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ITHACA, N.Y.—The No. 4 Big Red wrestling team will round out its Ivy slate this weekend as it welcomes Columbia and Hofstra to East Hill on Saturday afternoon. Cornell will look to secure its 10^th-straight Ivy League title against the Lions at 1 p.m. before taking on the Pride at 3 p.m. in the Friedman Wrestling Center. The Big Red will honors its eight seniors including: team manager Lexy Cook, Quin Leith, Maciej Jochym, Frank Perrelli, Warner Phipps, Derek Schreiner, Cam Simaz and Phillip Smith.

Match No. 9
No. 4 Cornell vs. Columbia
Match Time: Saturday, Feb. 4, 2012 ~ 1 p.m.
Site: Friedman Wrestling Center ~ Ithaca, N.Y.
Records: Cornell (8-0, 4-0 Ivy); Columbia (4-2, 0-0 Ivy)
Last Meeting: Cornell won, 40-3, at New York, N.Y., Feb. 5, 2011
Last Columbia Win: 20-19, at Ithaca, N.Y., Feb. 7, 1986

Match No. 10
No. 4 Cornell vs. Hofstra
Match Time: Saturday, Feb. 4, 2012 ~ 3 p.m.
Site: Friedman Wrestling Center ~ Ithaca, N.Y.
Records: Cornell (8-0, 4-0 Ivy); Hofstra (10-0, 4-0 CAA)
Last Meeting: Cornell won, 45-0, at Hempstead, N.Y., Feb. 5, 2011
Last Hofstra Win: 16-15, at neutral site, Jan. 17, 2004


No. 4 Cornell Probable Lineup:
125: No. 5 Frank Perrelli/Bricker Dixon
133: Nick Arujau
141: No. 17 Mike Nevinger/Joe Stanzione
149: No. 20 Chris Villalonga
157: No. 1 Kyle Dake/Craig Eifert
165: Marshall Peppelman
174: Billy George/Michael Alexander
184: No. 3 Steve Bosak
197: No. 1 Cam Simaz
HWT: Maciej Jochym/Stryker Lane
 
Columbia Probable Lineup:
125: Robert Dyar
133: Kyle Gilchrist
141: Matt Bystol
149: Steve Santos
157: Jake O'Hara
165: Eren Civan/Adam Fondale
174: Stephen West
184: Shane Hughes
197: Nick Mills
HWT: Kevin Lester

Hofstra Probable Lineup:
125: No. 14 Steve Bonanno
133: Jamie Franco
141:  Luke Vaith
149:  Justin Accordino
157:  Tyler Banks
165:  No. 19 P.J. Gillespie
174:  Jermaine John
184:  No.11 Ben Clymer
197:  Tim Murphy
HWT:  Paul Snyder

Scouting the Lions
Columbia heads to East Hill to open its Ivy slate against the Big Red. The Lions are fresh off a 32-12 win over Franklin & Marshall on Friday, Jan. 27. Columbia placed third at the NYS Collegiate Championships the weekend before, where junior Jake O'Hara won the championship at 157 pounds and senior Kevin Lester took the heavyweight title. The Lions had eight total placewinners. Lester leads his team with a 23-7 overall record and is 5-0 in duals this season. At 174 pounds, Stephen West has a 23-10 mark and is 4-1 in duals.

Last Time Out
Last season the Big Red defeated Columbia 40-3 in New York City. Cornell won nine bouts, including seven by bonus points.
125: No. 10 Frank Perrelli (Cornell) maj. dec. 15-7 Penn Gottfried (Columbia) (Cornell, 4-0)
133: No. 6 Mike Grey (Cornell) maj. dec. Matt Bystol (Columbia), 18-7 (Cornell, 8-0)
141: Corey Manson (Cornell) maj. dec. Josh Houldworth (Columbia), 14-5 (Cornell, 12-0)
149: No. 3 Kyle Dake (Cornell) win by fall Tom DiVitantonio (Columbia), 1:35 (Cornell, 18-0)
157: No. 11 DJ Meagher (Cornell) dec. Jake O'Hara (Columbia), 11-5 (Cornell, 21-0)
165: Craig Eifert (Cornell) dec. Eren Civan (Columbia), 9-4 (Cornell, 24-0)
174: No. 3 Mack Lewnes (Cornell) win by fall Stephen West (Columbia), 6:20 (Cornell, 30-0)
184: No. 6 Steve Bosak (Cornell) maj. dec. Nick Mills (Columbia), 10-1 (Cornell, 34-0)
197: No. 1 Cam Simaz (Cornell) win by fall Mike Puhpak (Columbia), 1:14 (Cornell, 40-0)
HWT: Kevin Lester (Columbia) dec. Stryker Lane (Cornell), 5-4 (Cornell, 40-3)
 
Looking at the Pride
Hofstra comes to the Friedman Wrestling Center with a perfect 10-0 record for the season. The Pride's most recent victory was a 23-13 win over Penn on Jan. 29 at the Mack Sports Complex. Hofstra also has wins over three other EIWA teams including Rutgers (26-10), American (22-18) and Army (27-6). The Pride took ninth place as a team at the Southern Scuffle and placed 10^th at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. Cornell and Hofstra wrestlers have met numerous times this season. At 184 pounds, Steve Bosak defeated No. 11 Ben Clymer, 3-0, at the Binghamton Open. At 125 pounds, Frank Perrelli has defeated No. 14 Steve Bonanno twice this season by a 6-5 and 3-1 decision. Marshall Peppelman lost a narrow 2-1 decision to No. 19 PJ Gillespie at the Binghamton Open. At 174 pounds, Billy George defeated Jermaine John, 8-2, at the Las Vegas Invitational. Maciej Jochym and Paul Snyder are 1-1 this season.

Last Season…
The Big Red shut out Hofstra, 45-0, last season at the Mack Events Center. Cornell wrestlers pinned their opponents in four weight classes including Kyle Dake (149), Craig Eifert (165), Mack Lewnes '11 (174) and Cam Simaz (197).
125: No. 10 Frank Perrelli (Cornell) dec. Steve Bonanno (Hofstra), 5-2 (Cornell, 3-0)
133: No. 6 Mike Grey (Cornell) win by forfeit (Cornell, 9-0)
141: Corey Manson (Cornell) dec. Vince Varela (Hofstra), 7-6 (Cornell, 12-0)
149: No. 3 Kyle Dake (Cornell) win by fall Matt Spataro (Hofstra), 1:33 (Cornell, 18-0)
157: No. 11 DJ Meagher (Cornell) dec. Tyler Banks (Hofstra), 9-3 (Cornell, 21-0)
165: Craig Eifert (Cornell) win by fall No. 14 PJ Gillespie (Hofstra), 4:46 (Cornell, 27-0)
174: No. 3 Mack Lewnes (Cornell) win by fall No. 16 Ryan Patrovich (Hofstra), 3:33 (Cornell, 33-0)
184: No. 6 Steve Bosak (Cornell) dec. Ben Clyer (Hofstra), 3-0 (Cornell, 36-0)
197: No. 1 Cam Simaz (Cornell) win by fall Matt Loew (Hofstra), 1:41 (Cornell, 42-0)
HWT: Stryker Lane (Cornell) dec. Paul Snyder (Hofstra), 4-0 (Cornell, 45-0)
 
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 214-74-5 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.

 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. The Big Red is 4-0 in Ivy competition this season and has won 52-straight Ivy League duals.

Being a Good Host
Sunday, Feb. 12, Cornell will welcome Central Michigan, No. 18 Oklahoma, Purdue, No. 21 Illinois and No. 11 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. Tickets are available to purchase at cornellbigredtickets.com

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 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. Fans can also listen to Cornell wrestling live on the radio at 1160espn.com

Winner Winner
Cam Simaz currently holds the fifth spot in the Cornell record books with 132 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. Senior Frank Perrelli ranks 17^th in career wins with 99, while junior Steve Bosak is tied for 18^th with 97.

Racking Up Points
Cam Simaz broke the Big Red record for bonus wins on Sunday, Jan. 29 when he pinned Iowa State's Trevor Voelker in 3:37. Simaz has 92 bonus wins and took over the top spot from Mack Lewnes '11. Junior Steve Bosak is tied for ninth with 60 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.

Down for the Count
Cam Simaz currently ranks second in the Cornell record books in pins with 43. 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^th with 11 pins in 2010. Steve Bosak holds the fifth spot with 32 falls, while Kyle Dake also ranks 13^th in career pins with 22.

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. Senior Frank Perrelli is tied for 17^th with 19 major decisions, while junior Kyle Dake is 20th 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.

Empire State of Mind
The Big Red junior varsity wrestling team finished in second place at the New York State Collegiate tournament on Sunday, Jan. 22 in Newman Arena. Cornell crowned two individual champions with Bricker Dixon (125) and Jace Bennett (197) winning the titles in their respective weight classes. Also placing for Cornell were: Marshall Peppelman (2^nd, 174), Stryker Lane (2^nd, HWT), Joe Stanzione (3^rd, 141), Michael Alexander (4^th, 174), Pete Mesko (4^th, 184), Lukasz Stala (4^th, 197), Ryan Dunphy (5^th, 149).
 
A Close Call…
The 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.

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
 
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.
 
Award Season
Big Red wrestling's Chris Villalonga was named the EIWA Wrestler of the Week on Jan. 23 after upsetting fourth ranked Corey Jantzen on Friday night at 149 pounds. The Big Red sophomore defeated Jantzen 1-0 to help Cornell sail past Harvard, 38-7, in an Ivy League dual. Villalonga went 2-0 for the weekend after following up his stellar Friday performance by pinning Brown's Ricky Bailey in 2:44 on Saturday. With a record of 18-5 for the season, Villalonga broke into InterMat's national rankings this week and is now No. 19 at 149 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.

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.

Next Up…
The Big Red will play host to the first round of the NWCA/Cliff Keen Division I Dual Meet Championships on Sunday, Feb. 12. Cornell will welcome Central Michigan, No. 18 Oklahoma, Purdue, No. 21 Illinois and No. 11 American to Newman Arena for duals at 10 a.m., 12 p.m. and the finals at 2 p.m.