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The Cornell Daily Sun (https://cornellsun.com/2003/02/20/e-news-17/)

February 20, 2003

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E-News

By wpengine | February 20, 2003

As if Ten Reality Shows Weren’t Enough

Ivy Champ Grapplers Hold Senior Night

By wpengine February 21, 2003

After spending last weekend clinching the Ivy League title, the No. 6 wrestling team returns home for its last dual meet of the season. Cornell (12-5) will match up against the East Stroudsburg Warriors (16-4) tomorrow at 7 p.m. in the Friedman Wrestling Center. Last weekend saw Cornell defeat Harvard, 23-13, and Brown, 33-3. The team also earned five major decisions, one technical fall, and one pin. While the Red is a heavy favorite to win the match, head coach Rob Koll is still taking the Warrior threat seriously. “They’ve really got a pretty decent team,” said Koll. “Certainly not a team that you want to take lightly.” East Stroudsburg sports a handful of experienced wrestlers, including Jeff Smith at 133 pounds, Mark Smith at 141, Brandon Mihalko at 165, and John Carr at 174. Mark Smith and Carr will provide an extra challenge, as both are currently 24-7 on the season. Smith also boasts 15 pins. Koll summed up the danger in underestimating the East Stroudsburg squad. “If they wrestle well — they have five wins,” he said. At the same time, Cornell boasts its own experienced roster. Besides All-Americans senior Clint Wattenberg and sophomore Travis Lee, freshman Dustin Manotti is also nationally ranked. Junior Tyler Baier and senior Matt Greenberg have already hit the 20-win mark and have been ranked over the course of the season. Besides being the last dual meet of the season, tomorrow is also senior night for the Red. While expectations are high for the evening, most of the team is already looking ahead to next weekend’s EIWA’s. “Obviously, we’d like to go out with a bang,” said Wattenberg. “This is just a good way to propel us into Easterns and then Nationals.” Senior Gabe Webster echoed his teammate’s sentiments. “As far as I’m concerned, I’ve still got Easterns and then the NCAA championship,” he said. Koll was a little more emotional about the evening. “Time goes extremely fast,” he said. “So it amazes me that these guys are going to be gone.”Archived article by Matt Janiga
M. Squash Faces Yale

By wpengine February 21, 2003

The men’s squash team begins its quest for glory this afternoon, as it competes in the first round of the NISRA national championship tournament. After a stellar regular season, the Red is looking forward to the opportunity to bring home a title. “Everyone’s playing their best squash of the season, probably of their life right now,” said freshman Matt Greenberg. “It’s going to take [our best] to win this tournament.” Seeded sixth in the nation, Cornell meets Yale today at 3 p.m. on courts at Penn. The Elis are the third seed and defeated the Red 8-1 during the regular season. “It’s going to be a tough match,” said freshman William Cheng. “They beat us pretty badly earlier, but we’ve gained a lot of confidence and experience since then. This is winnable.” Adding to the drama of the weekend is the absence of senior Tim Nagel, who has been forced to the sidelines by illness. Nagel, who had a strong senior campaign, has been an integral part of the resurgence of Cornell men’s squash over the past three years. His consistent play and calm leadership will be sorely missed. “He’s an All-Star,” said Greenberg. “It’s going to be rough without Tim because the younger guys are going to have to step up in the back of the lineup,” said senior captain Jeff Porter. “People who have been waiting to play all year are now going to get their chance during the biggest weekend of the season.” If the Red defeats Yale, it will next take to the courts at 12:30 p.m. tomorrow at Princeton. Should it lose, Cornell will play at 3:30 p.m. The championship match will take place at high noon on Sunday. Archived article by Per Ostman