Columbia University
Cornell*
Wrestling Falls to No. 13 Cornell
2/4/2006 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
That's what happened to Coach Brendan Buckley's team Saturday, as Cornell won the Ivy League opener, 38-0.
"Cornell is one of the best teams in the country," Buckley said, "but we would have won at least a few with our regular lineup. We missed an opportunity here, not to win, but to wrestle a good match against a national opponent, and gain from the experience."
In taking all 10 bouts, Cornell was seldom threatened. But Buckley, the Andrew F. Barth Head Coach of Wrestling, was proud of the Lions who put the Big Red to the test.
Junior Matt DeLorenzo (Wantagh, N.Y.), going up against Mike Mormile, ranked 14th in the nation at 133 pounds, fought to the wire before losing a 4-2 decision.
"Matt just ran out of time," Buckley said. "But he definitely gained confidence from wrestling Mormile so well. He'll see Mormile at the [EIWA] conference meet. I expect that result to be different."
After surrendering two takedowns in the first period, junior Justin Barent's (Worland, Wyo.) prospects at 184 pounds appeared bleak. Barent was facing Cornell's Joe Mazzurco, the 5th-ranked 184-pounder in the nation.
But Barent fought off Mazzurco repeatedly, and began to score. He hit a big takedown with 1:02 remaining in the final period to tie the bout at 5-5, only to see Mazzurco escape 12 seconds later, for a 6-5 lead.
In the final 50 seconds, Mazzurco was forced to retreat to avoid a Barent takedown. He was assessed a stalling warning, and might have been penalized a stalling point, which would have tied the bout, if time hadn't run out.
"Justin learned something in that match," Buckley said. "He realized it's possible to win against one of the best in the country. He wrestled smart, but needed to be more aggressive. Like DeLorenzo, he gained some confidence today."
Columbia was missing regular starters at 125 (Jeff Sato), 141 (Sal Tirico), 149 (Ricky Turk), and 174 (Matt Palmer). All would have been strong contenders against Cornell. Their replacements surrendered a fall, a major decision, and two regular decisions. "We should have been more aggressive," Buckley stated. "We gave Cornell's wrestlers too much respect."
Columbia was scheduled to wrestle Binghamton at 7 p.m., on the way back from the Cornell match, but the Bearcats were forced to cancel the contest. The Lions will continue their Ivy League campaign next weekend, competing Friday, Feb. 10, at Princeton, beginning at 7 p.m., and at Penn the following day in a 1 p.m. start.
BROADCAST NOTE: The match was televised by College Sports Television (CSTV) for airing on a delayed basis. It will be shown on Tuesday, Feb. 7, at 10 p.m. on all CSTV outlets.
125 - Troy Nickerson (Cornell) pinned Brandon Kinney (Columbia), 6:43
133 - Mike Mormile (Cornell) dec. Matt DeLorenzo (Columbia), 4-2
141 - Matt Easter (Cornell) dec. Dean Kinports (Columbia), 8-3
149 - Keith Dickey (Cornell) dec. Derek Sickles (Columbia), 7-4
157 - Dustin Manotti (Cornell) maj. dec. Tyler Thurgood (Columbia), 14-4
165 - Steve Anceravage (Cornell) dec. Dustin Tillman (Columbia), 7-3
174 - Daniel Miracola (Cornell) maj. dec. Kenji Porter (Columbia), 10-1
184 - Joe Mazzurco (Cornell) dec. Justin Barent (Columbia), 6-5
197 - Jerry Rinaldi (Cornell) pinned Orrin Kleinhenz (Columbia), 2:34
285 - Zach Hammond (Cornell) dec. John Grando (Columbia), 9-5
Players Mentioned
