RALEIGH, N.C. — The Cornell wrestling team won four of the final five bouts and rallied from a 16-point deficit, but fell just short in a 19-18 loss to NC State Wolfpack on Friday night in an ACC-Ivy League dual.
The Big Red dropped the first four matches of the evening as the Wolfpack built a 16-0 advantage.
The dual opened at 197 pounds, where Carson Crace battled Patrick Brophy. Brophy used a first-period takedown and an escape to take control before adding riding time in a 6-1 decision, giving NC State an early 3-0 lead.
At heavyweight, Cy Kruse IV faced No. 2 Isaac Trumble. Trumble piled up three takedowns and multiple stall points, securing an 18-3 technical fall in the third period to extend the Wolfpack lead to 8-0.
The deficit grew to 11-0 at 125 pounds as No. 5 Vincent Robinson earned a 5-1 decision over Greg Diakomihalis. Robinson broke a scoreless tie with an escape and stall point in the second period, then added a third-period takedown.
At 133, No. 24 Zach Redding recorded a second-period technical fall over Joe Sciarrone, using a flurry of takedowns to close out a 21-6 victory and push the team score to 16-0.
Cornell began to shift momentum at 141 pounds behind No. 7 Vince Cornella. Cornella scored a first-period takedown against No. 13 Ryan Jack and carried a 4-0 lead into the third. After Jack converted a reversal, Cornella responded to secure a 5-3 decision, putting the Big Red on the board at 16-3.
At 149, No. 2 Jaxon Joy fell to No. 8 Koy Buesgens in sudden victory overtime. Buesgens struck first with a takedown in the opening period and Joy answered with a late second-period takedown to tie the bout at 3-3 and force overtime. Buesgens converted a decisive takedown in sudden victory for a 6-3 decision, extending the Wolfpack advantage to 19-3.
Cornell responded emphatically at 157 pounds. No. 2 Meyer Shapiro dominated from the opening whistle, scoring 10 points in the first period against Luca Felix. Shapiro added four near-fall points in the second and accumulated more than three minutes of riding time before earning a 19-2 technical fall, trimming the deficit to 19-8.
Benny Rogers continued the surge at 165. After taking a 3-1 lead into the second period, Rogers added a reversal and two third-period takedowns to claim a 12-3 major decision with riding time, bringing Cornell within 19-12.
The pivotal matchup came at 174 pounds between No. 2 Simon Ruiz and No. 6 Matty Singleton. Singleton struck first with two takedowns in the opening period to build a 6-2 lead. Ruiz stormed back in the third, tying the bout at 6-6 with a takedown before adding riding time and a stall point to secure an 8-6 decision, cutting the margin to 19-15.
Needing a win in the final bout at 184 pounds, Louie Cerchio delivered with an 8-2 decision over Don Cates. Cerchio scored an early takedown and controlled the match throughout, but the three team points were not enough as Cornell fell by a single point, 19-18.
With the loss, the Big Red narrowly missed a dramatic comeback after winning four of the final five bouts on the road.
The Big Red will finish out their regular season on Sunday, February 22 at Duke as a final tune-up before March. The dual will begin at noon and will be livestreamed on ESPN+.
Match Results:
197 — Patrick Brophy (NC State) dec. Carson Crace (Cornell), 6-1
285 — No. 2 Isaac Trumble (NC State) tech. fall Cy Kruse IV (Cornell), 18-3
125 — No. 5 Vincent Robinson (NC State) dec. Greg Diakomihalis (Cornell), 5-1
133 — No. 24 Zach Redding (NC State) tech. fall Joe Sciarrone (Cornell), 21-6
141 — No. 7 Vince Cornella (Cornell) dec. No. 13 Ryan Jack (NC State), 5-3
149 — No. 8 Koy Buesgens (NC State) dec. No. 2 Jaxon Joy (Cornell), 6-3 (SV)
157 — No. 2 Meyer Shapiro (Cornell) tech. fall Luca Felix (NC State), 19-2
165 — Benny Rogers (Cornell) maj. dec. Jason Kwaak (NC State), 12-3
174 — No. 2 Simon Ruiz (Cornell) dec. No. 6 Matty Singleton (NC State), 8-6
184 — Louie Cerchio (Cornell) dec. Don Cates (NC State), 8-2
Final: NC State 19, Cornell 18
