On the heels of its 16th-straight Ivy League Title, No. 11 Cornell wrestling closed out its regular season with yet another resounding victory, topping out-of-conference opponent No. 24 North Carolina, 32-6.
The Red has not lost a match since December — good for a nine-match winning streak. The team finished the season with 13 dual meet victories and two losses.
Starting off the night with a win by forfeit at 125, followed by a pair of major decisions, Cornell jumped out to an early 12-0 lead. When all was said and done, the Red walked away victorious in eight of 10 weight classes, including three bonus-point wins on the back end of the meet.
Freshmen No. 4 Yianni Diakomihalis (141), No. 11 Max Dean and No. 3 Ben Darmstadt continued their rookie-year dominance by defeating their ranked opponents. Notably, Darmstadt completed his 16th fall of the season against No. 15 Danny Chaid and Chavez won by major decision.
Diakomihalis and Darmstadt both finished the regular season with near-perfect resumes of 27-1 and 26-1, respectively, and more than 20 bonus point wins apiece.
Dean also has had an impressive freshman campaign thus far, sporting a record of 25-2 with 13 bonus point victories. But the work is far from over for these young highly ranked wrestlers, who will likely make some noise in the postseason.
The win comes against head Coach Rob Koll’s alma mater. As a Tar Heel, Koll was a NCAA Champion and a four-time All-American wrestler at 158 pounds.Since becoming head coach of the Red in 1993, Koll has posted a record of 293-91-5.
Up next for Cornell is the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association Championship on March 3 and 4. The Red is searching for its 12th-straight EIWA title, as it looks to fend off No. 9 Lehigh.
The Red defeated the Mountain Hawks last month, 23-14.