NEW YORK, N.Y. — Inside Levien Gym at the Dodge Fitness Center on the campus of Columbia University, the Cornell Big Red wrestling team delivered a gritty, all-day performance Sunday to claim the Ivy League Wrestling Championship team title.
Backed by a loud Cornell fan section and a packed crowd, the Big Red piled up 132.5 points to secure the program's second consecutive Ivy League tournament crown under head coach Mike Grey. Host Columbia finished second with 118 points, while University of Pennsylvania placed third with 116.5.
Cornell crowned four champions and qualified five wrestlers for the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, continuing the program's momentum on the national stage.
Champions for the Big Red included sophomore Tyler Ferrara at 133 pounds, junior Vince Cornella at 141, freshman Jaxon Joy at 149 and junior Simon Ruiz at 174.
Ruiz captured his second straight Ivy League title at 174 pounds, defeating Nick Fine of Columbia by an 8-2 decision in the finals.
Ferrara delivered one of the most dominant performances of the finals, earning a 12-2 major decision over Evan Mougalian of Penn to capture the 133-pound crown.
At 141 pounds, Cornella continued his season-long success against two-time All-American CJ Composto, edging the Penn standout 5-3. The victory marked Cornella's third win over Composto this season.
Joy captured the 149-pound title with a disciplined 2-0 decision over Cross Wasilewski of Penn.
Cornell also received runner-up finishes from junior Meyer Shapiro at 157 pounds and freshman Louie Cerchio at 184 pounds. Cerchio's performance was particularly notable as the freshman battled through a stacked bracket after spending much of the season competing at 165 pounds.
Additional podium finishes came from heavyweight Ashton Davis, who placed third with a first-period pin, while Greg Diakomihalis (125) and Aiden Hanning (197) both finished fourth.
With the victory, Cornell repeated as Ivy League champions in just the second year of the conference's standalone wrestling tournament.
Match-by-match results:
Quarterfinals
125 – Greg Diakomihalis pinned Brzozowski (Harvard)
133 – Tyler Ferrara bye
141 – Jaxon Joy bye
157 – Meyer Shapiro bye
165 – Benny Rogers def. Seefeldt (Penn), 4-1 SV
174 – Simon Ruiz bye
184 – Louie Cerchio bye
197 – Aiden Hanning def. Skove (Harvard), 10-3
285 – Ashton Davis tech. fall Mueller (Columbia), 18-3
Semifinals
133 – Ferrara def. Gursoy (Columbia), 4-1
141 – Cornella maj. dec. Martino (Penn), 14-3
149 – Joy tech. fall Crook (Columbia), 18-1
157 – Shapiro tech. fall Owen (Columbia), 20-2
174 – Ruiz tech. fall Bellis (Penn), 18-2
184 – Cerchio maj. dec. Carlin (Princeton), 12-3
197 – Hanning lost to Reall (Brown), 10-2
285 – Davis lost to Mueller (Princeton)
Consolation Semifinals
125 – Diakomihalis pinned Yasutake (Brown), 1:50
165 – Rogers lost to Norman (Brown), fall
197 – Hanning maj. dec. McCloskey (Princeton), 16-3
285 – Davis pinned Olcott (Princeton), 0:18
Placement Matches
5th – Rogers dec. Cangro (Harvard), 11-4
4th – Diakomihalis lost to Bah (Columbia), MD 11-2
4th – Hanning lost to Cosgrove (Penn), 7-4
3rd – Davis pinned Pardo (Penn), 0:58
Finals
133 – Ferrara maj. dec. Mougalian (Penn), 12-2
141 – Cornella dec. Composto (Penn), 5-3
149 – Joy dec. Wasilewski (Penn), 2-0
157 – Shapiro lost to Swisher (Penn), 8-3
174 – Ruiz dec. Fine (Columbia), 8-2
184 – Cerchio lost to Curtis (Columbia), 7-1
NCAA Qualifiers
Empty heading
