Wrestling Welcomes No. 21 Lehigh and No. 5 Cornell for Weekend Duals

Friday, January 27

New York, N.Y.

7:00 p.m.

Columbia University

#21 Lehigh

Photo by: Columbia University Athletics / Josh Wang

Wrestling Welcomes No. 21 Lehigh and No. 5 Cornell for Weekend Duals

1/26/2023 3:59:00 PM | Wrestling

Watch on ESPN+ (Vs. Lehigh)Watch on ESPN+ (Vs. Cornell)

The Lions continue EIWA and Ivy League action at home this weekend

By: Garret Sulak

NEW YORK – Wrestling will continue the EIWA and Ivy League slate this weekend as No. 21 Lehigh (6-7) and No. 5 Cornell (7-2) come to town for a pair of duals. Columbia will matchup against Lehigh at 7 p.m. on Friday. The Lions are then set for a 1 p.m. start on Sunday against Cornell.

HOW TO WATCH/FOLLOW

Both matches this weekend will be streamed on ESPN+. Entry to both matches at Levien Gym are free. Updates for both matches will also be provided through the Columbia Wrestling Twitter account (@CULionsWR).

BUILDING OFF LAST WEEKEND

The Lions opened Ivy League action last Friday with an exciting win over Princeton. Aaron Ayzerov, Nick Babin, and Matt Kazimir each pinned their opponent as the Lions captured six bout wins in the 27-13 win. The win marked Columbia's first victory in an Ivy League opener since 2016.

Columbia wrapped up last weekend with a loss at home to No. 27 Penn. Joshua Ogunsanya, Cesar Alvan, and Kazimir earned the team's three bout wins. Each of the three wins were decisions decided by one or two points.

RANKED LIONS

Seven wrestlers are now ranked nationally by FloWrestling, Intermat, and the NWCA Coaches' Poll.

Rankings listed: FloWrestling / Intermat / Coaches' Poll

125 | HM / 32 / 26 Nick Babin
133 | HM / 30 / 26 Angelo Rini
141 | HM / 26 / 24 Matt Kazimir
149 | NR / 33 / NR Danny Fongaro
157 | 23 / 22 / 21 Cesar Alvan
165 | 22 / 16 / 17 Joshua Ogunsanya
174 | HM / 32 / 26 Lennox Wolak

LEHIGH MATCHUP

Columbia and Lehigh will meet for the 21^st time at 7 p.m. Friday in Levien Gym. The Lions and Mountain Hawks last met on January 14, 2022, when Lehigh took a close 20-16 win. Current Lions Kazimir, Danny Fongaro, Ogunsanya, and Nick Fine won their bouts in last season's meeting.

Lehigh sits at 6-7 overall on the season. The Mountain Hawks split duals last weekend as they lost to Penn, 23-11 before bouncing back to defeat Navy, 21-16. Lehigh has notched wins over Oregon State, Sacred Heart, Oklahoma, Cal Poly, Binghamton, and Navy this season.

PROJECTED LINEUPS VS. LEHIGH

125 | No. 26 Nick Babin (COL) vs. No. 30 Carter Bailey / Killian Delaney (LEH)
133 | No. 26 Angelo Rini (COL) vs. No. 5 Connor McGonagle (LEH)
141 | No. 24 Matt Kazimir (COL) vs. No. 31 Malyke Hines (LEH)
149 | Danny Fongaro (COL) vs. No. 29 Max Brignola / Manzona Bryant IV (LEH)
157 | No. 21 Cesar Alvan (COL) vs. No. 5 Josh Humphreys / Paul Watkins (LEH)
165 | No. 17 Joshua Ogunsanya (COL) vs. Luca Frinzi / Connor Herceg (LEH)
174 | No. 26 Lennox Wolak (COL) vs. Jake Logan (LEH)
184 | Aaron Ayzerov (COL) vs. No. 18 Tate Samuelson (LEH)
197 | Jack Wehmeyer (COL) vs. No. 3 Michael Beard (LEH)
HWT | Billy McChesney (COL) vs. No. 28 Nathan Taylor (LEH)

CORNELL MATCHUP

The in-state matchup between Columbia and Cornell has a long history dating back to the first meeting during the 1907-08 season. Last season in Ithaca, Cornell took a 31-9 win over the Lions.

The Big Red is coming off a pair of Ivy League wins last Saturday. Cornell defeated Brown, 35-6 before taking down Harvard, 27-12 to start Ivy League action 2-0. The Big Red also has wins over Oregon State, North Carolina, Arizona State, Virginia Tech, and Lehigh this season. Cornell will travel to Army West Point on Saturday before facing Columbia on Sunday.

Sunday's match will also be alumni day at Levien Gym. Alumni wrestlers will be recognized during a short intermission of the dual match that will take place after the completion of the first five bouts.

The Columbia women's wrestling club team will also be hosting matches in Levien Gym starting at 11 a.m. on Sunday as part of Wrestle Like a Girl Day. Entry to these matches is also free. Fans attending the women's matches will be able to remain in the gym until the men's match begins at 1 p.m.

PROJECTED LINEUPS VS. CORNELL

125 | No. 26 Nick Babin (COL) vs. No. 13 Brett Ungar (COR)
133 | No. 26 Angelo Rini (COL) vs. No. 3 Vito Arujau / Ethan Fernandez (COR)
141 | No. 24 Matt Kazimir (COL) vs. No. 16 Vince Cornella (COR)
149 | Danny Fongaro (COL) vs. No. 1 Yianni Diakomihalis (COR)
157 | No. 21 Cesar Alvan (COL) vs. Cole Handlovic / Colton Yapoujian (COR)
165 | No. 17 Joshua Ogunsanya (COL) vs. No. 7 Julian Ramirez (COR)
174 | No. 26 Lennox Wolak (COL) vs. No. 4 Chris Foca (COR)
184 | Aaron Ayzerov (COL) vs. No. 6 Jonathan Loew / Ethan Hatcher (COR)
197 | Jack Wehmeyer (COL) vs. No. 17 Jacob Cardenas (COR)
HWT | Billy McChesney (COL) vs. No. 18 Lewis Fernandes / Brendan Furman (COR)

FOLLOWING THE LIONS

Stay up to date on all things Columbia Wrestling by following the Lions on Twitter (@CULionsWR), Instagram (@culionswr) and on Facebook (@ColumbiaAthletics).