General 2010-11 Wrestling thread

[ugarte]

There really isn't enough discussion on a per-match basis to warrant cluttering the forum with new threads, so here's a convenient little place for the wrestling devotees to gather.

Starting with: Cornell is the unanimous #1 in the preseason NWCA Coaches Poll. We are also #1 at Amateur Wrestling News, WIN Magazine and The Open Mat.

Cornell opens the season on 11/19 at home against Central Michigan who, depending who you ask, is somewhere between #5 and #9.

[phillysportsfan]

11/19 will be a busy night on campus, basketball, hockey and wrestling games all at once, half hour apart, I think this happened last year too on 11/20

[gjk22]

Worth thinking about our lineup for this season.

Weight/Wrestler/Yr/Preseason Intermat ranking/comments

125 - Frank Perrelli, Jr, #12: One of the best backups in the nation last year going 21-5, should be solid starter.
133 - Mike Grey, Sr, #4: 6th place in 08, EIWA champ 10, just missed All-American last year.
141 - Chris Villalonga, Fr, #15: One of top 4 recruits nationally, undefeated in last 3 years of HS.
149 - Kyle Dake, So, #2: Returining NCAA champion, now moving up from 141 to 149.
157 - Open, possibly freshman Shanahan or Peppelman (listed as 165, was 160 in HS), or an upperclassman.
165 - Justin Kerber, Sr, #6: 2 time qualifier for NCAA with no All-Americans, 3rd at EIWAs.
174 - Mack Lewnes, Sr, #1: Undefeated season last year until the NCAA final.
184 - Steve Bosak, So, #6: NCAA qualifier from last year, 29-15 overall record.
197 - Cam Simaz, Jr, #1: 3rd place from last season at NCAAs, EIWA champ.
285 - Open, heard rumors of one of these potential guys taking time off last spring to train.

Ideally one of the freshman could be a top 15 type at 157, and we could get a decent performance from heavyweight, at least a Nationals qualifier. This would really load the deck. Should be a great season.

If both woman's hockey and wrestling fail to with the NCAA title, I will be supremely disappointed. Both are favorites on paper.

[scoop85]

Worth thinking about our lineup for this season.

Weight/Wrestler/Yr/Preseason Intermat ranking/comments

125 - Frank Perrelli, Jr, #12: One of the best backups in the nation last year going 21-5, should be solid starter.
133 - Mike Grey, Sr, #4: 6th place in 08, EIWA champ 10, just missed All-American last year.
141 - Chris Villalonga, Fr, #15: One of top 4 recruits nationally, undefeated in last 3 years of HS.
149 - Kyle Dake, So, #2: Returining NCAA champion, now moving up from 141 to 149.
157 - Open, possibly freshman Shanahan or Peppelman (listed as 165, was 160 in HS), or an upperclassman.
165 - Justin Kerber, Sr, #6: 2 time qualifier for NCAA with no All-Americans, 3rd at EIWAs.
174 - Mack Lewnes, Sr, #1: Undefeated season last year until the NCAA final.
184 - Steve Bosak, So, #6: NCAA qualifier from last year, 29-15 overall record.
197 - Cam Simaz, Jr, #1: 3rd place from last season at NCAAs, EIWA champ.
285 - Open, heard rumors of one of these potential guys taking time off last spring to train.

Ideally one of the freshman could be a top 15 type at 157, and we could get a decent performance from heavyweight, at least a Nationals qualifier. This would really load the deck. Should be a great season.

If both woman's hockey and wrestling fail to with the NCAA title, I will be supremely disappointed. Both are favorites on paper.

I don't know if women's hockey can be called favorites on paper.  While we should be right there, UMD has a bunch of players back from Olympic play, and they didn't lose too much

[gjk22]

No. 41 Bricker Dixon (Park Hill, MO)
College Choice Cornell
Projected College Weight Class: 125

Dixon became the fourth InterMat Top 100 recruit to commit to Cornell this recruiting season. He is a three-time state finalist and 2010 state champion. He finished third in the Junior National freestyle competition at 119 pounds this past summer in Fargo.

Dixon on his decision to commit to Cornell: "It was a very tough decision but one that I'm extremely happy with. At this point in time, Cornell is the most balanced school between wrestling and academics. Ultimately, I have to put myself in the best position to succeed not only in wrestling but in my career after wrestling and Cornell seemed to be the perfect place to do that."

Dixon on Cornell coach Rob Koll: "Coach Koll was great during the whole recruiting process. He has taken the Cornell wrestling program from the bottom to being ranked No. 1 in the country during his career as a coach, which to me, was impressive. I really got the sense that he genuinely cares about his athletes and that was important to me. I can't wait to wrestle under him for the next four years."

Dixon on Cornell's chances of winning a national championship this season: "I think Cornell has a very good shot at winning the team race this year. They have an experienced team with great leaders. I think that there is a lot of parity between the top teams in the country but I believe that if everyone wrestles to their potential, Cornell will win the team title."

Dixon on Park Hill's wrestling program: "We have a very different program than we did last year after graduating four Division I signees. However, I think we are still in contention for a team state title this year. Our focus is to win as many individual championships as we can and the team aspect will fall into place. Our team is working very hard on a daily basis and I'm excited to see what we can accomplish."

Dixon on his emotions after winning a state title: "There is nothing more gratifying than setting a goal for yourself and reaching that goal. One of my coaches, Joe Gonier, was especially instrumental in helping me win my first state title. It was one of the best feelings I've ever had."


http://www.intermatwrestle.com/articles/7441

[CAS]

In Rob Koll [and Redman] we trust!

[jkahn]

New York Times article on Cornell wrestling:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/15/sports/15cornell.html?_r=1&ref=sports

[Al DeFlorio]

New York Times article on Cornell wrestling:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/15/sports/15cornell.html?_r=1&ref=sports

Great article.  Thanks for posting, Jeff.

[RichH]

New York Times article on Cornell wrestling:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/15/sports/15cornell.html?_r=1&ref=sports

I wasn't aware that Cornell College (of Iowa) won a national team wrestling championship (1947).  That would be a great little bit of trivia were Cornell University (of New York) to also pull off the feat.

Source: http://www.ncaa.com/history/wrestling-d1.html

[ugarte]

Cornell "opened" the season yesterday by sending certain members of the squad to compete at the Binghamton open. The wrestlers don't officially represent the university but... they also kind of do. I've attached Coach Koll's report. The short version is this: we dominated the tournament.

[ugarte]

New York Times article on Cornell wrestling:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/15/sports/15cornell.html?_r=1&ref=sports

One of two articles about CU wrestling in the Times this weekend. The other was about the top-notch facilities and their impact on recruiting.

[dbilmes]

For those of you who don't get the print edition of the Times, the story on the wrestling program was on the front page of the Monday sports section, along with the stories on the Giants and the Jets! That's good PR for the Big Red any time.

[David Harding]

New York Times article on Cornell wrestling:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/15/sports/15cornell.html?_r=1&ref=sports

I wasn't aware that Cornell College (of Iowa) won a national team wrestling championship (1947).  That would be a great little bit of trivia were Cornell University (of New York) to also pull off the feat.

Source: http://www.ncaa.com/history/wrestling-d1.html

They are so proud of their wrestling history that they claim two titles, one NCAA and one AAU!  http://www.cornellcollege.edu/about-cornell/not-in-ithaca.shtml  http://www.cornellcollege.edu/athletics/mens-sports/wrestling/index.shtml  Every year I set up next them at a local college fair, so it would be nice to match their record.  They haven't, however, spent any weeks ranked #1 in football.

[Al DeFlorio]

Coach Koll's comments on this past weekend's Binghamton Open are here: http://wrestlingreport.com/current_news/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=23383&view=unread#unread

[ugarte]

Coach Koll's comments on this past weekend's Binghamton Open are here: http://wrestlingreport.com/current_news/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=23383&view=unread#unread

That's the document I attached, though in a more-convenient-than-pdf form.