ITHACA, N.Y. – After willing its way to a dual meet win over No. 21 Oklahoma and its third straight New York State championship without half its lineup, the No. 3 Cornell wrestling team will head to the Northeast Duals for three key early matches on Saturday, Nov. 29 at Hudson Valley Community College in Troy, N.Y.
The Big Red will open the weekend with its first-ever meeting with West Virginia at 11:30 a.m., then meets Kutztown for the first time since 1987 when the squads match up at 1:45 p.m. Cornell closes out the day with No. 23 North Carolina State at 3:45 p.m. All three duals will be broadcast live on ESPN 1160 Ithaca with Jeremy Menard on the call, and live video will be available on FloWrestling.
Without four starters, Cornell won four of five bouts after the intermission with the Sooners for a 21-13 victory. Top-ranked
Gabe Dean posted a dominant 17-0, first period tech fall to highlight the comeback – the Big Red trailed 10-7 at the break.
It couldn't get any closer the following day at the New York State championships, as the Big Red held off Hofstra 144.5-144. Cornell claimed three titles in the A bracket, with
Jace Bennett's win in the finals at 197 pounds proving to be the difference. Cornell and Hofstra met at heavyweight with the title on the line, and the Pride needed a tech fall or pin to win the team title. Hofstra's Mike Hughes captured the individual crown at the weight, but the Big Red was able to stake its claim on the team title.
The feature match in the opener against West Virginia will be at 125 pounds, as No. 2
Nahshon Garrett of Cornell will square off with 19th-ranked Zeke Moisey of the Mountaineers. Kutztown brings a 3-1 dual record into the weekend and is ranked No. 13 in Division II. Its top wrestler is heavyweight Ziad Haddad, the 2014 Division II National Wrestler of the Year and the defending national champion. Bo Candelaria is also ranked No. 7 at 165 pounds. The Wolfpack will pose a great challenge to the Big Red with its three nationally ranked wrestlers, including second-ranked Nick Gwiazdowski at heavyweight. Sam Speno is ranked No. 15 at 141 pounds and Pete Renda is No. 17 at 174.
Cornell has been dominant in its dual meets over the last 21 meets, spanning three seasons. The Big Red is 19-2 over that span, with its only losses a 24-15 defeat to then-No. 1 Minnesota last year and a 21-16 defeat to then No. 2 Iowa the season prior. Cornell has outscored its opponents 598-218 (an average win of 28-10). Head coach
Rob Koll, the all-time winningest coach in Big Red wrestling history, sports a 245-80-5 record in dual meets and is approaching his 250th career victory, something only eight coaches in school history has achieved.
Seven Big Red wrestlers entered the season ranked among the top 11 in their respective weight classes, and the healthy lineup will be as deep as it is strong. In all, the Big Red returns nine starters from last season's 13-1 squad that won its 12th straight Ivy League title and its eighth consecutive EIWA crown. Cornell finished seventh at the NCAA championships and crowned three All-Americans, including national runner-up Garrett at 125 pounds and third-place finisher Dean at 184.
