TULSA, Okla. — No. 12 Cornell delivered a gritty showing at the National Duals Invitational on Saturday, earning several marquee individual wins against elite competition despite a short-handed roster. The Big Red dropped a 22–12 decision to No. 5 Oklahoma State in the opening session before falling 26–8 to Northern Iowa in the first consolation round at Gallagher-Iba Arena.
Cornell finished the day with standout performances from Tyler Ferrara, Jaxon Joy, Simon Ruiz, and Christian Hansen, who each collected key victories against nationally ranked opposition.
Session 1: No. 5 Oklahoma State 22, No. 12 Cornell 12
Cornell traded blows with one of the nation's top lineups, earning four wins against the Cowboys.
At 133, Tyler Ferrara set the tone with a sharp 11–9 decision over OSU's Richard Figueroa. Jaxon Joy continued his strong early-season form with a 5–3 win at 149, and Simon Ruiz delivered one of the biggest upsets of the morning, shutting out Alex Facundo 2–0 at 174.
Cornell's upperweights capped the dual with another highlight as Christian Hansen outlasted Zack Ryder for a 4–2 decision at 184, giving the Big Red their fourth victory.
Oklahoma State used bonus points at 125, 157 and heavyweight to create separation on the scoreboard.
Final Bout Results:
125: Spratley (OSU) maj. dec. Milani (CU), 14–5
133: Ferrara (CU) dec. Figueroa (OSU), 11–9
141: Vega (OSU) dec. Saunders (CU), 5–0
149: Joy (CU) dec. Swiderski (OSU), 5–3
157: Robideau (OSU) tech fall Rogers (CU), 20–4
165: Lockett (OSU) dec. Cerchio (CU), 6–3
174: Ruiz (CU) dec. Facundo (OSU), 2–0
184: Hansen (CU) dec. Ryder (OSU), 4–2
197: Merrill (OSU) dec. Hanning (CU), 8–2
285: Doucet (OSU) maj. dec. Davis (CU), 10–2
Consolation Round: Northern Iowa 26, Cornell 8
In the afternoon session, Cornell's young core again delivered the bright spots. Joy picked up his second win of the day with an 11–2 major decision at 149, and Ruiz followed with a dominant 18–4 major at 174.
Cornell battled in several close matches—Ferrara dropped a 10–7 decision at 133, Cerchio fell 2–1 at 165, and heavyweights Ashton Davis and Aiden Hanning both pushed tight bouts into the closing minute.
UNI secured four bonus-point wins to pull away late.
Final Bout Results:
125: Anderson (UNI) dec. Milani (CU), 10–5
133: Farber (UNI) dec. Ferrara (CU), 10–7
141: Land (UNI) maj. dec. Bouyssou (CU), 9–0
149: Joy (CU) maj. dec. Rathjen (UNI), 11–2
157: Weston (UNI) maj. dec. Wade (CU), 11–0
165: Downey (UNI) dec. Cerchio (CU), 2–1
174: Ruiz (CU) maj. dec. Simma (UNI), 18–4
184: Walrath (UNI) dec. Hansen (CU), 8–3
197: Runyon (UNI) dec. Hanning (CU), 2–0
285: Voelker (UNI) dec. Davis (CU), 5–1
Big Red Grit Shines Despite Missing Starters
Competing without multiple starters, the Big Red leaned heavily on underclassmen and emerging contributors. Joy, Ruiz, Ferrara and Hansen combined for six total wins across both duals, cementing their roles as anchors in Cornell's early-season lineup.
Up Next
Cornell returns to action at the Big Red Invitational on Sunday, Nov. 23, hosted at Ithaca College.
