Off The Mat: Ethan Fernandez And His Emergence

ITHACA, N.Y. — Before the 2023-24 season began, the 149-pound spot in the Cornell wrestling team’s lineup likely wasn’t on anyone’s radar. At least not on the outside. 

After all, Cornell couldn’t possibly replace Yianni Diakomihalis, who reached rare territory last March, becoming the sport’s fifth four-time NCAA Champion. But someone, of course, still needed to step up and provide consistency at the weight. 

The Big Red found just that. 

Junior Ethan Fernandez, who wrestled sparingly at 133 and 141 pounds in 2022-23, has taken full advantage of the opportunity. While still somewhat overlooked nationally, his emergence has made for arguably the team’s best story this season. 

Unlike many of Cornell’s top wrestlers, Fernandez came to Ithaca as an unheralded prospect who’d taken fourth at the New Jersey State championships as a junior and senior at Westwood Regional High School. Thus, almost nobody saw a season like this one in the cards for Fernandez, who boasts a 19-7 record after the regular season and figures to qualify for the NCAA Championships. 

“I only got maybe two calls from Divison I colleges, not including Cornell,” Fernandez said. “That came from — not failures in high school — but I wasn’t where I wanted to be my junior and senior years. That, I guess, undervalued where I was as a recruit.”

Fernandez showed flashes of his ability in his first few years in Ithaca. He competed well with Cornell’s best wrestlers during practices, often facing 2023 NCAA Champion Vito Arujau and 2023 qualifier Vince Cornella. Additionally, as a sophomore last season, he went 9-4 with two wins over ranked opponents in limited dual or open opportunities. 

Those experiences gave him confidence that he would break into Cornell’s lineup when he had the chance. He saw this season as hist best shot, with the 149-pound spot wide open. 

“I knew 149 was going to be an open spot with a lot of guys competing,” Fernandez said. “And I didn’t just want to be a starter… In the offseason, I put a lot of work in and knew I had to train like an All-American to be in the lineup and have the success I have been having this season.”

Fernandez, who’s tied for the team lead in wins, has been steady all season. He has had two seven-match win streaks and hasn’t lost more than three matches in a row. His most recent win streak, which lasted more than a month, included wins over ranked foes Eligh Rivera (Princeton) and Jude Swisher (Penn). 

As he stacked wins during the regular season, grinding out many of them in close matches, he went from unranked to No. 20 in the country in the coaches’ rankings. The NCAA Division I wrestling committee uses those in the selection and seeding process for the NCAA Championships. 

“My confidence is definitely up right now,” he said.

But Fernandez won’t become complacent. 

“It’s important to recognize there is always room for improvement,” he said. “I know I will continue to evolve — I think my peak is yet to come. 

“My teammates expect me to do well and perform (every time). Those are the expectations I put on myself. The thing I say a lot to myself that I learned from my teammate Meyer Shapiro is ‘Pressure is privilege.’ Having that pressure from teammates and coaches and having that pressure from myself, I recognize it’s a privilege to have that pressure. I try to use that to motivate me.”

It’s a privilege that few expected he’d have coming out of high school a few years ago. 

“I definitely had a chip on my shoulder coming in (to Cornell),” Fernandez said. “Having the opportunity to start this year, I didn’t want to let anyone down. I try to put that (extra motivation) into my wrestling.”