Nickerson and Simaz Sweep EIWA Honors
3/23/2009 5:01:26 PM
ITHACA, N.Y.—Cornell wrestling’s Troy Nickerson and Cam Simaz swept the EIWA end of season awards it was announced on Monday. Nickerson was named the EIWA Wrestler of the Year after winning the NCAA title at 125 pounds, while Simaz was named EIWA Freshman of the Year. Simaz earned All-America honors at 197 pounds after placing eighth.
Nickerson finished the season with a perfect 25-0 record. He opened his NCAA tournament by pinning Michigan’s Mike Watts in 5:51. Nickerson won by an 11-0 major decision over Hofstra’s Steve Bonanno, 11-0, to advance to the quarterfinals where he pinned No. 7 Joey Fio (Oklahoma) in 14 seconds. In the semifinals, the three-time All-American won by a 2-1 decision over No. 3 Angel Escobedo of Indiana. Nickerson won the NCAA title with a 2-1 tiebreaker win over No. 1 Paul Donahoe of Edinboro. Nickerson is a three-time first-team All-Ivy honoree, and he won the EIWA title for the second time this season. He was a runner-up at the NCAA tournament as a freshman (2006) and placed third in 2007 as a sophomore. Nickerson missed the 2008 season due to injury.
Simaz went 4-3 at the NCAA tournament to place eighth and become an All-American at 197 pounds. The rookie won the EIWA championships to qualify for the NCAAs. He entered the tournament unseeded and opened with a 5-3 win over No. 11 Andrew Anderson of Northern Iowa. Simaz lost to No. 6 Max Askren, but rallied to win three-straight matches to earn All-America status. Leading the team in wins, the freshman ends his season with a 37-11 record.