While a portion of the wrestling team will stay in Ithaca this weekend to study for finals, the members of the wrestling team who determined that studying could wait a few days will be treated with a trip to Sin City. Partying will be kept to a minimum, however, as the wrestling team will be competing in the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational beginning today.

Cornell is among 49 teams that will compete in the two-day event in Nevada. Some of the top teams in the nation will be there, including six squads from the Big Ten. Four other Ivy League teams will also participate in the early season test.

After finishing ninth in the nation last season, the wrestling team is poised to continue its assault on some of the nation’s top teams. Cornell was fourth in the preseason rankings, behind a trio of Big Ten schools — Iowa, Ohio State and Iowa State. The Red returns six All-Americans, each with a realistic chance of capturing an individual National championship.

“Our team goal is to win the Ivy League title, win the [EIWA] title and win a national title,” said head coach Rob Koll.

Senior captain Jordan Leen has a long season ahead of him as he builds up to his last NCAA tournament, and the rare chance to repeat as the titleholder at 157 pounds. Leen is in good position on his personal road to a repeat. But despite his confident exterior, his experience at last year’s championships was far from easy, as the then-junior, ranked No. 8, upset the top-2 seeds en route to becoming only the second NCAA champion from his home state of Tennessee, and the lowest-ranking wrestler of the meet to capture a title.

3/20/2008

Def. Ryan Hluschak

4-3

Last season, Mack Lewnes had one of the most successful campaigns of any freshman in Cornell wrestling history. He went undefeated in the EIWA championships, advanced farther at Nationals than any other freshman and was named the National Freshman of the Year by Amateur Wrestling News. With a year of experience under his belt, Lewnes hopes to achieve even greater results this season.

Lewnes was a four-time Maryland State Champion while attending Mount Saint Joseph High School. He graduated in 2006, but did not immediately come to Cornell. “He went to Colorado Springs [Colo.] for a year to take a few courses to lighten his course load and train at the Olympic Training center,” said wrestling head coach Rob Koll.

The wrestling team opened its schedule with an impressive victory over No. 14 Penn St. Cornell — which was ranked fourth in preseason polls — won seven of 10 matches en route to defeating Penn State Friday night by a score of 24-10. The Red continued its successful weekend at the Body Bar Invitational the next day, winning two individual titles and taking third overall.Vertical limit: Senior 174-pounder Steve Anceravage takes down Penn St. freshman Quentin Wright at Newman Arena on Friday in a 6-1 decision.

Senior captain Jordan Leen is confident about tonight’s season opener match against Penn St. Head coach Rob Koll said he feels confident, too. No. 4 Cornell (0-0) hasn’t beaten No. 8 Penn St. (0-1) in its last five tries in dual-meet play and the Nittany Lions lead the two clubs’ 97-year rivalry 56-10-2.

The Red, however, have good reason to feel like this year is finally the year.

“This year we probably have one of our best teams ever,” said assistant coach Damion Hahn. “We’re really looking forward to [the match].”

Leen, one of the team’s six returning All-Americans and the current National champion at 157 pounds, understands the history between the two teams, but thinks the Nittany Lions’ streak is ready to be broken.

I started to cry. I haven’t cried in a long time.

I don’t know why it happened, but something about his story leveled me. It made me horrified, saddened, inspired and reflective, all at the same time. Maybe you’ll feel the same way.

Adam Frey, a junior and Cornell wrestler, has always been a man of incredible physical and mental strength. On March 25, only a few days after competing in the NCAA championships, Adam was in a car crash. A car came at him in the wrong lane, and going 55 mph his car fishtailed, rolled, hit a tree and sent him flying to the back of the vehicle.

The first time I read the words describing this, I was sitting in my chair at my desk, unaware of what I would learn next. It was Thursday, two days after the accident.

Madness? THIS IS SPARTA … I mean ITHACA!

I am not even kidding: if there has ever been a time to show your school spirit and attend a Cornell sports event, this is it. Cornell sports are absolutely amazing this Friday through Sunday.

You have a chance to see three teams with projected NCAA entrants: that’s three teams with some of our nation’s best athletes, right here, at Cornell!

THIS IS BLASPHEMY!

Cornell sports … advancing on a national level?

The buzzer-beater, the Hail Mary, the walk-off home run: these are the moments the sports world lives and dies by. Cornell’s wrestling team had its own taste of last-minute heroics Saturday night, as junior Steve Anceravage’s takedown with less than a second left in the match swung the score in his favor, electrifying the standing-room only crowd and dashing opponent Hofstra’s hopes for a comeback victory. No. 18 Cornell (2-5) stunned No. 12 Hofstra (11-6), 28-14, in front of the raucous wrestling faithful at Friedman Wrestling Center.

With the dual match win, Cornell goes into next Saturday’s meet against Columbia, the first Ivy League match of the season, riding a wave of newfound confidence.