History was made in Princeton, N.J. as wrestling stamped its dominance on the inaugural Ivy League Tournament, securing the team title with 135.5 points and qualifying all 10 wrestlers for the 2025 NCAA Championships. Now, with momentum at its back, the team shifts its focus to wrestling’s biggest stage.
“Last year was the first time we ever qualified all 10, so to be able to do that again this year is really great for the program,” said head coach Mike Grey ’11. “It shows a lot of balance, and it's definitely special.”
Sophomore No. 1 Meyer Shapiro led the charge, earning the Most Outstanding Wrestler award after securing the individual title at 157 pounds. In his championship match, Shapiro operated at a relentless pace, dismantling Penn’s No. 20 Jude Swisher with a decisive 19-2 technical fall.
“[Shapiro] is a special competitor,” Grey said. “He enjoys winning, but he hates to lose more. He’s ultra competitive. He really cares about his craft, and heading into NCAA, I want him to compete like he did in the finals. He should have a lot of gratitude and joy, and if he does that and he’s wrestling free, he’ll have good results,”
In the championship bout at 184 pounds, senior Chris Foca fell behind early but fought back to tie the match in the third period. In overtime, Foca fired off a double-leg that was stuffed, but he kept working, moving into an over-under tie. From there, he lifted Penn’s Max Hale off the mat and slammed him to the ground for a thunderous takedown, clinching the victory and the title.
“We say all the time that you have got to be able to win the unpredictable ones,” Grey said. “[Foca] tech-falled that kid in the dual; it just didn't go that way yesterday. But he kept his composure. He’s a seasoned veteran, and he didn’t get frazzled and pulled it out for us. It was a huge win for us, and sealed the championship for our program as well.”
The Red’s success was further underscored by individual championships from senior Julian Ramirez at 165 pounds, freshman Simon Ruiz at 174 pounds and sophomore Ashton Davis at 285 pounds. Additionally, freshmen Tyler Ferrara and Mikey Dellagatta, along with senior Ethan Fernandez, each claimed second place at their respective weight classes.
Sophomore Marcello Milani, who was ranked fourth in the Ivy League entering the tournament, faced an early setback with a first-round loss to Columbia’s Sulayman Bah. Despite the hit, Milani fought his way through the consolation bracket, upsetting Harvard’s Diego Sotelo, and ultimately securing a 5-2 victory over Bah in the third-place match to earn his spot at the NCAA Championships.
“[For Milani] to beat the kid that he lost to earlier in the year from Harvard and beat the Columbia wrestler who beat him earlier in the day to qualify in that third place match was special,” Grey said. “It's great to see him grow and get better throughout the season. I’m thrilled that nobody’s left out. It’s always great from a morale standpoint when you can have all 10 of your wrestlers together.”
Lastly, despite an early upset, senior Josh Saunders battled through the consolation bracket to qualify for the NCAA Championship at 141 pounds.
From here, all eyes turn to Philadelphia, where the Red will look to make program history. With all ten wrestlers qualified and five individual Ivy champions, Cornell enters the NCAA Championships as legitimate contenders to bring home multiple All-Americans and potentially challenge for some individual trophies.
“Every year is a different year, and this is a one of one group,” Grey said. “This is the last time this group will be together with these 10 starters, so the message is to enjoy each other, wrestle for something bigger than themselves and have gratitude.”
