LAS VEGAS, Nev. — Cornell men's wrestling delivered a powerful early-season statement at the Cliff Keen Invitational this weekend, highlighted by freshman Jaxon Joy's dominant championship run at 149 pounds and Tyler Ferrara's third-place finish at 133. Despite traveling a limited nine-man roster, the Big Red produced several deep bracket runs and multiple marquee wins across the two-day tournament.
DAY 1 — BIG RED ADVANCE THROUGH A LOADED FIELD
Cornell opened the tournament Friday with strong performances throughout the lineup, pushing several wrestlers deep into championship brackets against one of the nation's toughest early-season fields.
Joy set the tone immediately at 149, rolling through his opening rounds with a 5–1 win over Collin Gaj (Virginia Tech) before an 8–2 decision over Utah Valley's David Evans in the quarterfinals. The freshman then delivered one of the day's most commanding wins in the semis, earning a 15–0 technical fall over Arizona State's Kaleb Larkin in just 2:53.
At 133 pounds, Ferrara opened the tournament with a dominating 22–5 technical fall over Northern Illinois' Calvin Werden and an 11–1 major decision over Franklin & Marshall's Mason Leiphart to move into the Round of 16. After dropping a tight 1–0 quarterfinal match to Virginia Tech's Dillon Campbell, Ferrara rebounded with grit, wrestling back through the consolation rounds to stay in podium contention.
Cornell also saw a strong effort from Marcello Milani at 125 pounds, who advanced into the quarterfinals with an 8–3 win over Arizona State's Damian Moreno. He fell 4–2 in a competitive bout against Oregon State's Maximo Renteria in the round of eight.
Other Big Red entrants challenged deep into their brackets, including Christian Hansen at 184 pounds, who opened with an 11–2 major decision before falling in the round of 16, and heavyweight Ashton Davis, who was edged 4–2 in the round of 16 by Oklahoma's Juan Mora.
Cornell closed Day 1 with multiple wrestlers alive deep in their respective brackets and Joy preparing for championship Saturday.
DAY 2 — JOY CLAIMS TITLE, FERRARA TAKES THIRD
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Saturday belonged to Joy, who completed a statement collegiate performance by storming to the 149-pound crown. Facing Princeton's Eligh Rivera in the finals, Joy needed just 2:18 to lock up a pin and secure the title, capping an undefeated run that included a tech fall, a pin, and two decisive victories. His dominance came in one of the tournament's deepest weight classes, marking him as one of the event's breakout stars and earning him Outstanding Wrestler Honors at the tournament.
Ferrara capped his own strong weekend with a podium finish at 133, cruising to third place with an 8–1 decision over Virginia Tech's Dillon Campbell in the medal match. His resilient run through the consolations included multiple bonus-point victories and showcased his continued rise among the nation's elite lightweights.
Cornell did not have a wrestler reach the podium aside from Joy and Ferrara, but the Big Red made noise throughout the event despite a compact roster. Several athletes earned wins over nationally ranked opponents and gained valuable early-season experience in one of the country's premier midseason tournaments.
UP NEXT
Cornell returns to dual-meet action and continues its buildup toward the Ivy and EIWA slate later this winter. The Big Red will be back on the mats next on Saturday, Dec. 20, and Sunday, Dec. 21 in Nashville, T.N. at the Journeyman Collegiate Wrestling Duals.
