Three wrestlers, Mike Nevinger (141), Gabe Dean (184) and Stryker Lane (HWY), each bounced back from losses in the first dual to pull out important, clinching wins less than two hours later.
The win over Illinois came down to the final three matches, as the Illini led 12-9 going into the stretch run. Dean, ranked 12th nationally at 184 pounds, was looking to score bonus points against unranked Nikko Reyes. Instead, he found himself trailing 4-2 heading into the third. A late takedown tied the match and Dean was able to tilt his opponent, pinning him with only five seconds left in the match for six huge team points.
After Jace Bennett lost at 197 pounds by decision to seventh-ranked Mario Gonzalez, the heavyweight match would determine the dual meet winner. With the score tied 15-15, Lane rode out Chris Lopez in the third to erase a riding time advantage and to send the match into sudden victory, then overtime, then another sudden victory and a second overtime. In the second overtime, Lane earned an escape to make it 3-2 and earned the huge 4-3 triumph to give Cornell the dual meet win.
Nevinger, making his 2013-14 debut, picked up a 7-4 decision over Steven Rodrigues at 141 pounds to start a run of three straight Big Red victories. Chris Villalonga (149) and Brian Realbuto (157), the lone Cornell wrestlers to win both dual matches, earned back-to-back triumphs to take its first lead after Nahshon Garrett fell to top-ranked Jesse Delgado at 125 pounds and No. 11 Zane Richards topped Mark Grey at 133. Illinois won consecutive matches at 165 and 174 to set up Cornell's late heroics.
The Big Red dominated the earlier match, easily topping Maryland to take a 2-1 lead in the all-time series between the teams. Garrett earned a second period fall over Paul O'Neill and Grey dominated for his 5-1 decision over Tyler Goodwin. The Terps took wins at 141, 184 and heavyweight, but only after Garrett's pin, a major decision by Realbuto at 157, a medical forfeit victory for Dylan Palacio at 165 and a major decision triumph by Duke Pickett at 174. Jace Bennett earned a tech fall at 197 to round out the Big Red's scoring.
The Big Red will take wrestlers to the Las Vegas Invitational next weekend to face some of the toughest competition in the nation.
Cornell 32, Maryland 9
125: #2 Nahshon Garrett (C) won by fall over Paul O'Neill (M), 4:34
133: #10 Mark Grey (C) won by decision over Tyler Goodwin (M), 5-1
141: Shyheim Brown (M) won by decision over #4 Mike Nevinger (C), 5-0
149: #14 Chris Villalonga (C) won by decision over Derrick Evanovich (M), 5-0
157: #12 Brian Realbuto (C) won by major decision over Danny Orem (M), 16-5
165: Dylan Palacio (C) won by medical forfeit over Tyler Manion (M)
174: Duke Pickett (C) won by major decision over Tony Gardner (M), 13-2
184: #3 Jimmy Sheptock (M) won by decision over #12 Gabe Dean (C), 5-3
197: #14 Jace Bennett (C) won by technical fall over Chris Jastrzebski (M), 18-1
HWT: #7 Spencer Myers (M) won by decision over Stryker Lane (C), 2-0
Cornell 18, Illinois 15
125: #1 Jesse Delgado (I) won by decision over #2 Nahshon Garrett (C), 6-2
133: #11 Zane Richards (I) won by decision over #10 Mark Grey (C), 4-2
141: #4 Mike Nevinger (C) won by decision over Steven Rodrigues (I), 7-4
149: #14 Chris Villalonga (C) won by decision over John Fahy (I),8-3
157: #12 Brian Realbuto (C) won by decision over #15 Zac Brunson (I), 8-3
165: #19 Jackson Morse (I) won by decision over Dylan Palacio (C), 8-4
174: #9 Tony Dallago (I) won by decision over Duke Pickett (C), 9-4
184: #12 Gabe Dean (C) won by fall over Nikko Reyes (I), 6:55
197: #7 Mario Gonzalez (I) won by decision over #14 Jace Bennett (C), 7-1
HWT: Stryker Lane (C) won by decision over Christopher Lopez (I), 4-3 (OT)
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