KANSAS CITY, Mo. — True freshman star Meyer Shapiro put on a dominant performance in his first appearance at the NCAA Wrestling Championships as the Cornell wrestling team amassed 18.5 points on Thursday at the T-Mobile Center.
Shapiro (#3 at 157), senior Vito Arujau (#6 at 133 pounds) and junior Julian Ramirez (#3 at 165) punched tickets to Friday's quarterfinals with 2-0 days. Sophomore Brett Ungar (#17 at 125), junior Ethan Fernandez (#9 at 149) and seniors Chris Foca (#14 at 184), Jacob Cardenas (#5 at 197) and Lewis Fernandes (#15 at 285) went 1-1. They will wrestle in the second round of the consolation bracket on Friday.
Cornell, which stands in eighth place in the team race, is one of five teams within six points of Iowa and second-place Iowa and Iowa State (24.5 points apiece). Penn State holds first with 34.5 points.
Shapiro, who has won 19 consecutive matches, a streak that dates back to December, thrashed his first- and second-round opponents. He pinned #30 Colton Washleski (Rider) in 4:17 in his first match before beating #19 Tommy Askey (Appalachian State) 17-2 by technical fall in his second bout.
Arujau, a three-time All-American and the defending 133-pound champion, also picked up a pair of bonus-point wins. He beat #27 Gable Strickland (Lock Haven) 17-4 by major decision and #22 Domenic Zaccone (Campbell) 11-1 by major decision.
Ramirez had to hold on for a 5-4 win over #30 Nick Hamilton (Virginia) in the first round before controlling his second-round match against #14 Giano Petrucelli (Air Force) from start to finish en route to a 9-3 decision. This is the first time Ramirez, a three-time NCAA qualifier, has advanced to the quarterfinal round in his career.
Friday's action starts at noon EST and will be broadcast live on the ESPN family of networks.
Cornell Notes and Highlights
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Shapiro's 19-match winning streak is the longest by a Cornell wrestler this season.
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Shapiro now has 10 technical falls, tied for the most by a Cornell wrestler in a single season. David Hirsch had 10 in 1993-94; Nashon Garrett had that many in 2012-13.
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Ramirez advanced to the quarterfinals for the first time in his career.
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Arujau is tied for 7th in Cornell history with 17 wins in the NCAA Championships.
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Arujau is also sixth in program history in winning percentage at NCAAs (.850)
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Cornell wrestlers went 11-6 combined with six bonus-point wins on the day.
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Fernandez earned his first career win at the NCAA Championships, beating #24 Caleb Tyus (SIUE) 7-2 by decision in the first round. He lost 8-5 in overtime against #8 Casey Swaderski (Iowa State) in his second match.
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Foca, who lost his first-round match to #19 James Conway (Franklin & Marshall) in the final seconds, responded with a 15-0 technical fall win over #30 Malachi DuVall (George Mason) in the consolation round.
Match-By-Match Results
125 — #17 Brett Ungar (1-1)
First Round: #17 Ungar def. #16 Dean Peterson (Rutgers) 2-1 by decision (TB)
Second Round: #17 Ungar lost to No. 1 Braeden Davis (Penn State) 2-1 by decision
Consolation Second Round: #17 Ungar vs. #18 Michael DeAugustio (Michigan)
133 — #6 Vito Arujau (2-0)
First Round: #6 Arujau def. #27 Gable Strickland (Lock Haven) 17-4 by major decision
Second Round: #6 Arujau def. #22 Domenic Zaccone (Campbell) 11-1 by major decision
Quarterfinal Match: #6 Arujau vs. #3 Kai Orine (North Carolina State)
149 — #9 Ethan Fernandez (1-1)
First Round: #9 Fernandez def. #24 Caleb Tyus (SIUE) 7-2 by decision
Second Round: #9 Fernandez lost to #8 Casey Swiderski (Iowa State) 8-5 by decision (TB)
Consolation Second Round: #9 Fernandez vs. #7 Tyler Kasak (Penn State)
157 — #3 Meyer Shapiro (2-0)
First Round: #3 Shapiro def. #30 Colton Washleski (Rider) by fall in 4:17
Second Round: #3 Shapiro def. #19 Tommy Askey (Appalachian State) 17-2 by technical fall
Quarterfinal Match: #3 Shapiro vs. #6 Daniel Cardenas (Stanford)
165 — #3 Julian Ramirez (2-0)
First Round: #3 Ramirez def. #30 Nick Hamilton (Virginia) 5-4 by decision
Second Round: #3 Ramirez def. #14 Giano Petrucelli (Air Force) 9-3 by decision
Quarterfinal Match: #3 Ramirez vs. #6 Mike Caliendo (Iowa)
174 — #26 Benny Baker (0-2)
First Round: #26 Baker lost #7 Lennox Wolak (Columbia) 10-1 by major decision
Consolation First Round: #26 Baker lost to #23 Luca Augustine (Pitt) 8-2 by decision
184 — #14 Chris Foca (1-1)
First Round: #14 Foca lost to #18 James Conway (Franklin & Marshall) 5-4 by decision
Consolation First Round: #14 Foca def. #30 Malachi DuVall (George Mason) 15-0 by technical fall
Consolation Second Round: #14 Foca vs. #13 Aaron Ayzerov (Columbia)
197 — #5 Jacob Cardenas (1-1)
First Round: #5 Cardenas def. #28 Jack Wehmeyer (Columbia) 6-0 by decision
Second Round: #5 Cardenas lost to #12 Rocky Elam (Missouri) 4-0 by decision
Consolation Second Round: #5 Cardenas vs. #11 Jaxon Smith (Maryland)
285 — #15 Lewis Fernandes (1-1)
First Round: #15 Fernandes def. #18 David Szuba (Rider) 12-2 by major decision
Second Round: #15 Fernandes lost to #2 Yonger Bastida (Iowa State) 20-5 by technical fall
Consolation Second Round: #15 Fernandes vs. #16 Cory Day (Binghamton)
