Wrestling Welcomes No. 6 Cornell This Saturday
2/4/2015 1:57:00 PM | Wrestling
Watch Live | Notes | Live Stats | Game Program
NEW YORK - After a weekend off, the Columbia wrestling team will square off against its sixth EIWA opponent of the season, when No. 6 Cornell travels to Morningside Heights for a 6 p.m. dual in the Blue Gym.
CATCH THE ACTION: Fans unable to attend the home dual can catch the action on the Ivy League Digital Network. Mike Torriero and Greg Tanenbaum will be on the call for the 6 p.m. match. Live stats will also be available on TrackWrestling by clicking here.
ABOUT THE LIONS: Columbia (4-2, 3-2 EIWA) heads into the matchup with Cornell in true mid-season form. The Lions have won four of their last five matches, including two dual victories against EIWA opponents American and Hofstra at Levien Gymnasium.
LAST TIME OUT: Columbia hosted American and Hofstra in a tri-dual on Sunday, January 25. The Lions were victorious in both matches, improving to 4-2 on the season. Six Lion wrestlers went 2-0 on the day, including Angelo Amenta (133), Markus Scheidel (157), Tyrel White (165), Shane Hughes (174), Matt Idelson (197) and Garrett Ryan (HWT).
ABOUT CORNELL: Routinely one of the toughest programs in the nation, Cornell comes into the contest ranked No. 6 in the latest USA Today/NWCA Coaches poll. The Big Red have five wrestlers featured in the latest rankings by The Open Mat, helping the team to victories in 12 of 13 dual meets in 2014-15.The lone loss on the 12-1 season for Cornell came in a home dual on Jan. 10, as the Big Red fell to No. 3 Missouri, 27-9.
FRONHOFER AGAINST CORNELL: Carl Fronhofer is 0-3 all-time against Cornell, having his best showing against the Big Red last year. On Feb. 8, 2014 against the then ranked No. 4 team in the country, the Lions fell 22-15, while taking home four match victories. Shane Hughes gave the team bonus points at 174 when he pinned Craig Eifert in the first.
VIDEO: Carl Fronhofer post-match interview | 1/25/2015
TWO MORE IN STORE: After the Cornell dual, the Lions will have two remaining duals in the Columbia Blue gym next week. Columbia will welcome Princeton for a 6 p.m. dual on Friday, Feb. 13, before a Feb. 14 dual with Penn at 7 p.m. Both matches will be streamed on the Ivy League Digital network.
WHAT'S YOUR RANK?: The match with No. 6 Cornell marks the third dual meet for the Lions against a ranked opponent this season, in just seven dual outings. The Lions dropped a 34-3 contest against No. 11 Lehigh on Nov. 21, before a 29-12 loss at No. 23 Bucknell on Jan. 23. Additionally, Cornell boasts five wrestlers that are ranked, including No. 2 Gabe Dean at 184, and No. 3 Nahshon Garrett at 125.
THAT'S CALLED A WINNING STREAK: The new year has been a good one for senior tri-captain Shane Hughes, who is now 5-0 in 2015. At 174, Hughes led the Lions to four team victories in January, earning four falls in his matches.
MY NAME IS ANGELO, AND I WRESTLE 133: Hughes is not the only tri-captain who has found success as of late, with junior Angleo Amenta also getting hot in the lower weights. The 133-pounder has won three of his last four matches, with all of his victories coming in team wins for Columbia.
TECHNICALLY SPEAKING: First-year Tyrel White earned his first career tech fall last time out, defeating American's Brad Mutchnik, 16-1, in a Columbia win. The 165-pounder is the leader of the pack with 17 wins in 2014-15, while classmate Garrett Ryan (HWT) is right behind him at the 16-win mark.
VIDEO: Highlights vs. American and Hofstra | 1/25/2015
140 CHARACTERS OR LESS: Fans wanting to stay up-to-date with the Columbia wrestling team on twitter can do so by following @ColumbiaWR. For all things Columbia Athletics, don't forget to check out @GoColumbiaLions.
DOUBLE-DIGITS: Seven wrestlers have now posted double-digit wins this season for Columbia, with three other Lions at the nine win mark. Zack Hernandez (184), Johnson Mai (125), and Tyler Zimmer (157) all are one win away from the 10 win club.
MARK IT EIGHT, DUDE: In the 27-9 victory at Buffalo, Columbia went 8-2 overall on the night. The eight wins were the most in a dual since the Lions went 8-2 en rout to a 30-7 victory over Princeton, on Feb. 15, 2013, in the Blue Gym. This was just the sixth time that head coach Carl Fronhofer oversaw Columbia win at least eight matches in a dual. On Jan. 7, 2012, his first season at the helm, Fronhofer's Lions knocked off Davidson, 49-0, winning all ten matches in the process.
EIWA SEASON: Columbia is now 3-2 on the season against teams from the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA). After the Cornell match, duals against Princeton, Penn, Harvard, and Brown still remain for Columbia, as all five schools represent both the EIWA, and the Ivy League. The EIWA Championships are slated for March 7-8, hosted by Lehigh.
Columbia vs. No. 6 Cornell Match-up
| Wt. | No. 6 Cornell (12-1, 4-0 EIWA) |
COLUMBIA (4-2, 3-2 EIWA) |
| 125 | No. 3 Nahshon Garrett (19-2) | Johnson Mai (9-11) |
| 133 | Mark Grey (12-5) | Angelo Amenta (14-9) |
| 141 | Nick Arujau (3-1) | Jacob Macalolooy (6-8) |
| 149 | No. 7 Chris Villalonga (20-2) | Connor Sutton (13-10) |
| 157 | No. 6 Brian Realburo (9-2) | Tyler Zimmer (9-3) |
| 165 | No. 13 Dylan Palacio (11-2) | Tyrel White (17-10) |
| 174 | Duke Pickett (21-4) | Shane Hughes (11-8) |
| 184 | No. 2 Gabe Dean (28-2) | Zack Hernandez (9-9) |
| 197 | Jace Bennett (27-9) | Troy Hembury (1-4) |
| HWT | Jacob Aiken-Phillips (10-13) | Garrett Ryan (16-10) |
Players Mentioned
