In his championship bout, Dake faced No. 6 Montell Marion of Iowa. Dake went for a double, but Marion defended and the two went out of bounds. A single by Dake almost resulted in another takedown, but once again the two went out of bounds. With a shot by Marion, the two scrambled and Dake ended up with the takedown before the two once again went out of bounds. Marion managed an escape at the edge of the mat once more. Dake deferred to start the second period, and Marion chose the bottom position. The Cornell freshman nearly earned back points, but his opponent managed to wriggle to his stomach. Dake, managed tilt Marion again to his back for two near fall points. Accruing 2:34 of riding time in the second period, Dake looked fierce on top. The Cornell freshman started in the bottom position for the third period, and earned an instant escape. Marion got in on a single, but Dake’s defense warded off the points again near the mat’s edge. Marion got a single and earned another takedown, but Dake captured a quick escape. Marion responded with a quick single but Dake held it off to win the championship 7-4.
In Lewnes’ championship match at 174 pounds, he took on No. 2 Jay Borschel of Iowa. Both wrestlers were undefeated on the season heading into the bout. The two wrestlers started heavy at the head and each took a couple of quick shots initially without catching a leg. Borschel went in for a single and was able to takedown Lewnes near the mat’s edge. Lewnes was cautioned back at center. The Iowa wrestler secured a bar but was unable to turn Lewnes before the two went out of bounds once more. Lewnes was then cautioned a second time. Borschel was able to ride out Lewnes for the remainder of the period. Lewnes chose bottom to start the second period. The Cornell wrestler immediately tried to pop up, but Borschel held on and was warned for stalling. Lewnes earned his escape. Lewnes went in for a single that transformed into a scramble between the wrestlers resulting in a stalemate. With just 20 seconds remaining in the period, Lewnes got a double, but no takedown was awarded before the buzzer. Borschel started the third in the bottom position, and Lewnes cut him free. A single by Borschel resulted in another takedown for the Iowa wrestler. Borschel was again warned for stalling and Lewnes was awarded a point. With 3:46 of riding time, the Iowa wrestler won the match 6-2.
Cornell opened its day with the place matches, third through eighth, where Cam Simaz and Troy Nickerson were competing. Nickerson wrestled first taking on Cashe Quiroga of Purdue. With a win, Nickerson would advance to the match for third place. In the first period, a single from Quiroga was countered by Nickerson, who got a single of his own for the takedown. Nickerson immediately turned his opponent and worked the remainder of the period for the pin, but came away with just three near fall points as time ran out. Nickerson chose top to start the second, and he made quick work of putting his opponent to his back. Despite the Purdue wrestler’s powerful arch, Nickerson pinned his opponent to advance to the place match.
Moving on to the third place bout, Nickerson faced Indiana’s Angle Escobedo. Escobedo earned a takedown early in the period, and Nickerson used injury time. The Cornell senior almost grasped the escape but was unable to get it period the end of the period. Escobedo chose neutral to start the second period. Both wrestlers hoped from the takedown but neither was able to manage points. Nickerson chose top to start the third period. Nickerson worked incredibly hard to turn his opponent but was unable to get the near fall he needed to win the match. Escobedo won with a decision of 2-0. Nickerson earned his fourth All-America honor.
In the match for third place, Simaz faced No. 3 Hudson Taylor of Maryland. The two wrestlers were fast and heavy right from the start. Simaz dove in for a single and nearly took down Taylor before the two went out of bounds. Simaz looked active and went for a double on his opponent that nearly resulted in a takedown but a stalemate was called. Just before time ran out on the first, Simaz shot one more time, but no points were scored. Taylor started down in the second and escaped early. Another double by Simaz was denied points near the edge of the mat. A single attempt by Taylor was well-defended by Simaz to prevent the points. Simaz started neutral in the third. Simaz went in for a single and this time got the takedown he was looking for throughout the match. After the two went out of bounds, Taylor jumped up for the escape at the whistle. A wild scramble between the two resulted in a stalemate that called the action back to center. Just before the end of regulation, Simaz got in on a double but Taylor defended just as time ran out.With a 2-2 score, the match went into sudden death overtime. The Cornell wrestler looked hungry and just moments into the sudden death period, he shot and circled for the takedown over Taylor to win with a final score of 4-2.
Recommended Comments
There are no comments to display.
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now