TULSA, Okla. -- Senior
Yianni Diakomihalis became the fifth four-time national champion in Division I history, junior
Vito Arujau set the world on fire in winning his first crown and Cornell wrestling finished third as a team at the 2023 NCAA Championship on Saturday evening at the BOK Center. The Big Red completed the tournament with four All-Americans en route to piling up 76.5 team points, behind only Penn State (137.5) and Iowa (82.5).
Diakomihalis earned his fourth title with a 4-2 win over Ohio State's Sammy Sasso, giving Cornell two of the five four-time champs after Kyle Dake '13 claimed four titles at four different weight classes. The Big Red senior won his first two at 141 pounds before bumping up to 149 pounds the last two years. He closes his epic career with a 115-2 record and as a four-time EIWA and Ivy League Wrestler of the Year. His .983 winning percentage will go down as a school record.
Arujau ended Penn State's two-time NCAA champion Roman Bravo-Young's 56-match win streak with a dominant 10-4 performance in his first national title appearance at 133 pounds. The three-time All-American becomes the 15th Big Red individual to claim a national title (24 titles total). For his efforts throughout the tournament, Arujau joined Frank Bettucci (1953), Dave Auble (1960) and Kyle Dake (2013) in becoming Cornell's fourth Most Outstanding Wrestler of the NCAA Tournament at its conclusion.
Joining the two national champions as All-Americans are
Chris Foca, who wrestled back to third at 174 pounds, and
Jacob Cardenas with an eighth-place finish at 197 pounds.
Cornell reached the podium as a team for the first time since 2012 and the fifth time in program history by placing third, jumping past Ohio State with the win by Diakomihalis against Sasso. The 76.5 team points is tied for the fourth-most by a Big Red team at the championships. Head coach Mike Grey received the NWCA's National Coach of the Year Award after winning EIWA and Ivy League titles and lifting Cornell to its third-place finish.
Arujau got the evening started against Bravo-Young in the eighth match on the card. After a first minute with the grapplers feeling each other out, Arujau finished a shot for a takedown 1:17 in, but the Nittany Lion quickly got back to his feet and loose. A lightning-fast Arujau takedown almost got Bravo-Young to his back, but the danger allowed the Big Red junior to ride out the period for a 4-1 lead with more than a minute of riding time. Aurjau went under to start the second and reversed Bravo-Young into a cradle, picking up back points in the process and entered the final period with an 8-2 edge. A big mat return got the Big Red crowd to its feet entering the third. Bravo-Young started on bottom and was able to reverse to get within 9-4 after the escape, but Arujau was able to shoot as a defense late and added the riding time to claim the 10-4 triumph.
Two matches later, Diakomihalis strode to the mat with history on the line. Three first period stalemates after deep shots, two by Diakomihalis and one by Sasso, highlighted a scoreless period. The Big Red senior started the second period on bottom and ended it on top, with a reversal at the front of it and a takedown into a cradle near the end of the period pushing the advantage to 4-2 entering the final two minutes. Diakomihalis continued to attack over the final period, and as time ticked away defended against a Sasso takedown to claim the victory.
Earlier in the day, Foca won a pair of matches to get to third, knocking off Iowa's Nelson Brands in the consolation semifinals 7-2, then outlasting former NCAA champ Mekhi Lewis of Virginia Tech 3-2 in tiebreakers to claim third. The first-time All-American finished the season with a 30-2 record.
Cardenas' season ended with an eighth-place finish after a 4-2 loss to former Big Red All-American Max Dean of Penn State in the seventh-place match. The EIWA champion and first-time All-American at 197 pounds closed the season with a 20-6 mark.
First Round: #15
Brett Ungar (Cornell) won by decision over #18 Ryan Miller (Penn), 6-1
Second Round: #2 Patrick Glory (Princeton) won by major decision over #15
Brett Ungar (Cornell), 10-0
Consolation Second Round: #15
Brett Ungar (Cornell) won by fall over #33 Tucker Owens (Air Force), 5:52
Consolation Third Round: #15
Brett Ungar (Cornell) won by major decision over #24 Nick Babin (Columbia), 14-3
Consolation Fourth Round: #28 Killian Cardinale (West Virginia) won by decision over #15
Brett Ungar (Cornell), 3-2
First Round: #3
Vito Arujau (Cornell) won by decision over #30 Ethan Rotondo (Cal Poly), 12-6
Second Round: #3
Vito Arujau (Cornell) won by major decision over #14 Zach Redding (Iowa State),12-4
Quarterfinals: #3
Vito Arujau (Cornell) won by decision over #6 Sam Latona (Virginia Tech), 8-5
Semifinals: #3
Vito Arujau (Cornell) won by major decision over #2 Daton Fix (Oklahoma State), 11-3
Finals: #3
Vito Arujau (Cornell) won by decision over #1 Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State), 10-4
First Round: #7
Vince Cornella (Cornell) won by decision over #26 McKenzie Bell (Rider), 7-4
Second Round: #10 Lachlan McNeil (North Carolina) won by decision over #7
Vince Cornella (Cornell), 2-1
Consolation Second Round: #24 Casey Swiderski (Iowa State) won by fall over #7
Vince Cornella (Cornell), 6:48
First Round: #1
Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell) won by decision over #33 Dom Demas (Cal Poly), 6-1
Second Round: #1
Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell) won by fall over #16 Jackson Arrington (NC State), 2:10
Quarterfinals: #1
Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell) won by decision over #8 Max Murin (Iowa), 8-7
Semifinals: #1
Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell) won by decision over #12 Shayne Van Ness (Penn State), 8-3
Finals: #1
Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell) won by decision over #2 Sammy Sasso (Ohio State), 4-2
First Round: #29 Caleb Fish (Michigan State) won by decision over #4
Julian Ramirez (Cornell), 8-4
Consolation First Round: #4
Julian Ramirez (Cornell) won by major decision over #13 Alex Facundo (Penn State), 12-2
Consolation Second Round: #4
Julian Ramirez (Cornell) won by decision over #19 Dan Braunagel (Illinois), 16-15
Consolation Third Round: #4
Julian Ramirez (Cornell) won by decision over #6 Patrick Kennedy (Iowa), 5-2
Consolation Fourth Round: #9 Shane Griffith (Stanford) won by decision over #4
Julian Ramirez (Cornell), 4-2
First Round: #4
Chris Foca (Cornell) won by fall over #29 Cael Valencia (Arizona State), 2:22
Second Round: #4
Chris Foca (Cornell) won by decision over #13 Cade DeVos (South Dakota State), 8-2
Quarterfinals: #4
Chris Foca (Cornell) won by fall over #5 Dustin Plott (Oklahoma State), 1:53
Semifinals: #1 Carter Starocci (Penn State) won by decision over #4
Chris Foca (Cornell), 6-0
Consolation Semifinal: #2: #4
Chris Foca (Cornell) won by decision over #11 Nelson Brands (Iowa), 7-2
Third-Place Match: #2: #4
Chris Foca (Cornell) won by decision over #3 Mekhi Lewis (Virginia Tech), 3-2 (tb1)
First Round: #10
Jacob Cardenas (Cornell) won by decision over #23 Luke Stout (Princeton), 3-1
Second Round: #7 Tanner Sloan (South Dakota State)won by decision over #10
Jacob Cardenas (Cornell),4-0
Consolation Second Round: #10
Jacob Cardenas (Cornell) won by major decision over #24 Levi Hopkins (Campbell), 13-4
Consolation Third Round: #10
Jacob Cardenas (Cornell) won by decision over #15 Luke Surber (Oklahoma State), 12-5
Consolation Fourth Round: #10
Jacob Cardenas (Cornell) won by decision over #12 Zac Braunagel (Illinois), 6-4
Consolation of 4 #1: #14 Jacob Warner (Iowa) won by decision over #10
Jacob Cardenas (Cornell), 4-2
Seventh Place Match: #9 Max Dean (Penn State) won by decision over #10
Jacob Cardenas (Cornell), 4-2
