Wrestling 2019-20

[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!

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.

Agreed.  Hunter and Santoro did a great job of keeping their matches close, but we needed two of three toss-ups.  

It looks like the scouting report on Berreyesa is out - stay away from his throws.

Ben looks ready for a deep run.

[scoop85]

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.

Agreed.  Hunter and Santoro did a great job of keeping their matches close, but we needed two of three toss-ups.  

It looks like the scouting report on Berreyesa is out - stay away from his throws.

Ben looks ready for a deep run.

Hunter really gave Kolodzik a run for his money.  The Princeton announcer said Lowe got a takedown late in the match before he was taken down, but the official never called it, so it was a bit confusing what was happening. Tough loss but not for lack of effort.

[ugarte]

Hunter really gave Kolodzik a run for his money.  The Princeton announcer said Lowe got a takedown late in the match before he was taken down, but the official never called it, so it was a bit confusing what was happening. Tough loss but not for lack of effort.

with the cradle it didn't really matter if loew got credit for the takedown. aaaagh so close.

[upprdeck]

I dont know all that much strategy for wrestling, but wasnt the Hunter match 3-1 and he chose to be up in the 3rd?  he already was losing riding time wasn't he?  Had he chosen down and go the escape a takedown could have tied the match.  But by choosing up he had a bigger battle to fight?  Or did i get the order wrong?

[ugarte]

I dont know all that much strategy for wrestling, but wasnt the Hunter match 3-1 and he chose to be up in the 3rd?  he already was losing riding time wasn't he?  

I think he felt that after being ridden out in the first, he'd rather be on his feet needing only 22 seconds on top after a takedown to eliminate riding time. if he takes bottom who knows if he stands up. plus, the way kolodzik was backing up the possibility of more points from stalling was there too as long as he kept attacking. the ref didn't cooperate.

[upprdeck]

the stalling thing almost saved him.  I figured he was worried about getting up, but also seemed like he was the stronger guy late.

[ugarte]

Well, time for the sad recap. Not going to recap Saturday's 30-6 win over Penn except to say that Penn has two wrestlers ranked in the top 20, both of them won, and Cornell swept the other eight matches including pins from Loew and Darmstadt.

Sunday's critical dual against Princeton was wild. The match started at 285 - I presume - to ramp up the tension for a final match between #3 and returning AA Patrick Brucki and #10 (as he restores his ranking at 197) and 2018 AA Ben Darmstadt that could potentially decide the match. It almost worked, too.

285: Brendan Furman dominated from whistle to whistle. Cruised to a 9-0 major decision. [CU 4-0]

125: Dom LaJoie had to face #3 Patrick Glory - who beat Arujau in the EIWA final last year - and could not quite keep it to a regular decision, losing 9-0. [4-4]

133: #5 Chas Tucker couldn't quite get one last takedown and won a regular decision, 9-3. [CU 7-4]

141: Shaking off a close loss to a ranked wrestler on Saturday, Noah Baughman defeated Keller 8-4. [CU 10-4]

149: A critical match for Hunter Richard and he damn near pulled it off. 3x All-American Matt Kolodzik came off of his Olympic redshirt to face Richard, kind of because their replacement starter got hurt but come on it was to go for the Ivy title. Kolodzik looked tired after the first period but the ref let him get his one takedown and then move backwards for two periods. The refs called Kolodzik for stalling 3 times but it wasn't enough. His first period takedown and rideout were enough to overcome the backpedaling and Kolodzik beat Richard 4-2. [CU 10-7]

157: Adam Santoro was a huge underdog against #4 Quincy Monday and for the first two periods he looked it. In the third, he had more energy and got a takedown to make it close and nearly got a second one to send it to overtime. 9-7 final. Another valiant effort by Santoro. If he makes a run in the conference tournament that would be very cool. [10-10]

165: Grant Cuomo was just better. Jake Brindley keeps it under a major but loses 8-1. [PU 13-10]

174: Andrew Berreyesa wasn't able to get into any upper body positions and Parker kept getting to his legs. Also not quite a major. 10-3 loss. [PU 16-10]

184: Freshman Jonathan Loew had to wrestle the critical match. Now down by 6, Cornell needs to win the last two matches to have a chance at the dual. Travis Stefanik came out looking stronger and had the lead for most of the match. In the third period, though, Loew got a takedown to take the lead, leaving the match tied at 4 after Stefanik's escape. In the closing seconds, Loew took a shot and looked certain to convert for a takedown, but Stefanik scrambled, rolled underneath and grabbed Loew's leg before the points could be scored. The scramble left Loew in an awkward position with his head too close to his knee and Stefanik was able to cradle him and roll him on to his back for a 2 point takedown and 4 nearfall points (and nearly a pin). The 10-4 win for Stefanik ended a 17 year string of Cornell Ivy championships. Any Tiger fans out there... I can't imagine a better way to seal a title. [PU 19-10]

197: After the tension and excitement of 184, the feature match at 197 was somewhat anticlimactic but still very revealing. Ben Darmstadt has had a strange path. A dominant freshman year that came to an auspicious end when he made it to the NCAA semifinals only to lose three straight matches (including two by fall) to finish 6th, followed by back surgery and a year of medical leave. He returned this year at 184 - incredible when you realize that he is 6'4" - hoping to take even more advantage of his length. It turns out, though, that the suckdown sapped his strength and he was losing to the top competition. His return to 197 was itself rocky, as he has mostly dominated his competition, but injured himself during the Columbia dual and missed a few weeks. Coming back for what might be a do-or-die match at 197 against Brucki was a very cool storyline. The match was only exciting for the folks here: Darmstadt absolutely destroyed Brucki. He took him down early and often and turned him when he was on top. Until the closing seconds of the match Brucki's only points came from calls for illegal holds, which I need to rewatch to see. Sitting on a major decision with 4 seconds left, Darmstadt eased up on the final restart and Brucki got a meaningless reversal to make the final score 11-4. It was great to see and I expect that any of the ratings that didn't already have Darmstadt in the top 5 will move him up to #3 at worst, behind a pair of undefeated wrestlers. [PU 19-13]

On to Binghamton to close conference action, then duals against North Carolina and Lock Haven to finish the regular season.

[blackwidow]

Well, time for the sad recap. Not going to recap Saturday's 30-6 win over Penn except to say that Penn has two wrestlers ranked in the top 20, both of them won, and Cornell swept the other eight matches including pins from Loew and Darmstadt.

Sunday's critical dual against Princeton was wild. The match started at 285 - I presume - to ramp up the tension for a final match between #3 and returning AA Patrick Brucki and #10 (as he restores his ranking at 197) and 2018 AA Ben Darmstadt that could potentially decide the match. It almost worked, too.

285: Brendan Furman dominated from whistle to whistle. Cruised to a 9-0 major decision. [CU 4-0]

125: Dom LaJoie had to face #3 Patrick Glory - who beat Arujau in the EIWA final last year - and could not quite keep it to a regular decision, losing 9-0. [4-4]

133: #5 Chas Tucker couldn't quite get one last takedown and won a regular decision, 9-3. [CU 7-4]

141: Shaking off a close loss to a ranked wrestler on Saturday, Noah Baughman defeated Keller 8-4. [CU 10-4]

149: A critical match for Hunter Richard and he damn near pulled it off. 3x All-American Matt Kolodzik came off of his Olympic redshirt to face Richard, kind of because their replacement starter got hurt but come on it was to go for the Ivy title. Kolodzik looked tired after the first period but the ref let him get his one takedown and then move backwards for two periods. The refs called Kolodzik for stalling 3 times but it wasn't enough. His first period takedown and rideout were enough to overcome the backpedaling and Kolodzik beat Richard 4-2. [CU 10-7]

157: Adam Santoro was a huge underdog against #4 Quincy Monday and for the first two periods he looked it. In the third, he had more energy and got a takedown to make it close and nearly got a second one to send it to overtime. 9-7 final. Another valiant effort by Santoro. If he makes a run in the conference tournament that would be very cool. [10-10]

165: Grant Cuomo was just better. Jake Brindley keeps it under a major but loses 8-1. [PU 13-10]

174: Andrew Berreyesa wasn't able to get into any upper body positions and Parker kept getting to his legs. Also not quite a major. 10-3 loss. [PU 16-10]

184: Freshman Jonathan Loew had to wrestle the critical match. Now down by 6, Cornell needs to win the last two matches to have a chance at the dual. Travis Stefanik came out looking stronger and had the lead for most of the match. In the third period, though, Loew got a takedown to take the lead, leaving the match tied at 4 after Stefanik's escape. In the closing seconds, Loew took a shot and looked certain to convert for a takedown, but Stefanik scrambled, rolled underneath and grabbed Loew's leg before the points could be scored. The scramble left Loew in an awkward position with his head too close to his knee and Stefanik was able to cradle him and roll him on to his back for a 2 point takedown and 4 nearfall points (and nearly a pin). The 10-4 win for Stefanik ended a 17 year string of Cornell Ivy championships. Any Tiger fans out there... I can't imagine a better way to seal a title. [PU 19-10]

197: After the tension and excitement of 184, the feature match at 197 was somewhat anticlimactic but still very revealing. Ben Darmstadt has had a strange path. A dominant freshman year that came to an auspicious end when he made it to the NCAA semifinals only to lose three straight matches (including two by fall) to finish 6th, followed by back surgery and a year of medical leave. He returned this year at 184 - incredible when you realize that he is 6'4" - hoping to take even more advantage of his length. It turns out, though, that the suckdown sapped his strength and he was losing to the top competition. His return to 197 was itself rocky, as he has mostly dominated his competition, but injured himself during the Columbia dual and missed a few weeks. Coming back for what might be a do-or-die match at 197 against Brucki was a very cool storyline. The match was only exciting for the folks here: Darmstadt absolutely destroyed Brucki. He took him down early and often and turned him when he was on top. Until the closing seconds of the match Brucki's only points came from calls for illegal holds, which I need to rewatch to see. Sitting on a major decision with 4 seconds left, Darmstadt eased up on the final restart and Brucki got a meaningless reversal to make the final score 11-4. It was great to see and I expect that any of the ratings that didn't already have Darmstadt in the top 5 will move him up to #3 at worst, behind a pair of undefeated wrestlers. [PU 19-13]

On to Binghamton to close conference action, then duals against North Carolina and Lock Haven to finish the regular season.

. Hope we get the title back next year

[ugarte]

. Hope we get the title back next year

it would be fairly shocking if we did not.

[mountainred]

125: Dom LaJoie had to face #3 Patrick Glory - who beat Arujau in the EIWA final last year - and could not quite keep it to a regular decision, losing 9-0. [4-4]

Very true, but as a fan of Vito, I would like to add that Arujau dominated Glory in dual meet (2nd period WBF) and finished higher at the NCAA's (4th v. 6th).

This ends this unpaid announcement of Vito Arujau fan club.

[ugarte]

125: Dom LaJoie had to face #3 Patrick Glory - who beat Arujau in the EIWA final last year - and could not quite keep it to a regular decision, losing 9-0. [4-4]

Very true, but as a fan of Vito, I would like to add that Arujau dominated Glory in dual meet (2nd period WBF) and finished higher at the NCAA's (4th v. 6th).

This ends this unpaid announcement of Vito Arujau fan club.

i mean... i know... which you know... i was just trying to give a sense of where glory stacked up against lajoie. i was hoping dom could keep it to a major and so was pretty excited after the match and not turn each weight into a discursive essay.

[klehner]

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

Dude, show some class.  You go with the team you have, and Cornell did well with what they had.  Princeton can only compete against whoever shows up, and they won.

[ugarte]

just thinking about tiebreakers and "all other things equal" scenarios...

1) if you change the loew match so that he converts the single and gets the win 6-4 and Darmstadt match stays the same, we win the total points tiebreaker criteria by one.
2) if you change the loew match so that he converts the single but Stefanik escapes so he wins 6-5 and the Darmstadt match stays the same, we win the first takedown tiebreaker criteria.
3) if you give loew the win in any way, and Darmstadt is effectively up by 9 with a restart coming with 4 seconds left, a major decision would win the dual without resort to tiebreakers and the easiest course is to simply give an escape and start on your feet and dodge for 4 seconds.

One perfect scramble and counter by Stefanik broke a 92 match winning streak. Very hard to feel bad - his face was euphoric.

[Al DeFlorio]

One perfect scramble and counter by Stefanik broke a 92 match winning streak. Very hard to feel bad - his face was euphoric.

I don't feel bad.  Great move by Stefanik...sort of a Yianni last few seconds snatching victory from the jaws of defeat move.  Coming that close to winning the dual with a team missing three of its--and the nation's--best wrestlers, was a helluva showing.

[mountainred]

One perfect scramble and counter by Stefanik broke a 92 match winning streak. Very hard to feel bad - his face was euphoric.

I don't feel bad.  Great move by Stefanik...sort of a Yianni last few seconds snatching victory from the jaws of defeat move.  Coming that close to winning the dual with a team missing three of its--and the nation's--best wrestlers, was a helluva showing.

It's a moment Stefanik will remember forever and you could sense this dual was just vitally important to Princeton.  That's not a criticism of our guys effort, just a nod that the Tigers knew yesterday was their chance and they better find a way to win.