MATCH INFORMATION
DUAL #1: NO. 1 CORNELL VS. NO. 6 CENTRAL MICHIGAN
MATCH TIME: FRIDAY, NOV. 19—6:30 P.M.
SITE: FRIEDMAN WRESTLING CENTER, ITHACA, N.Y.
2010-11 RECORDS: CORNELL 0-0; CENTRAL MICHIGAN 0-0
SERIES RECORD: CORNELL LEADS, 2-0
THIS WEEKEND...
The No. 1 nationally ranked Big Red wrestling team officially opens its season this weekend as it plays host to No. 6 Central Michigan on Friday night at the Friedman Wrestling Center. Cornell will continue action on Saturday by welcoming 10 teams to Newman Arena for the Body Bar Invitational. The Big Red finished last season in second place at the NCAA tournament and saw Kyle Dake win the title at 141 pounds.
THE BODY BAR INVITATIONAL
The Big Red will welcome 10 teams to Newman Arena for the Body Bar Invitational on Saturday. Wrestling will begin at 9 a.m.
Teams Competing
Army
Binghamton
Buffalo
No. 6 Central Michigan
Clarion
No. 1 Cornell
Drexel
Ithaca College
No. 18 Kent State
Lock Haven
Sacred Heart
FOLLOW THE ACTION!
Fans can watch the Big Red battle No. 5 Central Michigan on Friday night live with a subscription to Cornell’s RedCast. Live updates will also be available for both Friday’s dual and for the Body Bar Invitational on Saturday. Check wrestling’s page at www.CornellBigRed.com for links.
AT THE HELM
Rob Koll, the David R. Dunlop ’59 Head Coach of Wrestling, begins his 18th season as mentor of the Cornell wrestling program. In that time, Koll has amassed a 193-73-5 overall record in duals and has led the Big Red to 11 Ivy League titles. Cornell has captured four EIWA team championships and earned 32 EIWA individual titles. Koll, a four-time All-American and former NCAA champion, has helped Big Red wrestlers to capture six individual NCAA titles and 35 All-America honors.
KOLL NAMED COACH OF THE YEAR
Rob Koll was named InterMat’s 2010 Head Coach of the Year. Koll earned the honor after leading the Big Red to a program-best second-place finish at the 2010 NCAA tournament. The Cornell mentor also coached his sixth wrestler to win an NCAA championship with true-freshman Kyle Dake bringing home the title at 141 pounds. The Big Red’s second-place finish was also a best performance of any Ivy League program, and the highest placing of an Eastern school since Penn State won the team title race in 1953.
BINGHAMTON OPEN
Cornell had 32 wrestlers competing unattached last weekend at the Binghamton Open, and the Big Red captured the title at eight weight classes. Winning the championship in their respective weight classes were Tyler Biscaha (125), Joe Stanzione (133), Kyle Dake (149), DJ Meager (157), Justin Kerber (165), Steve Bosak (184) and Cam Simaz (197). Seven other wrestlers also placed for the Big Red including Frank Perrelli (fourth, 125), Mike Nevinger (sixth, 141), Jesse Shanaman (third, 157), Craig Eifert (fifth, 157), Marshall Peppelman (fifth, 165), Oney Snyer (third, HWT), Stryker Lane (fifth, HWT). Big Red wrestlers won 94 matches and picked up bonus points in 43. Cornell grapplers recorded 19 wins by fall, eight tech falls and 16 major decisions.
ON A ROLL
The Big Red finished the 2009-10 season with a 9-4-1 dual record and won its last six contests. Kyle Dake won his last 24 matches of the season on his way to an NCAA title.
COUNTDOWN TO NATIONALS
The Big Red wrestling team enters the weekend ranked first in the nation by the InterMat Wrestling Division I poll and will open its 2010-11 season facing No. 6 Central Michigan at the Friedman Wrestling Center. Cornell has eight wrestlers ranked individually with returning NCAA runner-up Mack Lewnes leading the country at 174 pounds. Two-time All-American Cam Simaz also holds the top spot at the 197 pound weight class. Returning NCAA champion Kyle Dake moves up a weight class to 149 and ranks second. Also in the top-20 of their respective weight classes are Frank Perrelli (16th, 125), Mike Grey (fourth, 133), Corey Manson (19th, 141), Justin Kerber (fifth, 165) and Steve Bosak (fourth, 184). The Big Red returns four All-Americans and seven NCAA qualifiers.
SCOUTING THE COMPETITION
The Chippewas head to East Hill for their opening dual on Friday. Central Michigan wrestlers competed in the Eastern Michigan Open and Michigan State Open the last two weekends. At the EMU Open, three wrestlers placed in the top six of their respective weight classes. Sophomore Christian Cullinan was the runner-up at 125 pounds, redshirt freshman Scott Mattingly was fifth at 141 and redshirt freshman Zach Cline finished sixth at 157. At the MSU Open, four wrestlers placed in the top six of the open division competing unattached. The Chippewas come into the weekend ranked fifth in the country and have four wrestlers individually ranked in their respective weight classes.
THE FALL GUYS
With two falls at the Binghamton Open, senior Mack Lewnes has earned 42 career pins. Lewnes holds the top spot in the Cornell record books after breaking his former teammate Steve Anceravage’s ‘09 record of 37. With 14 falls last season, Lewnes ranks second in pins in a season. Anceravage’s 2008 mark of 17 holds the top spot. Junior Cam Simaz also makes the all-time falls list with 20 career pins to tie for 12th place.
UNIVERSITY NATIONALS
Frank Perrelli won his weight class at the ASICS Freestyle University Nationals in April at the Stile Athletics Field House at the University of Akron. Mike Grey placed fourth, while Joe Stanzione took seventh. Corey Manson, Colin McDonald and Cam Simaz also wrestled in the tournament. With Perrelli winning his final’s match at 55 kg/121 pounds, he qualified for a bye to the finals for the University World Team Trials. His victory also qualified him to compete at the US World Team Trials.
UNIVERSITY WORLD TEAM TRIALS
Mack Lewnes finished second at University World Team Trials in June. Lewnes won the mini-tournament but lost to University Nationals’ champion Quinton Wright of Penn State in a best of three series. Joe Stanzione also wrestled in the tournament, but lost to two NCAA All-Americans.
FRESHMEN STREAKING
Kyle Dake was the fourth Cornell wrestler in the last five years to win the EIWA Freshman of the Year award and follows Troy Nickerson (2006), Mack Lewnes (2008) and Cam Simaz (2009). Harvard’s JP O’Connor was named the EIWA Wrestler of the Year after winning the NCAA title at 157 pounds.
DAKE’S HONORS
After being the first true freshmen to win the NCAA title in five years, Kyle Dake raked in the honors following his championship. He ended his rookie season with a 34-2 mark that saw him ride a 24-match winstreak that began with winning the title at the Southern Scuffle. With his title at 141 pounds, Dake was named Intermat Freshman of the Year, Amateur Wrestling News Rookie of the Year, and EIWA Freshman of the Year.
SMARTY PANTS
Justin Kerber and Cam Simaz were named to the 2009-10 NWCA All-Academic Team. Kerber ranked fourth individually on the list with a 3.85 grade point average in applied economics and management. The Big Red ranked 14th as a team with a 3.0812 GPA. Kerber made the team for the third-straight year in a row. Simaz was named to the list for the first time with a 3.34 cumulative GPA in economics. The 2009-10 All-Academic individual team included 61 NCAA qualifiers, 23 NCAA All-Americans, seven NCAA finalists and five NCAA champions. In all, 74 individuals representing 45 schools were honored on the All-Academic Team.To qualify for the All-Academic team, a wrestler must have at least a 3.2 cumulative GPA, and have either been an NCAA qualifier or won 60 percent of his total schedule – and must have competed in at least 60 percent of said schedule. The other way to qualify for the All-Academic team is to have a 3.0 GPA and been an NCAA All-American.
IN PRINT
The Cornell wrestling team was featured in the MomentumMedia book, “Making History: March 18-21, 2010” which highlights the record-setting performances and game-changing moments for the four Cornell winter sports teams. During the third weekend in March, 2010, Cornell University was at the pinnacle of the college sports world, competing for national championships and making headlines along the way. The Big Red wrestling team placed second at the NCAA Championships in Omaha - Cornell’s highest finish ever, and the best ever for an Ivy League team. Four Big Red wrestlers earned All-American status for the sixth straight year.
HALL OF FAMER
Wrestling great Dave Auble was inducted as a member of the 2010 class of inductees into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum in June as part of the 34th anniversary class. One of the wrestlers in Cornell history, Auble won three straight Eastern tournaments in the 123-pound weight class and was voted by Eastern coaches as the outstanding wrestler two of those years (1959 and 1960). He won two NCAA titles in the same weight class and was voted the outstanding wrestler of the national tournament his senior year. His collegiate record from 1958-60 was a sparkling 51-1. The only loss came in the opening round of the National Intercollegiates in his sophomore year. His combined record in collegiate and AAU competition between 1958-60 was an incredible 75-2 with the other loss coming in the 1959 National AAU final round in the 125.5 class. He won the 1959 Pan American championship. In the Olympic year of 1960, Auble pinned the nine of 11 opponents and won all bouts in Olympic regional competition but just missed out on making the U.S. team by virtue of his second close loss at the hands of Terry McCann. In 1962 he placed fourth in the world championships in the 125.5-pound class. Auble made the Olympic team in 1964, finishing fourth in his weight class. He is a former head wrestling coach at UCLA and Campbell.
ALL THINGS IVY
With another 5-0 season against Ancient Eight foes, the Big Red won its eighth-straight Ivy League title last season. Cornell had nine wrestlers earn All-Ivy honors. Mack Lewnes was named Ivy League Wrestler of the Year, while Kyle Dake earned Ivy League Rookie of the Year honors. Lewnes and Dake were joined by Troy Nickerson ‘10, Mike Grey, Corey Manson, Justin Kerber, Cam Simaz and Josh Arnone ‘10 on the first-team. Steve Bosak earned a second-team nod.
NEXT TIME OUT
The Big Red will break for the Thanksgiving holidays and resumes action Dec. 3-4 at the Las Vegas Invitational.
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