STORY LINES:
• Eighth-ranked Cornell will compete in the 2016 Grapple at the Garden on Sunday, Nov. 27 at Madison Square Garden.
• You can watch Sunday's dual meets live with a subscription to FloWrestling.com.
• The Big Red will open the day looking for its 13th consecutive win over Hofstra at 10:30 a.m. before competing in one of the signature duals of the day against No. 10 Rutgers at 12:30 p.m.
• Cornell has competed in the event each of the previous four seasons, going 4-4.
• The Big Red is coming off a strong weekend, opening dual meet season with a shorthanded 18-15 win over Buffalo on Saturday before easily claiming its fifth consecutive New York State Intercollegiate championship on Sunday.
• Despite missing seven starters, Cornell crowned four champions and had six total finalists.
• Two-time NCAA champ Gabe Dean (184 pounds) won his fourth New York state title with four straight pins, becoming the second Cornellian andf fourth wrestler overall to graduate with four state intercollegiate championships.
• Freshman Noah Baughman (125) and sophomores Will Koll (141) and Brandon Womack (165) each won their first state intercollegiate crowns.
• The Big Red has big goals — Cornell is eyeing yet another top five effort with a handful of wrestlers with national championships and All-America finishes in their sights.
• Dean headlines an experienced and talented lineup that includes two-time All-American and 2015 national runner-up Brian Realbuto (174) and 2016 All-American Dylan Palacio (157).
• NCAA qualifiers Dalton Macri (125), Mark Grey (133), Joey Galasso (149), Owen Scott (197) and Jeramy Sweany (HWT) also return, giving Cornell eight returners who have competed at the national tournament.
• Cornell has done most of its damage so far despite not having the services of starters Dalton Macri (125), Dylan Palacio (157), Brian Realbuto (174), Owen Scott (197) and Jeramy Sweany (285) - the five have wrestled just six matches between them so far this season (4-2).

THE STREAKS:
• Cornell has won 10 consecutive EIWA team titles, the longest streak in conference history.
• Head coach Rob Koll's teams have racked up 14 Ivy League titles in a row, the longest title streak in any sport in conference history.
• Cornell has won 73 consecutive Ivy League dual meets dating back to the 2001-02 campaign.
• The Big Red has crowned at least one EIWA champion in each of the last 15 seasons and in 25 of the last 26 years.
• The Big Red is 50-1 (.980) in its last 51 duals against current EIWA competitors dating back to 2010-11.
• Cornell is 89-4-1 (.952) in dual meet action against current EIWA teams dating back to 2004-05, including 81-0 against teams other than Lehigh.
• Cornell has placed in the top five at the NCAA championships in six of the last eight seasons and in the top 10 in 12 of the last 14 years (nine straight).
• Cornell is 95-20-1 (.823) in dual meet competition in the last seven seasons.
• The Big Red is 38-5 (.884) in its last 43 home duals dating back to the 2009-10 season.
• Big Red wrestling has won 69 consecutive dual meets against unranked teams dating back to the beginning of the 2007-08 season.
• Cornell has won 31 straight meets against New York state opponents.
• The Big Red has won five consecutive New York State team titles.

ABOUT HOFSTRA:
• Hofstra will be wrestling its first dual match of the season after competing at the New York State Intercollegiate Championships last weekend at Cornell, finishing sixth overall.
• The Pride have only had one returning starter in their lineup so far, as 149-pounder Ryan Burkert went 4-1 to place third at the New York State championships and now has a 4-3 record on the year.
• Freshman Vinny Vespa placed second at 133 pounds at the New York States last weekend, going 3-1.
• Sage Heller is 9-3 on the year to lead Hofstra from his spot in the 174-pound bracket.
• Hofstra went 5-13 last season in dual meets before placing 13th at the EIWA Championships.
• Senior heavyweight Michael Hughes, an NCAA qualifier in 2016, is also on the roster and wrestled unattached while winning the open bracket.
• Third-year head coach Dennis Papadatos, a two-time NCAA qualifier, returned to take over his alma mater in 2014 and sports a 10-24 dual meet record.

THE CORNELL-HOUSTON SERIES:
• Cornell leads the all-time series 18-4 dating back to the 1985-86 season when the teams first met.
• The Big Red has won 12 consecutive dual meets against the Pride, including the last meeting, a 41-7 victory in Hempstead, N.Y.
• Hofstra's last win over the Big Red came in a 16-15 Pride victory in Cleveland during the 2003-04 National Duals.

LAST TIME VS. HOFSTRA:
• The Big Red won four matches by fall and six contested matches with bonus points in a 41-7 win over Hofstra on Feb. 7, 2015 at the Mack Physical Education Center.
• In a dual that started at 184, Gabe Dean earned first period fall over Jermaine John and the Big Red never looked back.
• Nahshon Garrett (125), Taylor Simaz (149) and Dylan Palacio (165) each earned pins as well in the dual victory.
• Both Brian Realbuto (157) and Jace Bennett (197) captured major decision victories.
• The win was Cornell's 41st straight win over EIWA opponents and its 60th straight over unranked opponents.
 
ABOUT RUTGERS:
• Rutgers has five nationally ranked wrestlers in its lineup, including NCAA runner-up and fifth-ranked Anthony Ashnault at 141 and sixth-ranked Richie Lewis at 157.
• The Scarlet Knights have won seven consecutive duals dating back to last season prior to its morning meeting at Grapple at the Garden against Columbia.
• Also ranking among the nation's top 13 wrestlers are Ken Theobald (No. 10 at 149), Tyson Dippery (No. 13 at 133) and Nicholas Gravina (No. 13 at 184).
• The Scarlet Knights are 4-0 on the season, including a 19-16 win over Princeton in the Battle at the Birthplace in front of 16,178 fans at High Point Solutions Stadium.
• Rutgers had a banner season in 2015-16, going 16-5 and placing 15th in the NCAA Tournament.
• The Scarlet Knights return nine NCAA qualifiers.
• Tenth-year head coach Scott Goodale sports a 145-50-1 dual meet record and has coaches four All-Americans and had five top 25 national finishes in the NWCA Coaches Poll.

THE CORNELL-RUTGERS SERIES:
• Cornell leads the all-time series 5-3-1 dating back to the 1951-52 season when the teams
first met.
• Rutgers earned a 21-13 decision over the Big Red last season at the Grapple at the Garden.
• Cornell's last win came during the 2013-14 season when the Big Red took a 29-9 victory at Newman Arena.

LAST TIME VS. RUTGERS:
• Rutgers won six matches, including four of the five toss-up matches, and the 14th-ranked Scarlet Knights earned a 21-13 upset win over No. 7 Cornell at the Grapple at the Garden on Nov. 29, 2015 at Madison Square Garden.
• Cornell's big three of Nahshon Garrett (133), Brian Realbuto (174) and Gabe Dean (184) each won their matches, with Dean overcoming a slow start in a 13-5 major decision over Nicholas Gravina.
• Garrett dominated No. 17 Anthony Giraldo, but couldn't earn bonus points in a 6-1 victory.
• Second-ranked Realbuto also dominated but was held to a 6-1 triumph over Phil Bakuckas.
 
CORNELL AT THE GRAPPLE AT THE GARDEN:
• Cornell has been a part of all four previous Grapple at the Garden events and is 4-4 overall.
• The Big Red lost contests to both No. 7 Missouri (22-12) and No. 2 Oklahoma State (21-16) in 2012 in the first-ever Grapple at the Garden.
• During the winter of 2013, the Big Red swept its two opponents — defeating Maryland 32-9 and No. 7 Illinois 18-15.
• Cornell swept the 2014 meet, knocking off No. 12 Edinboro (23-14) and dropping Northern Iowa (35-4).
• In 2015, Cornell fell to No. 5 Nebraska (21-14) and to No. 14 Rutgers (21-13).
• The Big Red is 2-0 against unranked opponents in Madison Square Garden and 2-4 against nationally ranked teams.

LAST TIME AT THE GRAPPLE AT THE GARDEN:
• The Cornell wrestling team got into early holes in both dual matches and couldn't make up enough ground late as The Big Red dropped a 21-14 decision to No. 5 Nebraska and a 21-13 contest to No. 14 Rutgers on Nov. 29, 2015 at the Grapple at the Garden in Madison Square Garden.
• Cornell's three returning All-Americans, the staples of the Big Red lineup, each went 2-0 on the day with Nahshon Garrett topping a pair of nationally ranked wrestlers at 133.
• Garrett earned an 11-3 major decision victory over Nebraska's 10th-ranked Eric Montoya and captured a 6-1 decision over No. 17 Anthony Giraldo of Rutgers.
• No. 2 Brian Realbuto topped Nebraska's 15th-ranked 174-pounder Micah Barnes 9-6 and defeated Phil Bakuckas of Rutgers 6-1.
• Top-ranked Gabe Dean had an 11-3 major decision over Nebraska's seventh-ranked T.J. Dudley and overcame a slow start to major Nicholas Gravina of Ruthers, 13-5.

NEXT UP:
• The Big Red will head off to the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational beginning on Friday, Dec. 2.
• Cornell has eight straight top six finishes at the national event and has crowned champiosn each of those years, including seven over the last three tournaments.
• Gabe Dean will look to become a rare three-time champion at the event, while Brian Realbuto will attempt to claim his second straight title.
• Cornell won the 2010-11 title and has placed in the top three five times in the last eight years.