#14 Wrestling Opens Ivy Competition, Hosts #2 Missouri This Weekend
ITHACA, N.Y. — The #14 Cornell wrestling team (4-3) will look to get back on track when it hosts Harvard (3-1) and Brown (1-2) on Saturday, Jan. 27, at the Freidman Wrestling Center and #2 Missouri (7-0) on Sunday, Jan. 28, at Newman Arena. Saturday’s duals begin at noon and 2 p.m., while Sunday’s action will start at 1 p.m. All three duals will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
Big Red in the Coaches’ Rankings
Ivy League Dominance
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Cornell has captured 19 Ivy League titles in the past 20 seasons, including two in a row under head coach Mike Grey, who won four as a student-athlete and eight as an assistant coach for the Big Red.
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The Big Red has won 102 of its last 103 Ivy League duals, including 10 in a row since losing to Princeton in 2020. That loss snapped the program’s streak of 92 consecutive Ivy League wins.
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Cornell has won 42 Ivy League titles, and its streak of 17 straight from 2003-19 is a record for consecutive Ivy titles by the same team in a sport. The Big Red won four more than Cornell had in men’s gymnastics (from 1967-68 to 1976-77) and men’s lacrosse (1973-74 to 1982-83), as well as Princeton in men’s lacrosse (1994-95 to 2003-04).
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Every four-year member of the Cornell wrestling team who has enrolled since 1980 has won at least one Ivy League title during their career.
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Cornell is 312-53-1 (.854) all-time against Ivy League opponents.
Ramirez Rolling
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Ramirez (165 pounds), ranked second in his weight class by InterMat, enters the weekend 13-1 overall and 6-0 in duals.
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The two-time NCAA qualifier has beaten six opponents ranked in the coaches poll, including #2 David Carr (Iowa State), a four-time All-American and 2021 national champion. His other top 25 victories were against #11 Holden Heller (Pittsburgh), #13 Matthew Olguin (Oregon State), #19 Derek Fields (NC State), #23 Connor Brady (Virginia Tech) and #25 Hunter Garvin (Stanford).
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Ramirez’s only loss this season came to Oklahoma State’s Izzak Olejnik in the 165 final at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invite. Olejnik, a 2023 All-American, is 17-1 and ranked #4 in the coaches poll.
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Ramirez leads Cornell in wins (13), falls (4) and major decisions (4). Eight of his victories have earned the Big Red bonus points, tied for the team lead.
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His likely match against #1 Keegan O’Toole on Sunday is one of the most anticipated bouts of the regular season. Ramirez has never faced the two-time national champion as a collegiate wrestler.
Other Big Red News and Notes
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Three-time NCAA All-American and 2023 national champion Vito Arujau will return to the Cornell lineup for the first time since the National Collegiate Duals on Dec. 18. Arujau, ranked #2 at 133 by InterMat and FloWrestling, has won four of his five matches so far this season.
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Cornell dropped to #14 in the NWCA Divison I Coaches Poll after losing to Lehigh on Jan. 13.
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Ramirez and Foca (184) have earned EIWA Wrestler of the Week Honors this season.
Know the Foes and Series History: Harvard and Brown
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Cornell is 60-9 against Harvard and has won the last 21 duals in the series. Harvard is 2-32 on the road against the Big Red.
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Cornell is 59-2 against Brown and has won 25 in a row against the Bears. Brown is 1-31 on the road in the series.
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Harvard has two wrestlers ranked in the coaches poll — Diego Sotelo (#19, 125) and Philip Conigliaro (#5, 174).
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Conigliaro is a three-time NCAA qualifier.
Know the Foe and Series History: Missouri
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Missouri owns a 9-3 advantage against Cornell, which won the most recent meeting 19-18 in 2019. The Tigers had won six in a row against the Big Red before that meeting.
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Each of Missouri’s starters — Noah Surtin (125), Kade More (133), Josh Edmond (141), Logan Gioffre (149), Brock Mauller (157), Keegan O’Toole (165), Peyton Mocco (174), Clayton Whiting (184), Rocky Elam (197) and Zack Elam (285) – are ranked in the initial coaches poll.
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O’Toole (#1), Mauller (#5), Mocco (#4), Rocky Elam (#3) and Zach Elam (#4) are in the top five in their weight classes. All five were NCAA All-Americans last season.
A Showcase of World Champs
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The Big Red’s dual against the Tigers will feature three 2023 World Champions: Arujau, Shapiro and O’Toole.
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Arujau won the 61kg gold medal at the World Wrestling Championships in September, becoming the first Big Red wrestler to earn a gold medal as an undergrad. Shapiro won gold in August in the 70kg weight class at the U20 World Wrestling Championships.
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O’Toole won the 74kg gold medal in October.