Meyer Shapiro Becomes 3x All-American at NCAA Championships 2026

Close Bouts Define Cornell’s Day 2 at NCAA Championships

3/20/2026 11:37:00 PM | By: Emmie Agee, Assistant Director of Editorial Content

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Friday at the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships inside Rocket Arena brought a demanding second day for Cornell wrestling, as the Big Red battled through consolation rounds, quarterfinal action and the intensity of the tournament's famed blood round.

The day began with Session III, where several Cornell wrestlers returned to the mats looking to fight their way deeper into the bracket.

At 133 pounds, Tyler Ferrara opened the afternoon in the consolation bracket against Iowa State's Grice. Ferrara traded early takedowns and trailed 4-3 after the first period before escaping to tie the bout in the second. Grice answered with a counter takedown in the third, and despite a late escape and stall point from Ferrara, the Cornell senior fell 8-6.

Vince Cornella followed at 141 pounds, dropping a tight 5-3 decision to Nebraska's Hardy. After trailing 3-0 early, Cornella responded with a second-period takedown and pushed the pace late, coming close to another scoring opportunity in the closing seconds before time expired.

At 149 pounds, freshman Jaxon Joy jumped out to a strong start in his quarterfinal matchup with Stanford's Valencia. Joy scored two first-period takedowns and built a 6-1 lead while accumulating more than two minutes of riding time. Valencia rallied with three takedowns in the third period, however, to claim a 12-9 decision.

Meyer Shapiro competed next at 157 pounds in the consolation bracket, falling in a tightly contested 6-5 decision to West Virginia's Watters. After a scoreless first period, Shapiro earned a reversal in the second, but Watters answered with a takedown and held off a late push.

At 174 pounds, Simon Ruiz began a strong run through the consolation bracket. The sophomore controlled his opening bout against Northern Iowa's Simma, building a sizable lead before securing a cradle for the fall.

Ruiz returned to the mat later in the session and continued his momentum with an 11-2 major decision over Virginia Tech's Desiante, using multiple takedowns and riding time to advance.

As the tournament shifted into the blood round — where a win guarantees All-America status — the atmosphere inside Rocket Arena intensified. It's what alumni and four-time All-American Yianni Diakomihalis claims is "the best night of wrestling all year."

Cornella opened the round for Cornell at 141 pounds against Air Force's Nogle. The match remained scoreless after the first period, but Nogle gained control in the second, turning Cornella for back points before eventually securing a fall to end the Cornell senior's tournament run.

Joy followed at 149 pounds in a tightly contested bout with Virginia Tech's Gaj. After a scoreless opening period, Joy took a 1-0 lead with an escape in the second. Gaj capitalized on a late neutral position in the third, converting a takedown and back points to earn a 7-2 decision.

Shapiro delivered a key moment for Cornell at 157 pounds. Facing Stanford's Cardenas, the junior broke through late with a decisive takedown to secure a 4-1 victory, clinching All-America honors for the third time in his career.

Ruiz closed the blood round action for Cornell at 174 pounds against Ohio State's Kharchla. In a tightly fought match, Kharchla used a second-period takedown to build a narrow advantage and held on for the decision, ending Ruiz's tournament run.

Shapiro returned to the mat later in the placement rounds but fell to Illinois' Webster. He will wrestle Saturday morning for seventh place.

Friday proved to be a challenging day for the Big Red, filled with narrow decisions and hard-fought bouts. Even so, Cornell remained represented deep into the tournament, highlighted by Shapiro's third career All-America finish and Ruiz's strong run through the consolation bracket.

Competition resumes Saturday with Session V beginning at 11 a.m. ET, featuring medal matches, before the championship finals take place Saturday evening.

Match-by-Match Results:

133 – Tyler Ferrara