Nine Cornell wrestlers qualified for the 2012 NCAA tournament, according to brackets released by the NCAA Wednesday night.
Senior Maciej Jochym received an at-large bid for the heavyweight division. Seniors Cam Simaz (197), Steve Bosak (184) and Frank Perrelli (125), earned No. 1, No. 4 and No. 6 seeds, respectively. Junior Kyle Dake earned the top seed in the 157-pound division.
Cornell’s nine qualifiers tie the program’s best, as the Red sent nine athletes to the NCAAs in 1964, 2005, 2009 and 2011. The Red placed second overall in 2010 and 2011.
Sophomores Nick Arujau (133), Mike Nevinger (141), Chris Villalonga (149) and Marshall Peppelman (165) earned bids for the first round as well.
Both Villalonga and and Bosak will take on opponents they have faced earlier in the season. In January, Villalonga was defeated by Penn State’s No. 1 Frank Molinaro. Bosack came out victoriuos against Purdue’s Braden Atwood in February at the National Duals.
The NCAA championships begin Thursday, March 15 and will run through Saturday, March 17.
Original Author: Lauren Ritter