Match Notes vs. Penn, Princeton
Countdown to Nationals
The Big Red wrestling team enters the weekend ranked sixth in the nation by the InterMat Division I poll. Cornell has seven wrestlers ranked individually with freshman Kyle Dake (141) and returning All-American Mack Lewnes (174) leading the country at their weight classes. The Big Red returns five All-Americans and seven NCAA qualifiers as the Big Red continues its Ivy dominance, looking to extend its stretch of consecutive Ivy titles to seven. Cornell has won 39 consecutive contests against league competition.
Scouting the Competition
Penn is off to a 2-0 Ivy start with victories over Brown and Harvard and brings an 8-4 overall mark into the weekend. The Quakers are on a four-match win streak with three straight coming by at least 20 points. Penn has four ranked wrestlers, including No. 9 Cesar Grajales at 149 pounds. The Quakers will be looking to improve on last year's third-place effort at the EIWA championship. The Tigers, who will wrestle Columbia earlier on Saturday, bring an 8-8 record into the weekend and have won four straight, including getting out to a 2-0 Ivy record with wins over Harvard and Brown on the road. The 35-10 victory over the Crimson on Feb. 6 snapped a six-year conference winless streak. While no wrestlers are ranked in the top 20, Garrett Frey (brother of late Big Red standout Adam Frey) has been a standout at 125 pounds, winning 23 matches.
The Series
Cornell has had great success against both Penn and Princeton in the long history of all three programs. The Big Red has a 76-21-1 all-time record vs. the Quakers and are riding a seven-match win streak, including last year's 24-9 victory in Ithaca. Cornell also sports a 47-15 record in a series dating back to 1907-08. The Big Red extended its win streak in the series to 23 straight with last year's 54-0 victory. Princeton has been shut out in each of the last five matches against the Big Red, with Cornell claiming wins by an average score of 49-0.
The Matchups
Of Cornell's seven ranked wrestlers, only two will face nationally foes in contests during the weekend. At 174 pounds, No. 1 Mack Lewnes of Cornell is scheduled to meet No. 17 Scott Griffin on Penn, while No. 16 Justin Kerber will match up with No. 18 Gabriel Burak at 165 pounds. A pair of unranked Big Red wrestlers will have an opportunity to spring upsets, as Corey Manson will face Penn's ninth-ranked Cesar Grajales at 149 pounds and John Basting will meet No. 15 Matt Dragon at 157 pounds later in the meet.
The Fall Guys
With 11 falls so far this season, junior Mack Lewnes has earned 37 career pins to tie former teammate Steve Anceravage '09 for the school record. Senior Troy Nickerson ranks in third place with 32. Lewnes pinned both of his opponents last weekend in a combined 5:55.
Century of Success
Junior Mack Lewnes will be looking to become the 12th wrestler in school history to surpass 100 career wins. He enters the two dual matches with a 99-7 record and would tie former NCAA finalist Tyler Baier '05 with 100 career victories. His .934 winning percentage is third all-time at Cornell behind Dave Auble '60 (.981, 51-1). Only Auble and Travis Lee '05 (.917, 143-13) graduated with a better than .900 winning percentage, while senior Troy Nickerson currently ranks second with his 86-6 mark (.935).
Start at the Top
Senior Troy Nickerson has only wrestled in nine matches this season, going 8-1 while injury defaulting against No. 1 Angel Escobedo of Indiana at the Southern Scuffle. He has pinned four of his opponents, including No. 5 Andrew Long of Iowa State.
A Streak Of Ivy
Cornell brings a 39-match win streak against Ivy League foes into this weekend's contests against Penn and Princeton. Cornell extended the run with last weekend's 37-3 win over Columbia.
Ivy Win Streaks ... Take Two
Cornell's four returning wrestlers ranked in the top 12 nationally all have sported perfect career records in Ivy League dual matches. Troy Nickerson is 14-0 with six wins by fall, while Mike Grey is 11-0. Mack Lewnes is perfect in seven matches, while Cam Simaz is 6-0.
NCAA Ready
Cornell ranks sixth in the Intermat/NWCA dual meet rankings, but with 76.5 points as calculated by the team's individual rankings, the Big Red places third in the NCAA tournament rankings.
Top Of The Heap
Cornell has placed in the top 10 as a team at the NCAA championships in five of the last seven seasons. Prior to 2003, the Big Red had just three top 10 team finishes since 1960.
All Things Ivy
With another 5-0 season against Ancient Eight foes, the Big Red won its seventh-straight Ivy League title last season. Cornell had eight wrestlers earn All-Ivy honors. Mack Lewnes was named Ivy League Wrestler of the Year, while Cam Simaz earned Ivy League Rookie of the Year honors. Lewnes and Simaz were joined by Troy Nickerson, Mike Grey and Steve Anceravage '09 on the first-team. DJ Meagher, Jordan Leen '09 and Justin Kerber all earned a second-team nod.
In A Great State
The Big Red took home its seventh New York State team championship in program history with 194 points, easily outdistancing Army (158) for the title. Individual crowns were taken home by Frank Perelli (125), Mike Grey (133), Colin McDonald (174), Cam Simaz (197) and Taylor Moore (HWT).
Cornell at the Scuffle
Cornell captured its second-straight team title at the Southern Scuffle Dec. 29-30. Kyle Dake (141), Mack Lewnes (174) and Cam Simaz (197) all captured individual titles. Additionally, Lewnes was named the tournament's Outstanding Wrestler. Troy Nickerson (125) took second after a cautious injury default in the finals. Other place winners included Mike Grey (133, 3rd), Justin Kerber (165, 5th) and Steve Bosak (184, 5th), and Josh Arnone (HWT, 6th). Cornell totaled 164.00 points to defeat second-place Minnesota (151.50) and third-place Indiana (131.50).
What Happens in Vegas…
The Big Red wrestling team placed second at the Las Vegas Invitational where Mack Lewnes won the individual title at 174 pounds. Five other Big Red wrestlers placed in their respective weight classes including Mike Grey (2nd, 133), Cam Simaz (3rd, 197), Kyle Dake (4th, 141), Steve Bosak (5th, 174) and Frank Perrelli (5th, 125). Cornell finished with 121.5 team points just one point behind team champions Ohio State (122.5)
Lewnes Earns EIWA Wrestler of the Week
Mack Lewnes was named EIWA wrestler of the week on Dec. 7 after winning the title at 174 pounds at the Las Vegas Invitational. Lewnes went 5-0 for the weekend with three bonus wins to help the Big Red to finish in second place as a team. The Big Red junior opened the tournament with two wins by major decision and one victory by fall. In the semifinals, he defeated Oklahoma's Jeff James, 7-3. The Big Red junior won his second-straight individual title in as many tries with a 5-3 victory over Nebraska's Stephen Dwyer in the finals. Lewnes won the title at the Reno Tournament of Champions as a freshman at 165 pounds. Lewnes is 15-0 for the season with nine bonus wins.
At the Helm
Rob Koll, the David R. Dunlop '59 Head Coach of Wrestling, is in his 17th season as mentor of the Cornell wrestling program. In that time, Koll has amassed a 189-72-5 overall record in duals and has led the Big Red to 10 Ivy League titles. Cornell has captured three EIWA team championships and earned 27 EIWA individual titles. Koll, a four-time All-American and former NCAA champion, has helped Big Red wrestlers to capture five individual NCAA titles and 31 All-America honors.
Winner, Winner
Rob Koll has directed his team to 189 dual meet victories, second all-time at Cornell behind Jimmy Miller, who registered 203 victories from 1948-74. Koll has coached a Cornell-best five NCAA champions and 31 All-Americans.
Binghamton Open
Cornell had 25 wrestlers competing unattached at the Binghamton Open, and the Big Red captured the title at five weight classes. Winning the championship in their respective weight classes were Mike Grey (133), Kyle Dake (141), Mack Lewnes (174), Steve Bosak (184) and Cam Simaz (197). Seven other wrestlers also placed for the Big Red including Tyler Biscaha (fourth, 125), Corey Manson (sixth, 149), Derek Schreiner (fourth, 157), Nate Holley (second, 184), Taylor Moore (second, HWT), Stryker Lane (third, HWT) and Josh Arnone (fourth, HWT). Big Red wrestlers picked up bonus points in 30 matches, with 13 winning by fall.
State of the Program
Cornell's 37 wrestlers on the active roster come from 20 different states. Big Red wrestlers come from California, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington. The Big Red also has a wrestler from Washington, D.C.
Next Up
Cornell will continue Ivy League play on Friday, Feb. 19 when it meets Brown at 7 p.m. in the Friedman Wrestling Center, then faces Harvard on Saturday, Feb. 20 at 3 p.m.
