The Cornell wrestling team (4-2-1, 2-0 Ivy) continues its run at the Ivy League title tonight as it travels to Providence, R.I., to take on the Brown Bears. The Red will also challenge Harvard tomorrow in Boston.
Cornell is one spot shy of the national top 25 rankings, and is ranked third in the EIWA. The Red is currently on a roll in league matches, having dismissed Columbia last weekend as well as defending Ivy champ Penn earlier in the season.
However, this weekend represents the focal point of the Ivy schedule for the Red, with Harvard ranked fourth in the EIWA and Brown rated eighth. Cornell has already topped the number-two team with its win over the Quakers.
Head coach Rob Koll’s troops are rebounding from a split against Columbia and 20th-ranked Hofstra. During a weekend when the squad was devastated by injury, the Red felt the absence of four starters, including the top-ranked EIWA grappler at 167 pounds, junior tri-captain Leo Urbinelli. He should return this weekend to match up against the two Ivy rivals.
Harvard’s top wrestler, Francis Volpe, checks in at 184 pounds, meaning that he will likely face Red senior Rich DeSoto.
Brown’s strongest member is heavyweight Bronson Lingamfelter. He should match up with either junior Sean Wing, who missed last weekend’s action due to injury, or sophomore Buck McLamb, who filled in for Wing ably, winning both of his matches and taking home Air Force ROTC Athlete of the Week honorable mention.
The Red will likely have to sweep the final few Ivy meets in order to bring home the Ancient Eight crown, but such a feat is well within reach. After the two dual matches this weekend, Cornell will have just one Ivy meet left on the schedule. The Red will face Princeton at home on Feb. 24.
Archived article by Alex Fineman