrett tells about why studying for tests is easier than doing plate runs. All-American Mike Nevinger talks about wrestlers being different. Joe Stanzione discusses the full academic and athletic experience.  Kyle Dake talks about total dominance. And so on.

“We were shooting for something that was similar to the NFL Hard Knocks concept,” Garone said. “You get to see everyone working hard but also having a great time. There are a lot of things that people would never see, like the ice tubs and the goofing around in the training room, the fun at dinner. It’s been well received by those who have seen it.”

That’s certainly true of National Wrestling Hall of Fame member Gene Mills, now the head coach at Phoenix High School, who said he was excited to show the Inside Trip video to his wrestlers.

“I thought it was awesome,” Mills said. “It was something that caught my attention from the beginning and I didn’t want to stop watching because I wanted to see what was coming next.  I showed it to my team and it got them really motivated; it pumped them up.  It was great to see what the experience at Cornell is like.  I think kids would like to see what the experience would be like in other schools too.”

They can.

The series has been expanded to include an inside look at ACC squads Duke and Maryland as well as the Grapple at the Garden event. Plans are in the works for a video on Ohio State as well as individuals such as Olympic gold medalist Jordan Burroughs.

But the Inside Trip series began with Cornell, where Big Red 197-pounder Lukasz Stala explains that “there’s never a dull moment” in his student-athlete experience.

As the video shows, that’s how it is when you’re taking wrestlers from tough to unbreakable.  Countless young wrestlers are hoping to make that transition.  Perhaps they can get inspired with the Big Red.

To see the trailer see here or for more information, see here

The Inside Trip Series with Cornell, Duke, Maryland and Grapple at the Garden

Cornell Wins 11th Straight Ivy Title, Comes Back to Beat Hofstra; Plus Army, Binghamton and Buffalo Results

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Cornell picked up two dual victories on the road on Saturday, including a 29-12 win over Columbia in the evening that sealed the Big Red’s 11th consecutive Ivy League championship.

Midway through the opening match against Hofstra it looked like a weekend sweep might not be in the cards as Cornell faced a 15-3 deficit going into the intermission.

Freshman Nahshon Garrett had given the Big Red a 3-0 lead after defeating returning All-American Steve Bonanno 3-1 to begin the dual, however, Hofstra registered wins in the next four bouts. Jamie Franco edged Bricker Dixon at 133 in the tiebreakers, Luke Vaith dominated in the top position in a 5-0 victory over Mike Nevinger at 141, Cody Ruggirello got the crowd excited with a pin over Ryan Dunphy at 149 and Tyler Banks outlasted Jesse Shanaman in multiple overtimes at 157.

“I’m not going to lie – it was a little nerve-racking,” said Cornell assistant coach Damion Hahn. “We definitely didn’t expect to be down like that.  The first five weights, there was a stubbornness in how we wrestled.  It was like the definition of insanity – doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.  There were the same mistakes again and again.  We went back to the locker room and talked about making changes in the next five matches.”

There was an immediate difference after the break. With his team needing a boost, three-time NCAA champion Kyle Dake took the mat and delivered with a first period pin against Nick Terdick.

“Any time you start with Kyle Dake, you’ll get the momentum going,” Hahn said. “He was dominant as usual and got us what we needed.”

Peppelman, Photo by BV

With the deficit now a more manageable six points, the Big Red’s Marshall Peppelman took the mat against Jermaine John at 174 pounds.

The Pride sophomore held a 2-1 lead heading into the third period, but Peppelman notched a pair of takedowns, including one with less than five seconds to go, to capture the pivotal bout by a 5-3 score.

“We saw 174 as a toss up match going in,” Hahn said. “Marshall fell behind but he wrestled hard and stayed focused for the entire match. People don’t get to see how powerful Marshall is because he usually doesn’t take too many risks. But the people in the arena [at Hofstra] saw how explosive he can be.  I mean, he hit a double in the middle of the mat and drove [John] all the way to the edge where he finished.  And then with time running out, he hit another strong attack. In the past, he stopped when his shot was defended. In that match, he showed confidence and finished for the win.”

Cornell trailed 15-12 but it was smooth sailing from there, beginning with a quick fall for defending NCAA champion Steve Bosak at 184 against Taras Luzhnyy.

“I told Steve we needed six right before he went out there and he got the job done,” Hahn said. “I couldn’t be happier with what our veterans, Kyle and Steve, have been doing for us.”

And sophomore Jace Bennett followed suit with a pin of his own.

“Jace has been focused on some key aspects of his wrestling, especially not getting sloppy on top,” Hahn said. “We know he has a lot of talent. He can take down anyone in the country. When he gets on top, he has to focus on not rushing the legs. He needs to get to a good ride, in a dominant position and not force the legs.  That’s gotten him into trouble.  He did a good job staying in control.”

In the final match, Jacob Aiken-Phillips was in a battle with Hofstra senior Paul Snyder when the Pride wrestler injury defaulted.

“The last time [Aiken-Phillips] wrestled Snyder he lost to him at the Binghamton Open last year,” Hahn said. “He’s really good on the mat and when he got on top, he was riding really hard.  I felt like he was gaining momentum.  Unfortunately, Snyder got hurt.”

So, despite some shaky moments early, the Big Red captured the dual by a seemingly comfortable 30-15 score.

“Those last five guys came out and performed when we needed them to,” Hahn said. “Maybe they were a little angry about the first five and rightfully so.  But there are definitely positives we can take away from winning at the end.”

Those positives carried over to the second meet of the day in New York City as the Big Red brought the Ivy title back to Ithaca for the 11th time in a row.

To watch videos of all 10 matches of Cornell vs. Columbia see this link.

Photo by BV

The Big Red never trailed as Garrett opened the event with an 11-1 major decision over Penn Gottfried. Leading the way for Cornell with pins were Dake and Bosak, with Bennett picking up a major at 197.  Mike Nevinger (141), Chris Villalonga (149) and Aiken-Phillips all got their hands raised as well.

In the most dramatic bout of the night, Columbia senior Stephen West recorded a third period fall over Duke Pickett at 174.  The Big Red freshman led for most of the match, but with little time left in the final stanza, West threw Pickett to his back and grabbed six points for the home team.  Also winning for the Lions were Matt Bystol at 133 and Jake O’Hara at 157.

The victory capped off another undefeated conference season for Cornell and 11 straight years at the top of the Ancient Eight.

“We’re a little bit spoiled because we’ve had so many great kids over the past 11 years,” said Cornell head coach Rob Koll. “Sometimes it’s easy to fall into the trap of not appreciating the accomplishments.  We’ve had more losses this year, but we need to be thankful for the victories and not focus only on the defeats. We’re happy to be Ivy League champions again but we know that we have a lot of work to do to get our seventh EIWA title in a row, get to the finals weekend of the National Duals and perform the way we want to at NCAAs.”

Army Hosts All-Academy Championships, Navy Takes First

Army took fourth at the 19th Annual All-Academy Championships held in West Point on Saturday.  The Black Knights were led by four second place finishers – Jordan Thome (133), Tyler Rauenzahn (141), Paul Hancock (165) and Bryce Barnes (197).

Taking bronze for Army were John Belanger (149) and Patrick Marchetti (157).

Navy finished atop the team standings on the strength of seven individual gold medalists.

For more on the All-Academy Championships, see here.

American Tops Binghamton; Kent State Edges Buffalo

Nationally-ranked 149 pounder Donnie Vinson notched another quick pin and Nate Schiedel picked up a technical fall at 197, but it wasn’t enough as American topped the Bearcats, 26-14 in Washington D.C..  Also getting his hand raised for Binghamton was Cody Reed, who won by decision at 184.

For more on the Binghamton dual, see here.

Meanwhile, Buffalo got off to a strong start against Kent State with five wins in the first six bouts.  However, in the 174-pound match, John-Martin Cannon was forced to injury default and the Golden Flashes won the remainder of the contests, including a major decision and a pin to capture a 22-19 triumph.

For more on the Buffalo dual, see here.

Check out the VIDEOS from Cornell's Victory Over Columbia on Saturday Night

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Cornell clinched its 11th consecutive Ivy League title on Saturday night with a dual victory at Columbia.  Check out the matches between the Lions and the Big Red below:

 

165 Pounds: Kyle Dake (Cornell) vs. Josh Houldsworth (Columbia)

 

184 Pounds: Steve Bosak (Cornell) vs. Drew Rebling (Columbia)

 

174 Pounds: Stephen West (Columbia) vs. Duke Pickett (Cornell)

 

125 Pounds: Nahshon Garrett (Cornell) vs. Penn Gottfried (Columbia)

 

141 Pounds: Mike Nevinger (Cornell) vs. Alec Mooradian (Columbia)

 

149 Pounds: Chris Villalonga (Cornell) vs. Ryan Ponte (Columbia)

 

157 Pounds: Jake O’Hara (Columbia) vs. Jesse Shanaman (Cornell)

 

197 Pounds: Jace Bennett (Cornell) vs. Nick Mills (Columbia)

 

133 Pounds: Matt Bystol (Columbia) vs. Bricker Dixon (Cornell)

 

285 Pounds: Jacob Aiken-Phillips (Cornell) vs. Chris Manna (Columbia)

 

Empire State Battles: What to Watch For as Cornell Travels to Hofstra and Columbia

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Last weekend, two New York teams faced each other in a dual for the first time in 2013, with Hofstra easing past Columbia, 23-9.

On Saturday, a few more Empire State battles will take place as Cornell visits Long Island and New York City for meetings with Hofstra at 1 p.m. and Columbia at 6.  The Big Red wrestlers defeated the Pride and Lions by a combined score of 52-21 in 2012 and would clinch their 11th consecutive Ivy League championship with a victory against Columbia.

With the season winding toward March and every match important for postseason seeding and qualification, here are some things we’ll be following throughout the day:

Cornell vs. Hofstra

Ranked Rematches

125: Big Red freshman Nahshon Garrett, now ranked sixth in the country, began to receive national attention back in November after his 13-9 victory over Hofstra All-American Steve Bonanno in the finals of the New York State Intercollegiates.

The Cornell 125-pounder has continued his stellar campaign, with a 29-3 overall mark.  Meanwhile, Bonnano has compiled a 13-7 record against a challenging slate in which he’s faced seven of the nation’s top 20.  He has been on a recent six-bout winning streak. Both wrestlers are threats to make the podium.  How similar will the rematch be to the first meeting?

141: Mike Nevinger and Luke Vaith have both been ranked in the top 10 at times during this campaign. Nevinger still sits at #10 and has looked very sharp at times, including during his run to the Southern Scuffle championship.  Last weekend, however, he dropped a pair of matches against ranked opponents.  Vaith has won five of his last six.  When they met in Ithaca in November, the Cornellian came away with a 1-0 decision. Who will take this one?

Other Postseason Implications

There are a number of weights that feature grapplers fighting for NCAA consideration, with 157, 174 and 285 certainly fitting into that category.

Shanaman, Photo by BV

157: Jesse Shanaman was 30th in the first Coaches’ Panel Rankings. (Those rankings, which include the top 33 in the country, are one of the key components of the NCAA tournament selection criteria).  The former Blair Academy standout will face the Pride’s Tyler Banks, who has recently returned from an injury. Banks is looking to state his case for postseason consideration, a process he began last Sunday when he earned his third straight win by edging Columbia’s Jake O’Hara, a returning qualifier who has spent some of the campaign in the top 20.

285: Both the Pride’s Paul Snyder and the Big Red’s Stryker Lane made the cut in the first Coaches’ Panel Rankings at #25 and #27, respectively.  Both have solid records, which would be bolstered with a victory in the dual meet.  The two squared off in Hempstead in 2011, with Lane taking a 4-0 decision.

174: Jermaine John has started to turn some heads with his recent performances for Hofstra.  He defeated Rider’s James Brundage, who was in the first Coaches’ Panel Rankings, in mid January, and proceeded to win his next five contests.  That included an 8-1 victory over Columbia’s Stephen West, a wrestler who not only was ranked in the top 20 for a portion of the campaign, but who defeated John 6-0 early in the season.  On the Big Red side, the starting nod has gone back and forth between Marshall Peppelman and Duke Pickett.  Peppelman manned the weight two weeks ago while Pickett took over last weekend and notched a major decision against Oregon State.  With the season winding down, one will look to take control and work his way into the postseason picture.  With John trying to do the same, it should be an intriguing match.

Cornell had representatives in the Coaches’ Panel Rankings in all but two weights – the previously discussed 174, and 133.  The latter should be of interest in the dual as Hofstra’s Jamie Franco, a 2012 NCAA qualifier, is looking for a return trip.  He was 8-11 at the end of December but has begun to pick things up, with three consecutive triumphs.  A year ago, he got his hand raised against Cornell and he’ll look to keep his winning streak alive.

 

Cornell vs. Columbia

Villalonga, Photo by BV

Cornell’s quest for an 11th straight Ivy title is a major story here.  But beyond that, we’re looking forward to perhaps the marquee match between Steve Santos and Chris Villalonga at 149.  The two split a pair of close bouts last year, with the Columbia wrestler winning 2-0 in the dual meet and Villalonga responding with a 4-3 decision in the third place bout at the EIWAs.

Santos went on to make the Round of 12 at the NCAAs and has continued on a hot streak that has him ranked eighth in the Coaches’ Panel Rankings (Villalonga is 15th). There will also be implications for EIWA seeding, as Santos currently sits first in the conference while Villalonga is third.

Santos is one of the captains of the Lions this year.  His fellow team leaders, 157 pounder Jake O’Hara and 174 pounder Stephen West will also wrestle compelling matches on Saturday.

O'Hara, Photo by BV

157: As mentioned above, O’Hara was upset against Hofstra and looks to get back on track against Shanaman, another wrestler coming off a tough loss (against Oregon State’s RJ Pena last Sunday).

174: West’s setback against Hofstra’s Jermaine John snapped a five-match winning streak, but the California native still has a 17-5 record for the year and is on track for his first trip to the NCAAs.  Earlier in the year, West topped Peppelman 6-1.  How will he fare against Cornell this time around?

197: In the finals of the New York State Intercollegiates, Jace Bennett dominated Nick Mills on the way to an 8-0 victory.  In a prior round of that tournament, Mills defeated Cornell’s Billy George, 5-3.  It will be interesting to see either of those rematches.  Bennett appeared in the first Coaches’ Panel Rankings in the 24th spot, but it was George who represented the Big Red at this weight last weekend against Penn and Oregon State.  (Bennett did take the mat, but at heavyweight).

And finally . . .

Fans haven’t seen much of Kyle Dake during the conference schedule this year as he has pinned all four opponents with only one match going past the first period.  No matter how long he’s on the mat on Saturday, it will be a treat for spectators to watch one of the best ever in the sport compete in his last Ivy League dual before gearing up for his run at a fourth NCAA championship.

 

From Korea to Cornell: Syosset's Choi Earns Prestigious Scholarship to the Ivy League

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When Dan Choi arrived in the United States, he didn’t know a word of English and he had never stepped on a wrestling mat.

That was just three years ago, but Choi has come a long way.

In a few months, the Syosset senior will head to Cornell University, where he will wrestle for one of the nation’s top teams and begin preparing for his future career, serving his new country.

“I’m very excited about Cornell,” he said. “There are all the things I want. I love math and science and there’s a very good physics major I will be in.  There is also a very good wrestling program and the ROTC.”

Choi said he was one of five recipients in the Northeast of the Navy ROTC Scholarship, which fully covers tuition.

“At Cornell, I’ll be trained as an officer and I’ll work for four years after graduation,” he said. “I would like to be trained for Navy Seals too.  I know it will be tough, but I’m excited about it.”

While Choi said he doesn’t have any connections to the military, he feels a desire to serve.

“I really want to give back to this country,” he said. “I have gotten a good education here that I couldn’t get back in Korea. Moving here changed my life.”

It sure did.

Other than the language barrier, which he said forced him to “look up almost every word” in his books when he first got to New York, he faced other challenges.  For one, he came all the way across the globe by himself.

“I live with a legal guardian, but not immediate family here,” he said.  “We don’t really know each other that well.  My mom is still working in Korea and we talk a few times a week.  But I haven’t seen her for two years.”

In order to make ends meet, Choi began working at a Subway restaurant, a job he still holds today.  But in addition to his time spent in food service and doing homework, he was seeking another extracurricular activity when he arrived.

“I started training in taekwondo when I was seven in Korea,” he said. “I am a black belt in taekwondo and judo.  During my sophomore year, I was looking for a sport and I heard wrestling was similar to judo.  So I asked if I could join.”

He did, but found that wrestling wasn’t that similar to judo after all.

“It was very difficult and very different,” he said. “My experience helped but I didn’t really know the rules for a while so it was hard.”

Despite that, Choi won more than 15 bouts and advanced to the Nassau County Tournament, where he lost his first match.  That summer, he went back to Korea and did some training there.  He also began to work with Vougar Oroudjov at Vougar’s Honors Wrestling.

“Wrestling in the offseason at Vougar’s really helped,” he said. “There are college wrestlers there and that helped me get much better.”

“Dan’s a good kid,” Oroudjov said. “He works at Subway to pay his bills and works very hard in wrestling and school.  He’s very strong physically and he has improved a lot in the past year.”

Courtesy of Dan Choi

The work paid off as Choi showed significant improvement as a junior, compiling a 42-8 record at 182 pounds with 21 falls.  He had more success in the postseason, earning bronze at the Section 8 Tournament.

“I wasn’t surprised that I was third in the county,” he said. “I actually expected more than that.  I was frustrated and disappointed.”

And he thought his season was over.

But shortly afterward, he found out that it wasn’t.  Although he was not originally granted a wildcard bid to the state tournament, an injury to another wrestler gave him a spot in the bracket.

Choi went 2-2 at the Times Union Center, losing to the fifth and sixth place finishers and coming within one victory of making the podium.  But despite the progress he had made in the sport, he wasn’t pleased.

“I was both nervous and excited to wrestle with the best in New York,” he said. “I felt lucky to be there. I wasn’t happy with how I wrestled. I didn’t wrestle the way I normally do. I was too nervous.”

While nerves played a role in his experience on the mat in the state capital, they didn’t come into play during the college selection process.

Choi applied early decision to Cornell and said he wasn’t really considering other schools.  In order to earn his scholarship, he had to interview with military officers.  He said he was much calmer than he was on the mat in Albany.

That calm has carried over to his senior campaign.  He has been an integral part of a banner year for Syosset, which has included the school’s first conference title in over 20 years. And he has enjoyed individual success as well.

Choi is 34-2 overall and all of his victories have been by bonus points. One of his losses came when he bumped up a weight to face one of Nassau’s top 220 pounders, Matt Mott of Lynbrook.  The other, a fall against Nick Weber of Kings Park in the finals at the Syosset Tournament, has stayed on the top of his mind.

“I took [Weber] down twice and was winning 4-2,” he said. “I was at the edge of the circle, close to out of bounds and kind of relaxed. He threw me and pinned me.  I would like to wrestle him again.”

Courtesy of Dan Choi

He was so disgusted that he left the second place medal he received behind when he exited the gym.

However, it was delivered back to him shortly afterwards.

“The father of one my teammates, Mr. Miller, knows my situation and has always helped me,” he said. “He picked up the award for me and told me I should keep it because it means something.  He told me to remember the feeling I had when I got it.”

Choi said he definitely remembers that feeling.  And it helps him as he pushes toward his goal of being a state champion this year.

Not too long ago, Dan Choi didn’t know the first thing about wrestling.  But to see him on the podium in a few weeks wouldn’t be that surprising.

What a difference three years can make.  The next chapter will begin at Cornell.

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Dan Choi wished to thank the Syosset parents, especially Mr. Miller and Mr. Gewolb, as well as his Subway Manager Stephanie.

Cornell Extends Winning Streak Against Penn; Columbia Tops American in Saturday College Action

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Cornell continued its decade-long winning streak in the Ivy League as the Big Red topped rival Penn 24-9 at the Friedman Center on Saturday afternoon. Rob Koll’s squad captured seven of the 10 bouts, including Kyle Dake‘s 11th pin of the season at 165 pounds. Freshman Nahshon Garrett set the tone for the day when he edged fellow top 20 wrestler Mark Rappo 2-1 to begin the meet.

For more on the Big Red’s victory see here.

Columbia Registers Win Over American

American dropped a dual to a New York squad for the second straight day on Saturday. After facing Hofstra on Friday, the Eagles visited Columbia in New York City and the Lions came out on top 24-13.  The Ivy League squad was fueled by bonus points. Nick Mills recorded a pin at 197 while Josh Houldsworth (165), Stephen West (174) and Jake O’Hara (157) all notched major decisions.

For more on Columbia’s victory see here.

Buffalo Drops MAC Contest

Buffalo faced conference foe Ohio on Saturday evening and lost a 26-13 contest. Picking up victories for the Bulls were Max Soria at 125, Erik Galloway at 141, Blake Ruolo at 149 and Mark Lewandowski at 165.

First NCAA Coaches Rankings Revealed; 25 NY Wrestlers Included, Dake First at 165

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The NCAA revealed the first Coaches Panel Rankings for the 2012-13 campaign on Thursday.  25 wrestlers from the six Division I programs in New York were included.

There will be two more sets of these rankings this season and the final version will be used as one of the key components of the selection process for the NCAA tournament, along with winning percentage and rating percentage index (RPI).

Here are the wrestlers currently included:

125:

Nahshon Garrett, Cornell (6th)

Steve Bonanno, Hofstra (19th)

 

133:

Jamie Franco, Hofstra (Tie 27th)

Derek Steeley, Binghamton (Tie 27th)

Jordan Thome, Army (33rd)

 

141:

Photo by BV

Mike Nevinger, Cornell (6th)

Luke Vaith, Hofstra (17th)

Connor Hanafee, Army (30th)

 

 

 

 

149:

Donnie Vinson, Binghamton (3rd)

Steve Santos, Columbia (8th)

Chris Villalonga, Cornell (15th)

Daniel Young, Army (18th)

 

157:

Jake O’Hara, Columbia (17th)

Jesse Shanaman, Cornell (30th)

 

165:

Kyle Dake, Cornell (1st)

Mark Lewandowski, Buffalo (17th)

Paul Hancock, Army (22nd)

 

174:

John-Martin Cannon, Buffalo (16th)

Stephen West, Columbia (22nd)

Coleman Gracey, Army (33rd)

 

184:

Steve Bosak, Cornell (4th)

 

197:

Nate Schiedel, Binghamton (5th)

Jace Bennett, Cornell (24th)

 

285:

Paul Snyder, Hofstra (25th)

Stryker Lane, Cornell (27th)

 

For the full rankings, see here.

Dake, Garrett, Doliscar, Myhrberg Among Leaders in NCAA "Most Dominant" Standings

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At the end of the season, the NCAA will present awards to the Most Dominant Wrestler in Divisions I, II and III as well as the wrestlers with the most pins and technical falls. On Wednesday, the NCAA announced the current standings for each of those categories.

A pair of Cornell wrestlers appear in the Division I rankings. Three-time NCAA champion Kyle Dake sits eighth in the Most Dominant standings and second in pins, with 10. (Ohio State’s Logan Stieber and Kent State’s Dustin Kilgore lead those categories, respectively).

Dake’s freshman teammate Nahshon Garrett is tied for the lead with six technical falls but stands second in that race behind Penn State’s David Taylor because the Nittany Lion has taken less total time to record those tech falls.

In Division III, two New York wrestlers appear in the Most Dominant rankings.  Ithaca’s 174-pound starter Jules Doliscar is seventh while Cortland’s 197-pounder Jared Myhrberg is tied for eighth.

For more details on the standings and the formula for calculating “Most Dominant”, see here for Division I and here for Division III.

 

 

Cornell and Army Win on the Road; Hofstra and Binghamton Each Take Two of Three at CAA Duals

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Cornell moved to 3-0 in the Ivy League with a pair of road victories on Saturday in New England. The Big Red began the day with a 35-6 win at Brown before traveling to Cambridge for a 24-15 triumph over the Crimson.

Leading the way for Cornell were five wrestlers who went 2-0 on the day, including four grapplers who registered a pair of bonus victories.  Kyle Dake didn’t spent too much time on the mat as he recorded two first period pins.  Fellow returning NCAA champion Steve Bosak earned a fall against Harvard’s Josh Popple after majoring Ophir Bernstein of Brown a few hours earlier.  Meanwhile, 125-pounder Nahshon Garrett picked up two major decisions while 149-pounder Chris Villalonga had a successful return from injury, pinning Grant Overcashier of Brown before notching a technical fall against Todd Preston of the Crimson.  Stryker Lane ended both duals with decisions for the Big Red at 285.

Cornell will return home for two meets next weekend, hosting Penn and Oregon State.  For more on Cornell’s wins, see here.

 Binghamton and Hofstra Each Take Two of Three at CAA Duals

Undefeated performances by Donnie Vinson (149), Nate Schiedel (184), Derek Steeley (133), Tyler Deuel (285) and Mike Sardo (125) spurred the Bearcats to wins in two of their three matches on Saturday in Virginia.   Binghamton defeated Drexel (29-14) and George Mason (29-13) while falling against Rider (19-15).

With his third triumph of the day, Vinson moved into a first place tie with Josh Patterson for the most all-time wins in Binghamton history.  The Marathon native will attempt to become the sole record holder when the Bearcats take the mat next weekend.

For more on Binghamton at the CAA duals see here.

Meanwhile, at the same event, Hofstra also went 2-1, topping George Mason and Boston while dropping a dual to Old Dominion.

Leading the way for the Pride were Steve Bonanno (125), Jermaine John (174) and Paul Snyder (285).  All three were undefeated and each picked up crucial bonus points for the team during the course of the day.

 Army Wins Big Over Bucknell

Bucknell got out to a 6-0 lead at home early in Saturday’s dual with Army, but the Black Knights took over from there, winning eight of the nine remaining bouts in a 28-9 victory.  Putting up bonus points for the squad from West Point were Paul Hancock (major decision at 165) and Cole Gracey (injury default at 174).

For more on the dominant win, see here.

 

 

From Friday Night . . . To find out more about Buffalo’s first dual win of the season on Friday night against Eastern Michigan or Columbia’s loss against Bucknell, see Friday’s College Roundup here.

College Roundup: NWCA National Duals, Virginia Duals, Cornell Blanks Princeton

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Cornell Begins Ivy Slate By Blanking Princeton, 42-0

ITHACA, N.Y.—The No. 6 Big Red wrestling team opened in 2012-13 Ivy season off strong on Saturday afternoon, shutting out Princeton 42-0 at home in the Friedman Wrestling Center. Kyle Dake (165), Jace Bennett (197) and Jacob Aiken-Phillips led Cornell with pins, while Mike Nevinger notched a win by technical fall. Freshman Nahshon Garrett also added a bonus point for Cornell with a major decision at 125 pounds.

With the win Cornell improves to 6-2 (1-0 Ivy) on the season, while Princeton fell to 0-8 (0-1 Ivy).

The dual opened at 125 pounds, with Garrett facing Max Rogers. Garrett had a 4-0 lead after the first period with a takedown and two back points. The Big Red freshman racked up 2:42 in riding time in the first. Garrett chose to start the second down and nearly had a reversal but a stalemate was called and brought the action back to center. Garrett settled for an escape and added a takedown midway through the period. Rogers chose to start the third at neutral. Garrett grabbed a double leg takedown, and with 5:03 in riding time, won a 10-0 major decision.

At 133 pounds, sophomore Bricker Dixon took on Andrew Hirai. Dixon had an early takedown and tilted his opponent for three back points. Hirai escaped, but with a double leg, Dixon took him down once again. Dixon immediately reversed his opponent from his starting down position in the second and grabbed another takedown. Hirai chose to start the third down and was awarded a point when Dixon was penalized for locking his hands. Hirai escaped, but with 3:40 in riding time, Dixon won a 12-5 decision.

For more from cornellbigred.com, see here.

Binghamton, Buffalo and Army Compete at the Virginia Duals

Contact: John Hartrick (hartrick@binghamton.edu)

HAMPTON, Va.—Binghamton wrestling (3-8) received a pair of six-point wins from its nationally-ranked duo but dropped the remaining eight bouts in a 30-12 loss to North Dakota State Saturday morning at the Virginia Duals. The defeat ends the tournament for the Bearcats, who split their two matches on Friday to start the event.

Against the Bison, BU dropped an overtime bout and a pair of four-point decisions which might have tightened the outcome.

Senior 197-pound Nate Schiedel provided the highlight of the match with his second pin in as many days. Schiedel, No. 6 in the latest InterMat rankings, needed just 1:24 to put Kallen Kleinschmidt to his back and end the encounter. Schiedel improved to 18-2 overall, 11-0 in duals.

Earlier, No. 7 Donnie Vinson received a forfeit win at 149 to also remain undefeated in duals. Vinson, who won twice on Friday, including a 6-3 decision over the No. 6 wrestler in the country, lifted his record to 21-1, 11-0 in duals.

The Bearcats will remain in Virginia all week training for the CAA Duals, hosted by George Mason next Saturday. There, BU will face the host Patriots, Rider and Drexel.

For more on Binghamton’s Virginia Duals results, see here.

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HAMPTON, VA – The Buffalo wrestling team dropped both matches Friday at the Virginia Duals tournament, forcing the team into an early exit from the event. The Bulls (0-5) lost to Boise State (2-5) 29-9 in the first round, and then was edged 20-16 by Bucknell (3-6) in the consolation bracket.

Wrestling with a shuffled lineup, the team hung tough with the Broncos, who were receiving votes in the NWCA top 25 at the beginning of the week. Max Soria opened with an 8-5 decision over Rami Haddadin, and Erik Gallowayreturned to the lineup at his new 141 pound weight to win 10-5 over Travis Himmelman. Then, down 9-6, Mark Lewandowski tied up the dual with a 9-2 win over Holden Packard. Boise State would finish with wins in the final four matches, including bonus points at 184, 197, and heavyweight.

Then in the consolation round, the Bulls were forced to rally against the Bison, losing the first four matches of the dual in close affairs. Five different UB wrestlers competed at brand-new weight classes due to severe depth issues, but three would pull of wins in their new divisions to lead the way. Blake Roulo snapped the team out of its slump in a big way in the 157-pound bout, winning 16-1 over Vincent Favia for a five-point technical fall (the first of his career in a dual meet). That would be the first of four straight wins for UB, giving the team a 16-12 lead in the team score.

For more from buffalobulls.com, see here.

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HAMPTON, Va. – Senior Connor Hanafee pinned his opponent at 141 pounds and two other Black Knights recorded wins by decision, but the Army wrestling team fell to 17th-ranked Boise State, 24-12, in the consolation quarterfinals at the 33rd annual Virginia Duals on Saturday at Hampton Coliseum.

Boise State (3-5) posted wins by decision in the first two bouts, but Hanafee drew Army (3-4) even when he pinned Ben DeMuelle in 2 minutes, 38 seconds.

The Broncos won five of the final seven bouts, however, to clinch the match. The loss eliminates Army from the Virginia Duals. The Black Knights posted a 1-2 mark at the event.

Junior Paul Hancock edged Holden Packard (1-0) in the 165-pound bout, and freshman Bryce Barnes upended Cody Dixon (7-2) at 197 pounds to account for Army’s other two wins.

Army returns to action on Saturday, Jan. 19, when the Black Knights travel to Lewisburg, Pa., to face EIWA rival Bucknell. The conference dual match is set to get under way at 4 p.m.

Match Notes: Army falls to 0-1 all-time versus Boise State … Paul Hancock improves to 7-0 in dual matches this season … Hancock boasts a team-best 20 wins this year (20-7) … Hancock and Bryce Barnes both authored perfect 3-0 records at the Virginia Duals.

goarmysports.com talks about the dual with Citadel here

goarmysports.com talks about the dual with Edinboro here

 NWCA National Duals – Cortland Takes Fourth

SPRINGFIELD, ILL. – The nationally third-ranked Cortland wrestling team finished fourth at the 16-team NWCA/Cliff Keen Div. III National Duals after dropping a 26-19 decision to second-ranked Elmhurst College in the semifinals and losing to fifth-ranked Centenary College (N.J.), 20-18, in the third-place match. The Red Dragons went 2-2 at the tournament, which featured the top 10 ranked teams in the country, and are now 11-2 on the season.

For more from cortlandreddragons.com, see here.

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SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – The Ithaca College wrestling team defeated eighth-ranked Coe and fell to top-ranked Wartburg and 30th-ranked Wesleyan at the NWCA Division III National Duals on Saturday. The Bombers are 5-3 in duals this season, and five of Ithaca’s eight duals have come against nationally-ranked opponents. Ithaca returns to action next weekend, with a Friday afternoon dual match against Waynesburg and the Empire Collegiate Wrestling Conference tournament on Saturday. Jules Doliscar (Dix Hills/Holy Trinity) was 3-0 on the day for the Bombers and Ricky Gomez (Brentwood/Brentwood) was 2-0 in his bouts.

For more from the Ithaca College website, see here.

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Niagara County Community College advanced to the semifinals in the NJCAA National Duals before losing to Labette, the eventual champion.