Cornell Wrestling Update Matside with Rob Koll: Recap of the Season to Date We have made it through the first half of the season with our record unblemished and I am excited for what awaits us in the second semester. Considering our wrestlers are getting ready for finals, I feel it is an appropriate time to give them performance evaluations as well. Joe Stanzione has wrestled well in the absence of Mike Grey. So far, Joe has won the Binghamton Open and placed 2 nd at the Body Bar. Unfortunately, Joe slipped up in Vegas and stopped wrestling for a couple of seconds in his last consolation match. This cost him a three point lead and a very good shot at placing. I expect this will be the last time Joe makes this type of mental error. On a more positive note, Joe has made significant improvements since joining the team in January of 2010. I had serious concerns that we would not be competitive at this weight class next year. There is no reason that Joe cannot continue to improve to where he is vying for All- American honors by next season. 125 Pounds Junior Frank Perrelli hit a few early season hurdles, but he has quickly turned his season around. His recent 5 th place Las Vegas finish, in a very deep field, demonstrates how much potential we have at this weight class. In order for Frank to reach his goal of placing at the NCAAs, he will need to address his top and bottom wrestling. Frank is so tough in neutral that he often lets his opponents up whenever he is on top because he prefers to wrestle on his feet. This is not an acceptable style, especially for someone who works as tirelessly as Frank does. From this point on, expect Frank to spend a disproportionate percentage of his time on bottom work. 133 Pounds Mike Grey is expected to be back by National Duals. 141 Pounds This weight class has seen three very different Cornell wrestlers challenge for the starting position. 5 th year senior Corey Manson is big and strong and has a great gas tank, freshman Chris Villalonga is slick on his feet and good on top and rookie Mike Nevinger is funky on his feet and outstanding on top. My goal is to ask a friend of mine who works in Cornell s Genetic Engineering department to morph these three into one ultimate wrestling machine. In the event that this does not occur, I will allow their performances at the Southern Scuffle to dictate who will represent the Big Red throughout the remainder of the year.
149 Pounds Kyle Dake has quickly adjusted to his new and heavier weight class. He injured his ribs in the Binghamton Open and hasn t competed since the Central Michigan dual meet. He is close to full strength and will return to action at the Southern Scuffle. 157 Pounds DJ Meagher has surprised everyone who has not seen him compete on a regular basis. DJ s only loss came in a very tough bout against #2 Adam Hall of Boise State. DJ has always had the talent to compete for All-American status but is finally wrestling up to his potential. In the past, DJ has shown fatigue late in matches. I believe the difference this year is he is much more confident and carries much less stress into each match. My main concern going forward is keeping DJ healthy. For this reason I will likely hold him out of the Southern Scuffle and bring him back for the National Duals. 165 Pounds Matside with Rob Koll: Recap of the Season to Date (continued) Justin Kerber has only one loss on his record; that coming in the Vegas finals against #1 Andrew Howe of Wisconsin. Justin made it to the All-American round last year and will stand high on the podium in March. The difference this year is that Justin is much more aggressive on offense and much more confident in his defense when someone attacks his legs. The key to Justin s continued success is for him to stay aggressive on his feet and to continue to use a punishing and physical style of ride while on top. Justin is one of the keys to our national championship quest. He is consistent, a hard worker and a great leader. 174 Pounds Mack Lewnes looked great in Vegas and there really isn t much I need to say about a wrestler who has only been offensively scored upon in one match in over a year and a half. That is, other than the multiple takedowns and back points I score on him regularly in practice! 184 Pounds Steve Bosak is the most improved wrestler on the team. He has dominated everyone he has wrestled and he walked through the Vegas Invite. I was hoping Steve would figure out how good he is before he graduated and it appears my wish has become a reality. 197 Pounds After losing a tough one point match in the Body Bar finals, Cam Simaz bounced back to claim his first Vegas Invite championship. Cam works so hard that my only concern going forward is keeping him healthy and keeping weight on his body. I plan to give him a little time off the mats and get him into the weight room over the break.
Matside with Rob Koll: Recap of the Season to Date (continued) 285 Pounds Oney Snyder and Stryker Lane have wrestled well thus far for first year starters, but not so well that I am satisfied with their results. I am confident that we will continue to improve at this weight and by the end of the year we should qualify for the NCAAs. Not unlike 141, we may have to use some genetic splicing. Oney is strong on his feet and weak on the mat while Stryker is strong on the mat and weak on his feet. These two are ultimately going to be very good; we just need to hurry up the maturation process. 2010-2011 Season at a Glance Date Event Result November 19 Vs. Central Michigan W, 24-10 November 20 Body Bar Invitational First Place December 3-4 Cliff Keen Las Vegas First Place Weight Name Record Notable Results 125 Frank Perrelli 11-6 5th CK Las Vegas, 2nd Body Bar, 4th Binghamton Open 125 Tyler Biscaha 5-0 1st Binghamton Open 133 Joe Stanzione 9-4 1st Binghamton Open, 2nd Body Bar 141 Chris Villalonga 9-5 8th CK Las Vegas, 2nd Body Bar 141 Mike Nevinger 15-4 3rd Mat Town, 5th Body Bar, 6th Binghamton Open 141/149 Corey Manson 11-6 2nd Binghamton Open, 2nd Mat Town 149 Kyle Dake 6-0 1st Binghamton Open 157 DJ Meagher 11-1 6th CK Las Vegas, 1st Binghamton Open 157 Craig Eifert 7-3 4th Body Bar, 5th Binghamton Open 157 Jesse Shanaman 10-3 1st Mat Town, 3rd Binghamton Open 165 Justin Kerber 15-1 2nd CK Las Vegas, 1st Body Bar, 1st Binghamton Open 165 Marshall Peppelman 9-3 5th Binghamton Open, 6th Body Bar 174 Mack Lewnes 15-0 1st CK Las Vegas, 1st Body Bar, 1st Binghamton Open 174 Colin McDonald 9-4 3rd Body Bar, 3rd Mat Town 184 Steve Bosak 14-0 1st CK Las Vegas, 1st Body Bar, 1st Binghamton Open 197 Cam Simaz 13-1 1st CK Las Vegas, 1st Binghamton Open, 2nd Body Bar 285 Oney Snyder 11-6 1st Mat Town, 3rd Binghamton Open, 4th Body Bar 285 Stryker Lane 10-3 2nd Mat Town, 5th Body Bar, 5th Binghamton Open *Only Binghamton, Body Bar and CKLV placewinners included Newsletter development, Betsy Ostrov Veysman 99
Get Your Big Red Wrestling Gear To purchase your Cornell wrestling gear, visit the website at http://cornellwrestling.skorfanshop.com/ OR contact Cathy Pace at cmp2@cornell.edu Two Books to Consider for the Holidays Adam Frey: A Collection of Blogs & Stories by Adam Frey and James V. Moffatt 65 tells the story of the inspiring former Cornell wrestler who passed away from cancer last year. The back cover reads: Adam Frey was a gifted college student and a skilled wrestler when a car crash changed his life in March, 2008. Miraculously, Adam walked away from the wreck of his car but during a hospital check-up it was discovered he had Stage III cancer. As he embarked on 21 months of treatments, Adam began writing a remarkable blog that became a daily inspiration to thousands, and won him fans around the world. This is Adam s story interwined with first-hand tales from his life, told by those closest to him. All proceeds from the sale of the book go directly to the nonprofit Adam Frey Foundation, which Adam founded to give comfort and provide enjoyment for those receiving treatment for cancer. To learn more, visit the book website at www.adamfreybook.com. The Dream Team of 1947, a new book by Cornell alum Arno Niemand 56, focuses on the story of the Cornell College (Iowa) wrestling team, which captured a surprising NCAA team title in 1947. The book will be available in time for Christmas and can be purchased through the Dan Gable Museum in Waterloo, Iowa. The website is: http://www.wrestlingmuseum.org/ Niemand was welcomed into the Cornell Hall of Distinguished Wrestling Alumni in 2007 and was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2009.
NWCA/USA Today Division I Coaches Poll December 7, 2010 Rank School Total Previous 1 Cornell 275 1 2 Oklahoma State 264 2 3 Minnesota 252 3 4 Wisconsin 243 4 5 Penn State 230 5 6 Boise State 218 T6 7 Iowa 210 T6 8 Oklahoma 200 8 9 Illinois 187 9 10 Virginia Tech 165 10 11 Lehigh 163 12 12 Oregon State 150 13 13 Iowa State 138 14 14 Central Michigan 121 11 15 Nebraska 118 15 16 Missouri 108 16 17 Pittsburgh 104 17 18 Rutgers 91 18 19 Michigan 86 21 20 Northwestern 60 20 21 Purdue 52 23 22 Ohio State 45 19 23 Arizona State 31 22 24 American 26 25 25 Virginia 17 24 Follow the Big Red During the 2010-11 Season There are many ways to follow the Cornell wrestling team on its quest for a national championship during the 2010-11 season. Live Video Live Video will be available for all home dual meets (Subscription or Pay-Per-View purchase) http://www.cornellbigred.com/showcase/#liveevents Cornell Wrestling on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/cornellwrestling?ref=ts Cornell Wrestling on Twitter http://twitter.com/bigredwrestling Cornell Wrestling on You Tube http://www.youtube.com/user/cornellwrestling Cornell Text Message Updates http://www.cornellbigred.com/member/sms_signup.aspx Cornell Spirit Magazine Online http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/cornelluniv/ spirit_2010winter/ Also, don t forget to take a look at the Cornell wrestling 2010-11 Online Information Guide http://cornellbigred.com/documents/2010/11/11/ Media_Guide_Final_Version.pdf Photo courtesy of R. Wrede AT THE OPENING DUAL. Robert Wrede 61 (pictured) was among the many Cornell wrestling alumni and supporters cheering on the Big Red at the Friedman Center on November 19 against Central Michigan. Prior to the start of the match, Redman and Redman Junior squared off on the mat (pictured below). Others Receiving Votes: Binghamton, Cal State Bakersfield, Hofstra, Wyoming
CORNELL WRESTLING PIN POOL 2010-2011 The Big Red wrestling pin pool was a tremendous success in its debut last season. Cornell wrestlers recorded 33% more falls than the previous campaign and at more than $1800 per fall, your support resulted in over $42,200. We welcome you to pledge a dollar amount for every dual meet pin registered by a Cornell wrestler in 2010-11. You can send your pledge to Rob Koll either via e-mail (rk45@cornell.edu) or via regular mail (Friedman Wrestling Center, Campus Road, Ithaca, NY, 14853). Junior Cam Simaz got us off to a good start with his first period pin of Central Michigan s Craig Kelliher (pictured). The fall not only clinched the dual meet for the Big Red but also added $1497 to the Cornell wrestling program from our 78 donors. The team will continue to rack up pins and we need more pin pool participants! If you haven t pledged already, what are you waiting for? Our goal is 100 pledges and $2000 per pin. Thank you!