ITHACA, N.Y. -- The Cornell wrestling team will start the new year by facing two ranked opponents in No. 8 Ohio State and No. 11 Virginia Tech. The Big Red faces the Buckeyes on Friday, Jan. 5, at 8 p.m. at the Covelli Center in Columbus, Ohio, and the Hokies on Sunday, Jan. 7, at 3 p.m. at Newman Arena. 

The Big Red's matchup against Ohio State will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network. Its dual against Virginia Tech will be streamed live on ESPN+.

#BradyStrong

• At halftime of Sunday's home dual, the Big Red will honor Brady Niver, a Fulton High School wrestler who passed away after a car accident in May. He was 16 years old. 

• Niver's mother, Heather, will speak during a halftime ceremony. 

Big Red News and Notes

• Cornell enters the new year ranked No. 10 in the NWCA Divison I Coaches Poll and 3-1 in dual action. The Big Red went 2-1 at the National Collegiate Duals on Dec. 18, beating Little Rock 32-8 and No. 13 Pittsburgh 27-12 before falling to No. 5 Iowa State. 

• Cornell won eight of 10 matches against Little Rock and seven of 10 against Pitt. Six of the Big Red's victories in the latter dual came against ranked wrestlers. 

• Cornell is 138-34 in duals with Mike Grey on the sidelines. 

• Chris Foca (184) was named EIWA Wrestler of the Week on Dec. 26. He joined Ramirez as the second Big Red wrestler to win the award this season. 

• Julian Ramirez (165), a two-time NCAA qualifier, has been one of the most impressive wrestlers in the country this season. Ranked No. 3 at 165 pounds by Intermat, Ramirez has beaten four ranked wrestlers, including Iowa State's David Carr, a four-time All-American and a 2021 national champion.  

• Ethan Fernandez (149) moved into the Intermat rankings at No. 24 after a 2-1 performance at the National Collegiate Duals. He picked up his first ranked win of the season over No. 19 Finn Solomon (Pitt). 

• Meyer Shapiro (157), the top recruit in the 2023 class, beat Virginia Tech's Bryce Andonian 16-4 by major decision in the Round of 16 at the Cliff Keen Invite. It was Shapiro's first collegiate match against an NCAA All-American. 

• An All-American at 174 last season, Foca debuted at 184 in November. At the National Collegiate Duals, he beat No. 14 Reece Heller (Pitt) 18-1 by technical fall and No. 5 Will Feldkamp, a two-time national qualifier, 8-7 by decision. 

• Six 2023 NCAA qualifiers returned for Cornell, including Brett Ungar (125), Vince Cornella (141), Ramirez, Foca, Jacob Cardenas (197) and Vito Arujau (133). Foca, Cardenas and Arujau earned All-American status, with Arujau winning a national title. 

Know The Foe: Ohio State 

• The Buckeyes have a 9-7-1 edge over the Big Red and have won the last three meetings in the series. Cornell's last victory came in February 2017 in Ithaca.  

• The Buckeyes (7-1) have ranked dual wins this season against then-No. 3 Virginia Tech, No. 21 Northern Iowa and No. 2 NC State. OSU came in third as a team at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invite in early December. 

• Ohio State's lineup for Friday includes four 2023 NCAA qualifiers: Jesse Mendez (141), Dylan D'Emilio (149), Paddy Gallagher (157) and Gavin Hoffman (184). 

• Mendez and D'Emilio earned All-American status in 2023, while Hoffman reached the podium in 2022. 

• Mendez, who's ranked No. 3 at 141 by InterMat, went 5-0 to win his weight class at the 2023 Cliff Keen Invite. The sophomore beat Cornella in the quarterfinals. 

Know The Foe: Virginia Tech 

• Against Virginia Tech, Cornell owns a 6-1 lead and has won the last two meetings. The Big Red took down the Hokies 22-12 last year in Blacksburg. 

• The Big Red won six of 10 matches in that dual, and five wrestlers beat ranked opponents. 

• The Hokies (3-2) returned five All-Americans from last year's team, including three-timer Mehki Lewis (174) and two-timers Bryce Andonian (157) and Sam Latona (133). Eddie Ventresca (125) and Caleb Henson (149) were first-time All-Americans last season.