Offseason wrestling

[ugarte]

Final X for Team USA qualification is June 14 in Newark. Originally there were three Cornellians scheduled to wrestle: Vito Arujau at 61kg, Yianni Diakomihlis at 70kg and Kyle Dake at 86kg. The latter two are still competing, but Arujau has exercised his right as a reigning world medalist to delay his match due to injury. A new date hasn't been set yet.

Diakomihalis will be facing recent high school graduate PJ Duke, who will be a redshirt freshman for Penn State this year. Duke is also the U20 representative and can "usurp" the U23 Team USA slot if he chooses, by virtue of his placement at the Senior qualifier.

Dake will go up against Zahid Valencia, who defeated him at the US Open. Valencia was a 92kg bronze medalist in 2023, whereas Dake had until recently been competing at 74kg (including the Tokyo and Paris Olympics where he took bronze both times). Dake won World gold in 2018 and 2019 at 79kg, as well as World gold at 74kg in 2021 and 2022 and World silver at 74kg in 2023. All this is to say that Dake is trying to prolong a seven year streak as a medalist at the World Championships and this is his toughest test since dethroning Jordan Burroughs at 74kg.

Arujau, whenever his match is rescheduled, will be facing Jax Forrest, who just finished his junior year of high school. Forrest is committed to wrestling at Oklahoma State when he graduates. Forrest can also take the U20 and U23 spots on Team USA if he chooses.

[ugarte]

Dake lost in back to back matches to Valencia.

Diakomihalis won the first match by tech,  10-0, the blew leads in the next two, losing 17-10 and by fall. I've never left an event so angry.

[upprdeck]

Cornella story on his comeback

[ugarte]

Cornella won his best of three final in back to back matches, 16-5 tech fall and a first period pin. He will represent Team USA at the world championships in Novi Sad, Siberia Serbia this October.

Actually... he will probably not be in Siberia or Serbia. I didn't notice that the number three man on the Senior ladder is 18 year old Marcus Blaze, who I assume will take the U23 spot from Cornella. I didn't catch this until I saw in the article posted by upprdeck that Cornella wouldn't be wrestling more this summer. Of course, October isn't "this summer" so maybe he will be in Serbia as an alternate or, if Blaze gets hurt, will be Team USA's rep.

The same may actually be true for Anthony Knox, since Luke Lilledahl is #2 on the 57kg ladder and doesn't turn 20 until August 1. I'm not sure what the competition rules are. (As in, does U20 mean "20 and younger" or is the cutoff the day of the World tournament or during the qualification cycle.)

[ugarte]

Incoming frosh Jaxon Joy took bronze at U20 Pan Ams in Peru. He lost in the semis on criteria to a Pitt RSFR from Canada but rolled the other two guys. He's #4 on the U20 ladder for 70kg but he was the one who wanted to go.

Anthony Knox, who we've talked about as a greyshirt, passed on repping the US at 57kg in favor of training with the RTC staff.