Following a convincing 30-9 defeat of Columbia last weekend, the Big Red wrapped up a perfect Ivy season and earned the championship title. Frank Perrelli recorded his 100th career victory as he and Kyle Dake tallied major decisions, Cam Simaz and Mike Nevinger secured technical falls, and Maciej Jochym won by a fall in Cornell’s impressive performance against Columbia.
Cornell came out strong and Columbia did not record a point until the fourth bout when Steve Santos won by decision over Chris Villalonga. However, little materialized for Columbia as Kyle Dake and Craig Eifert responded for the Big Red. Great bouts by Simaz and Jochym at the end were the last daggers as Cornell closed out a decade of undefeated Ivy competition.
Later that day, after honoring the seniors for their service to the school, Cornell became the first team to beat Hofstra this season. Simaz won by a fall and Dake registered a major decision to lead the Big Red over a scrappy Hofstra team that remained within 1 point of Cornell through the eighth bout, when Simaz took down Hofstra’s Tim Murphy and electrified the team on the way to the victory.
Needless to say, No. 4 Cornell is eagerly anticipating the opportunity to showcase their talent on a national level and contend for a national championship. Cornell has come away runner-up in each of the last two NCAA National Championship competitions and has only the highest aspirations for this year’s team.
This coming Sunday, Cornell will play host to a National Duals meeting of some of the nation’s top wrestling programs, each fighting for a spot in the Mat Mayhem final four. Beginning at 10am, Newman Arena is the battleground for Purdue, Central Michigan, Oklahoma, America, Illinois, and the Big Read, with the National Duals Finals expected to begin around 2pm.
