Wrestling 2019-20

[blackwidow]

VT dual was much more fun and closer than I expected.

At 125 LaJoie almost beat another ranked opponent. Tucker remained undefeated at 133 with another win against a ranked wrestler. At 141 Baughman held off a major decision against a returning national qualifier.

Hunter Richard came back from down 5-0 to beat the #22 wrestler at 149 8-7 in sm incredible match. Santoro was so close to a comeback against #13 but couldn't quite get the lady points he needed (and actually ended up giving up 6 when his move didn't work out).

Brindley was facing #3 at 165 and avoided a MD with a stunning late takedown and rideout.

Andrew Berreyesa opted out of his Olympic redshirt year and returned to the lineup for the first time at 174. Right off the bay he hit a great throw for a 6-0 lead that I can't believe wasn't called a pin. He held on to win 8-4. He's still going to go to the Olympic trials.

Loew was able to keep it close against #2 to avoid a major.

Fagen and Furman... lost.

Still, for a dual that looks like a blowout it went much better than I thought it would. Especially good to see Berreyesa back and Richard really improving as the year progresses.

Thank you for the summary.  

What do you think will happen in the dual between Princeton and Cornell? From what I've seen of both programs so far, I think Princeton is the likely winner, with all the injuries and red shirts Cornell has.  

Also, do you happen to know when the injured guys are expected to return?

[ugarte]

VT dual was much more fun and closer than I expected.

At 125 LaJoie almost beat another ranked opponent. Tucker remained undefeated at 133 with another win against a ranked wrestler. At 141 Baughman held off a major decision against a returning national qualifier.

Hunter Richard came back from down 5-0 to beat the #22 wrestler at 149 8-7 in sm incredible match. Santoro was so close to a comeback against #13 but couldn't quite get the lady points he needed (and actually ended up giving up 6 when his move didn't work out).

Brindley was facing #3 at 165 and avoided a MD with a stunning late takedown and rideout.

Andrew Berreyesa opted out of his Olympic redshirt year and returned to the lineup for the first time at 174. Right off the bay he hit a great throw for a 6-0 lead that I can't believe wasn't called a pin. He held on to win 8-4. He's still going to go to the Olympic trials.

Loew was able to keep it close against #2 to avoid a major.

Fagen and Furman... lost.

Still, for a dual that looks like a blowout it went much better than I thought it would. Especially good to see Berreyesa back and Richard really improving as the year progresses.

Thank you for the summary.  

What do you think will happen in the dual between Princeton and Cornell? From what I've seen of both programs so far, I think Princeton is the likely winner, with all the injuries and red shirts Cornell has.  

Also, do you happen to know when the injured guys are expected to return?

I have to look weight by weight to predict princeton. I've been worried all year.

As for the injuries, I'm taking pulling Berreyesa's redshirt as a bad sign for Womack's return. I don't know what to think about Yapoujian or Darmstadt. Someone said that Yap was in a knee brace. Darmstadt looked like maybe he tore a rib muscle or cartilage? Koll hasn't given an update since December and for obvious reasons he usually doesn't say much about injuries.

[ugarte]

I have to look weight by weight to predict princeton. I've been worried all year.

After further review I'm more than a little worried. We may even win six matches but Princeton looks much more likely to score bonus points, particularly at 125, 157 and 197. Not impossible to win but we have to keep our losses close.

[blackwidow]

I have to look weight by weight to predict princeton. I've been worried all year.

After further review I'm more than a little worried. We may even win six matches but Princeton looks much more likely to score bonus points, particularly at 125, 157 and 197. Not impossible to win but we have to keep our losses close.

Thanks for the closer inspection.

Im a graudate student at princeton now and will be attending the dual if I can get out of my lab that day (most likely i should be able to).  I thought princeton was gonna be close last year.  This may very well be the year cornell's streak ends.

[mountainred]

I have to look weight by weight to predict princeton. I've been worried all year.

After further review I'm more than a little worried. We may even win six matches but Princeton looks much more likely to score bonus points, particularly at 125, 157 and 197. Not impossible to win but we have to keep our losses close.

Thanks for the closer inspection.

Im a graudate student at princeton now and will be attending the dual if I can get out of my lab that day (most likely i should be able to).  I thought princeton was gonna be close last year.  This may very well be the year cornell's streak ends.

Hunter keeping up his surge would go a long way.  Unless Ben is healthy, it will be hard to win without taking 149.

[ugarte]

Cornell had a pair of duals over the weekend, vs Harvard and Brown, and won both handily.

125: Dom LaJoie got his second win over a ranked wrestler and is having a very strong second half of the season, taking out #15 Hellickson in a major decision.

133: Chas Tucker remains undefeated at 133 and is basically stuck at #$ because the top 4 only lose to each other.

141: Noah Baughman with another pair of wins is hoping for a closing run that gets him into NCAA's. He just missed his first two seasons (and was squeezed out of the starting lineup last year by Arjuau, Tucker and Yianni).

149: Hunter Richard was ranked at 33 in the first Coaches' Rankings, placing him inside the tournament bubble. He didn't disappoint in his first action since being recognized.

157: Adam Santoro took a tough loss against a veteran opponent in Harvard's Ladnier and bounced back with a major decision in the Brown dual.

165: Jake Brindley couldn't handle #17 Conigliaro (and got a penalty point for slapping him in the face in the third period - I thought the team might have actually gotten penalized for that) but bounced back with a win against Brown.

174: Andrew Berreyesa's return to the lineup is going very well - for the third straight match he was able to slap a headlock on his opponent and flip him to his back. Against Harvard, he turned it into a pin; Against Brown a major. Womack is #17 in the current coaches' ranking, but he's been hurt and it is unclear how bad it is - and nobody has said anything about what happens when he's ready to return. Ideally, someone would go down to 165 but I have no idea who it would be. Womack's best year was 3 years ago when he was an AA at 165 but I don't know if he can still make the weight. Berreyesa was OK at 165 last year but not great and I can't imagine he wants to make that cut, especially since he wrestles at nearly 170 in Greco and would probably prefer the higher walking-around weight.

184: Jonathan Loew also made an appearance in the coaches' rankings - starting at 29. He pinned his Harvard opponent and Brown did not bother sending out anyone to face him.

197: Ben Darmstadt returned to the mat ... sort of. He put on a singlet and shook the refs hand as Harvard forfeited the weight. For Brown, who had a wrestler available, Cornell sent out Jonathon Fagen, who lost by major decision. I suspect Darmstadt's appearance against Harvard was just to get him credit for a match towards NCAA qualification but he wasn't quite ready to return from his rib injury.

285: Brendan Furman wrestled Harvard's best, the frosh Slavouski, and was badly outmatched. Slavikouski is fast and slick - a small heavyweight with very clean technique. In the evening match, Furman got an early takedown and flipped his opponent over for a 43 second pin.

5 wrestlers currently in the top 33 of the Coaches' Rankings, with LaJoie and Baughman probably on the fringes. This is going to be a tough year for the Red in the postseason, though.

 

#18 Cornell Big Red (7-5, 2-0 Ivy) vs. Harvard Crimson (1-5, 0-1 Ivy)
Jan. 25, 2020 // Friedman Wrestling Center // Ithaca, N.Y.
Final: Cornell wins, 32-9
125: Dom LaJoie (COR) major dec. #15 Nolan Hellickson (HAR), 12-3; Cornell leads 4-0
133: #5 Chas Tucker (COR) dec. Michael Jaffe (HAR), 12-5; Cornell leads 7-0
141: Noah Baughman (COR) dec. Lukus Stricker (HAR), 8-4; Cornell leads 10-0
149: Hunter Richard (COR) major dec. Aaron Kruk (HAR), 12-4; Cornell leads 14-0
157: Hunter Ladnier (HAR) dec. Adam Santoro (COR), 5-3 (SV-1); Cornell leads, 14-3
165: #17 Phil Conigliaro (HAR) dec. Jake Brindley (COR), 6-3; Cornell leads, 14-6
174: Andrew Berreyesa (COR) over Pierce Bausano (HAR), Fall (4:36); Cornell leads, 20-6
184: Jonathan Loew (COR) over Michael Doggett (HAR), Fall (2:54); Cornell leads, 26-6
197: #11 Ben Darmstadt (COR wins by forfeit; Cornell leads, 32-6
285: #9 Yaraslau Slavikauski (HAR) dec. Brendan Furman (COR), 9-3; Cornell wins, 32-9

#18 Cornell Big Red (8-5, 3-0 Ivy) vs. Brown Bears (1-5, 0-1 Ivy)
Jan. 25, 2020 // Friedman Wrestling Center // Ithaca, N.Y.
Final:  Cornell wins, 36-4
125: Dom LaJoie (COR) dec. Trey Keeley (Brown), 8-3; Cornell leads, 3-0
133: #5 Chas Tucker (COR) dec. Charlie Faber (Brown), 8-3; Cornell leads, 6-0
141: Noah Baughman (COR) major dec. Jimmy Pawelski (Brown), 12-4; Cornell leads, 10-0
149: Hunter Richard (COR) dec. Ricky Cabanillas (Brown), 5-4; Cornell leads, 13-0
157: Adam Santoro (COR) major dec. Jack Bokina (Brown), 14-3; Cornell leads, 17-0
165: Jake Brindley (COR) dec. Kiran Srikanth (Brown), 8-3; Cornell leads, 20-0
174: Andrew Berreyesa (COR) major dec. Cade Wilson (Brown), 10-0; Cornell leads, 24-0
184: Jonathan Loew (COR) by forfeit; Cornell leads, 30-0
197: Nino Bastianelli (Brown) major dec. Jonathon Fagen (COR), 11-0; Cornell leads, 30-4
285: Brendan Furman (COR) over James Valentino (Brown), Fall (0:43); Cornell wins, 36-4

[mountainred]

5 wrestlers currently in the top 33 of the Coaches' Rankings, with LaJoie and Baughman probably on the fringes. This is going to be a tough year for the Red in the postseason, though.

Other than Tucker (who will keep every match nerve wrackingly close) and Darmstadt (if healthy), who could make a deep run?  Berreyesa, maybe?  But the true studs probably stay away from his throws.  Possibly Bama, but Berreysa probably keeps his Olympic redshirt if Womack was likely to go.

I'll take an Ivy title, which is far from certain, and be happy from a team perspective.  I'd really like to see Tucker AA.  He may have me fooled, but he seems like a great all-around person.

[ugarte]

Other than Tucker (who will keep every match nerve wrackingly close) and Darmstadt (if healthy), who could make a deep run?  Berreyesa, maybe?  But the true studs probably stay away from his throws.  Possibly Bama, but Berreysa probably keeps his Olympic redshirt if Womack was likely to go.

That's basically it. I can see qualifying some other guys but don't see anyone but Tucker and Darmstadt on the podium. Even prime Womack is a longshot. Berreyesa isn't as well-rounded as JJC was and I'm curious how he does against top competition. I really want to see some guys step up and earn AQ slots for EIWA and then hold them.

I'll take an Ivy title, which is far from certain, and be happy from a team perspective.  I'd really like to see Tucker AA.  He may have me fooled, but he seems like a great all-around person.

Tucker was very nice when my son and I met him at Columbia last year. Ivy title hinges on Darmstadt's health imo. Fingers crossed.

[ugarte]

Cornell rolled over Penn, 30-9.

Tomorrow is Doomsday, though. We face Princeton for the Ivy title and for the first time in almost two decades - because of our three Olympic redshirts - we're the underdog. To show that they aren't kidding around, Princeton pulled the Olympic redshirt of Matt Kolodzik, a 2x All-American, in time for him to join the team to try to break Cornell's Ivy title (17) and Ivy dual meet (92) streaks. Kolodzik will face Hunter Richard at 149, probably flipping a match Cornell was favored to win into what could be a bonus point loss. In Kolodzik's return to the mat today he won by technical fall, 17-1. Richard beat the same wrestler 8-0 earlier this season.

ESPN+ at 1, in Princeton. Let's Go Red!

If we win the tossups we can do this.

[scoop85]

Cornell rolled over Penn, 30-9.

Tomorrow is Doomsday, though. We face Princeton for the Ivy title and for the first time in almost two decades - because of our three Olympic redshirts - we're the underdog. To show that they aren't kidding around, Princeton pulled the Olympic redshirt of Matt Kolodzik, a 2x All-American, in time for him to join the team to try to break Cornell's Ivy title (17) and Ivy dual meet (92) streaks. Kolodzik will face Hunter Richard at 149, probably flipping a match Cornell was favored to win into what could be a bonus point loss. In Kolodzik's return to the mat today he won by technical fall, 17-1. Richard beat the same wrestler 8-0 earlier this season.

ESPN+ at 1, in Princeton. Let's Go Red!

If we win the tossups we can do this.

Princeton recognizes that this year is their window, given what we have coming back and some strong newcomers next year

[mountainred]

ESPN+ at 1, in Princeton. Let's Go Red!

If we win the tossups we can do this.

Probably need them all -- or an unexpected pin -- but a win is doable.

Figure Princeton is the heavy favorite at 125, 157, and, now, 149.  Probably favored at 165 too.  If Cornell steals any of those 4, things are going well.  If the Big Red hold them all to regular decision losses, that works.

Cornell is a heavy favorite at 133, but Tucker just doesn't get bonus points.  I'd give the Big Red the nod at 141 and 285 too.  If Princeton wins any of those weights, they probably win the dual.

That leaves toss-ups at 174, 184 and 197. Win two of those, and it comes down to bonus points, which favors Princeton.  Win all 3 -- and Wrestlestat says Cornell is favored in all 3 -- and the Tigers need to be +6 in bonus points to win the dual. (A pin = 3 bonus points, a tech fall = 2, a major decision = 1).  

The only match-up of guys in the top 10, Darmstadt v. Brucki at 197, could very well decide it.

And, LGR!

[blackwidow]

ESPN+ at 1, in Princeton. Let's Go Red!

If we win the tossups we can do this.

Probably need them all -- or an unexpected pin -- but a win is doable.

Figure Princeton is the heavy favorite at 125, 157, and, now, 149.  Probably favored at 165 too.  If Cornell steals any of those 4, things are going well.  If the Big Red hold them all to regular decision losses, that works.

Cornell is a heavy favorite at 133, but Tucker just doesn't get bonus points.  I'd give the Big Red the nod at 141 and 285 too.  If Princeton wins any of those weights, they probably win the dual.

That leaves toss-ups at 174, 184 and 197. Win two of those, and it comes down to bonus points, which favors Princeton.  Win all 3 -- and Wrestlestat says Cornell is favored in all 3 -- and the Tigers need to be +6 in bonus points to win the dual. (A pin = 3 bonus points, a tech fall = 2, a major decision = 1).  

The only match-up of guys in the top 10, Darmstadt v. Brucki at 197, could very well decide it.

And, LGR!

Dominance has come to an end

[Al DeFlorio]

ESPN+ at 1, in Princeton. Let's Go Red!

If we win the tossups we can do this.

Probably need them all -- or an unexpected pin -- but a win is doable.

Figure Princeton is the heavy favorite at 125, 157, and, now, 149.  Probably favored at 165 too.  If Cornell steals any of those 4, things are going well.  If the Big Red hold them all to regular decision losses, that works.

Cornell is a heavy favorite at 133, but Tucker just doesn't get bonus points.  I'd give the Big Red the nod at 141 and 285 too.  If Princeton wins any of those weights, they probably win the dual.

That leaves toss-ups at 174, 184 and 197. Win two of those, and it comes down to bonus points, which favors Princeton.  Win all 3 -- and Wrestlestat says Cornell is favored in all 3 -- and the Tigers need to be +6 in bonus points to win the dual. (A pin = 3 bonus points, a tech fall = 2, a major decision = 1).  

The only match-up of guys in the top 10, Darmstadt v. Brucki at 197, could very well decide it.

And, LGR!

Dominance has come to an end

Oh, please.  The goofball Princeton coaches pranced around like they just won the NCAAs, after beating a team wrestling without a national champion, a runner-up, and an All-American.  BFD.

[blackwidow]

ESPN+ at 1, in Princeton. Let's Go Red!

If we win the tossups we can do this.

Probably need them all -- or an unexpected pin -- but a win is doable.

Figure Princeton is the heavy favorite at 125, 157, and, now, 149.  Probably favored at 165 too.  If Cornell steals any of those 4, things are going well.  If the Big Red hold them all to regular decision losses, that works.

Cornell is a heavy favorite at 133, but Tucker just doesn't get bonus points.  I'd give the Big Red the nod at 141 and 285 too.  If Princeton wins any of those weights, they probably win the dual.

That leaves toss-ups at 174, 184 and 197. Win two of those, and it comes down to bonus points, which favors Princeton.  Win all 3 -- and Wrestlestat says Cornell is favored in all 3 -- and the Tigers need to be +6 in bonus points to win the dual. (A pin = 3 bonus points, a tech fall = 2, a major decision = 1).  

The only match-up of guys in the top 10, Darmstadt v. Brucki at 197, could very well decide it.

And, LGR!

Dominance has come to an end

Oh, please.  The goofball Princeton coaches pranced around like they just won the NCAAs, after beating a team wrestling without a national champion, a runner-up, and an All-American.  BFD.

First ivy title since 1986. So painful

[ugarte]

ESPN+ at 1, in Princeton. Let's Go Red!

If we win the tossups we can do this.

Probably need them all -- or an unexpected pin -- but a win is doable.

Figure Princeton is the heavy favorite at 125, 157, and, now, 149.  Probably favored at 165 too.  If Cornell steals any of those 4, things are going well.  If the Big Red hold them all to regular decision losses, that works.

Cornell is a heavy favorite at 133, but Tucker just doesn't get bonus points.  I'd give the Big Red the nod at 141 and 285 too.  If Princeton wins any of those weights, they probably win the dual.

That leaves toss-ups at 174, 184 and 197. Win two of those, and it comes down to bonus points, which favors Princeton.  Win all 3 -- and Wrestlestat says Cornell is favored in all 3 -- and the Tigers need to be +6 in bonus points to win the dual. (A pin = 3 bonus points, a tech fall = 2, a major decision = 1).  

The only match-up of guys in the top 10, Darmstadt v. Brucki at 197, could very well decide it.

And, LGR!

so close. it all came down to loew not quite getting a takedown at the end. incredible scramble by stefanek to come out on top not to mention the cradle. if it mattered I think Darmstadt gets the bonus for the win. stefanek deserves all the props.