Cornell University Wrestling: A Legacy of Champions
Cornell University's wrestling program, known as the Big Red, boasts a rich and storied history marked by consistent success, dedicated coaches, and exceptional athletes. From its early beginnings to its modern-day achievements, Cornell wrestling has established itself as a dominant force in collegiate wrestling, leaving an indelible mark on the sport.
Early Years and Coaching Foundations
The Cornell wrestling program's roots trace back to 1907, with E.J. O'Connell serving as the first head coach. O'Connell established a winning culture early on, leading the team to consecutive winning seasons and a third-place finish at the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) meet in 1907.
Walter O'Connell succeeded E.J. O'Connell and began a remarkable 39-year coaching career. Under his guidance, Cornell achieved significant milestones, securing 11 titles and producing 63 individual champions at the EIWA Championships.
In 1947, Jimmy Miller took the helm as head coach, embarking on a 27-year tenure that saw the Big Red amass 203 dual meet wins. Miller's leadership also saw Cornell crowning two national champions in 1953: Frank Bettucci (147 lbs) and Donald Dickason (167 lbs).
J. Andrew Noel assumed the head coaching position in 1974. In his 14 years, Noel led Cornell wrestling to four Ivy League Championships. During this time, Cornell wrestling grew its network and visibility both in the town of Ithaca and the college wrestling world.
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The Spates and Koll Eras: Building a Dynasty
Jack Spates took over as head coach in 1988 and led the team to five straight Ivy League Championships.
Rob Koll began his tenure as head coach of the Big Red in 1993 and held it until leaving for the head coaching position at Stanford University in 2021. Koll represented an era of Cornell wrestling that reached unprecedented success including 19 Ivy League Championships (including 16 consecutive between 2003 and 2018), 11 Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association Championships, 15 individual national champions, and 14 top ten finishes in the NCAA. In 2011, Koll became Cornell's winningest coach, surpassing Jimmy Miller's record.
Koll also coached dominant Cornell wrestler Travis Lee, who won the national title at two different weight classes: 126-pound in 2003 and 133-pound in 2005.
A Hub for Wrestling Excellence: The Friedman Wrestling Center
The Friedman Wrestling Center, the nation’s only stand-alone facility devoted solely to collegiate wrestling, was opened in 2002. This state-of-the-art facility provides Cornell wrestlers with the resources they need to excel, including a strength and conditioning center, training room, locker room, lounge, and the Arno P. Niemand Arena.
Dominance in the Ivy League and EIWA
Cornell's wrestling program has consistently dominated the Ivy League and EIWA conferences. The team won 17 consecutive Ivy League Championships between 2003 and 2019, showcasing its sustained excellence. During that streak the team won 92 consecutive Ivy League dual meets. In 2005, Cornell had four All-Americans for the first time in team history. In 2007, Cornell wrestling won its first Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association championship since 1993 and advanced eight wrestlers to the NCAA tournament. The 2010-2011 season was a stand out performance by the Big Red. The squad won its ninth straight Ivy League Championship and fifth consecutive Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association Championship.
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Individual National Champions: A Legacy of Greatness
Cornell's wrestling history is adorned with the accomplishments of numerous individual national champions who have brought glory to the university.
In 1919, Charles Ackerly won the EIWA Championships at 115 lbs. Ackerly then competed for the United States in the 1920 Summer Olympics in Belgium, where he won the gold medal in the same weight class.
In 1994, David Hirsch won the 126-pound title at the NCAA Championships. He also won a career high 41 matches in his senior season and was a three-time first-team All-Ivy pick.
Jordan Leen added to Cornell's list of national champions, winning the title at the 149 lb weight class in 2008. Troy Nickerson also won the national title the next year at the 125 lb class.
In 2012, Cornell crowned three national champions for the first time in program history. Junior Kyle Dake made his own history by winning his third national title in three separate weight classes (this year at 157 lbs). Steve Bosak and Cam Simaz each won national titles at the 184 lb and 197 lb weight classes respectively.
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Kyle Dake is universally considered in the conversation of the best collegiate wrestlers in history, Dake became the first to win national titles in four different weight classes, the first to win four national titles without taking a redshirt season and just the third athlete to claim four national titles overall. The 2013 Hodge Award winner as the national Wrestler of the Year was a three-time conference champion and a two-time EIWA Wrestler of the Year. The Outstanding Wrestler of the NCAA tournament in 2013, Dake became the third Cornell wrestler to capture the award and the first since Dave Auble in 1960. He was named the 2013 Ivy League Wrestler of the Year and was a three-time first-team all-league pick. He wrapped up his amazing career with a 137-4 record, including winning his final 79 collegiate matches, a Cornell record. He ranks among the school's career leaders in wins, winning percentage (.972), bonus wins (54) and wins by fall (44). Dake was named the Charles H. Moore Senior co-Athlete of the Year at Cornell, the Sports Illustrated Male College Athlete of the Year and was an ESPY finalist for Best Male College Athlete in 2013. The four-time NCAA All-American was elected to the EIWA Hall of Fame in 2014. Dake was a four-time Southern Scuffle champion (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013) and a two-time Las Vegas Invitational champ (2012, 2013), as well as the 2011 Body Bar Invitational champion.
The fifth four-time NCAA champion in history, twice apiece at 141 and 149 pounds, Yianni Diakomihalis was also a four-time EIWA and Ivy League Wrestler of the Year. He was the Amateur Wrestling News, Ivy League and EIWA Rookie of the Year as a freshman in 2018 en route to an NCAA title. He completed his freshman season with a 37-1 overall record and bettered that by going a perfect 29-0 as a sophomore. Diakomihalis became just the second Big Red rookie to secure a national title, joining four-time NCAA champ Kyle Dake. After claiming his second title 2018-19, he took an Olympic redshirt season in 2019-20, then COVID canceled the 2020-21 campaign. He again went unbeaten in 2021-22, winning his third NCAA title with a 28-0 mark. He was 21-1 as a senior, earning a spot as a Hodge Trophy finalist for the third time. During his journey that ended with a 115-2 career record, Diakomihalis posted a 75-match win streak, the second-longest in school history.
Arujau won NCAA titles at 133 pounds as a junior and senior, joining Kyle Dake (4 titles), Yianni Diakomihalis (4), Dave Auble (2), Gabe Dean (2) and Travis Lee (2) as the sixth multi-time national champion in Cornell wrestling history. One of nine four-time NCAA All-Americans in program history, Arujau ended his career 93-8 overall. He stands near the top of the Big Red record book in several categories, including overall winning percentage (10th, .912), bonus-point wins (t-15th, 57), wins by tech fall (9th, 16), wins by major decision (t-3rd, 37), dual meet wins (12th, 45), dual meet winning percentage (7th, .957), NCAA tournament wins (t-1st, 20) and NCAA tournament winning percentage (6th, .870).
Dean was a four-time EIWA champion, four-time NCAA All-American and two-time national champion at 184 pounds. He made the finals three times and placed no lower than third at NCAAs during his four-year career. Dean was a two-time Ancient Eight Wrestler of the Year unanimously after closing out his career with a perfect 17-0 record in four seasons of conference duals. Dean posted a 152-7 career record with 101 bonus point wins and posted win streaks of 52 and 45 matches. Fifty of his wins came by fall. Dean was Ivy League and EIWA Rookie of the Year in 2014. Dean was a four-time first-team All-Ivy League selection and became just the 11th wrestler in EIWA history to claim four straight titles.
Lee became the school's second two-time national champion in wrestling in 2005, capping off a tremendous senior season that saw him earn2 Ivy League Wrestler of the Year honors for the second time. Lee also became the first Ivy wrestler to earn All-America honors four times and became the all-time Cornell and Ivy League leader in wins with 143. Lee won Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) titles all four years and was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Wrestler twice. He posted an unbeaten season en route to a national title at 125 pounds as a sophomore, and then recorded a 37-1 record as a senior, avenging his only loss of the year in the NCAA finals at 133 pounds to capture the 2005 title. He played a major role in the Big Red's fourth-place team finish at this year's NCAA championships, its highest finish in 52 years.
Bettucci was a three-time Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association 147-pound champion, winning the title in 1951, 1952 and 1953. He won the NCAA 147-pound title as a senior, earning All-America honors. He was named the outstanding wrestler at both the EIWA and NCAA championships in 1953. Bettucci went undefeated in dual meets as a junior and senior. He won the 1956 Olympic final tryouts, but a knee injury prevented him from competing.
Bosak won a national title at 184 pounds as a junior in 2012 and placed third as a senior.The four-time NCAA qualifier won an Eastern title in 2013, the last of three consecutive years in which he reached the finals. Bosak was a four-time All-Ivy pick, including a first-teamer in each of his final three seasons. He claimed the EIWA's Sheridan Award in 2011.
Dickason took top national honors at 167 pounds in 1953. He earned the trip to the NCAAs by winning the Eastern Intercollegiate 167-pound championship. Dickason was runner-up in the 177-pound weight class at the EIWA tournament in 1951. He co-captained the team as a junior and senior, and won his numerals as a member of the freshman football team in 1949.
Garrett won the 2016 national championship at 133 pounds after finishing third, second and fifth, respectively, in his first three seasons at 125 pounds. A national finalist in 2014 at 125 pounds, Garrett became the 10th four-time EIWA champion in league history. The 2014 EIWA and 2014 and 2016 Ivy League Wrestler of the Year, Garrett is a four-time Eastern champ and first-team All-Ivy League pick. He was Ivy League and EIWA Rookie of the Year in 2013.
Hirsch was a three-time Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association 126-pound champion, a two-time All-American and an NCAA Division I champion while he was a member of the Big Red from 1990-94. At the 1994 NCAAs, Hirsch won the 126-pound title, becoming the first Cornellian to win a national wrestling crown since 1960 and only the fifth Cornellian ever to win a national wrestling title at the time. He placed fifth at the 1993 NCAA championships to earn All-America honors. Hirsch finished his senior season with a school-record 41 wins and only three losses. His career record of 116-17 ranked third in all-time wins at Cornell. He was named the outstanding wrestler of the EIWA championships in 1994 after winning his third straight Eastern title and was the recipient of the John Fletcher Memorial Trophy, which is presented to the senior wrestler who has made the greatest contribution to his team during his career in the EIWA tournaments. The three-time All-Ivy first-team selection was named the Ivy League Wrestler of the Year in 1994. Hirsch served as tri-captain of the team in 1993-94, when he was named the Cornell Daily Sun Athlete of the Year and the Ithaca Journal Male Athlete of the Year.
Leen, a four-time NCAA qualifier, wrapped up his impressive wrestling career for the Big Red with a 118-29 mark that ranked him sixth in the Cornell record books for career wins. He was awarded the team's Andy Noel "Leadership Award" after captaining the Big Red to two top 10 NCAA finishes in his last two seasons. Leen capped off his impressive four-year campaign by capturing his third All-America honor with a third-place finish at the NCAA tournament. As a junior, Leen was the lowest seeded wrestler to advance to the finals as a No. 8 seed, winning the national title at 157 pounds with a 5-4 win over No. 2 ranked Mike Poeta of Illinois. He became just the second collegiate wrestler from Tennessee to ever win an NCAA championship. Leen finished his career as a three-time first-team All-Ivy honoree and remained perfect against Ancient Eight competition with a 17-0 mark.
Nickerson was an NCAA champion as a junior at , a two-time NCAA finalist and four-year All-American and a member of four Ivy championship teams. The three-time EIWA champion received the prestigious Fletcher Award in 2010 as the senior who contributes the most team points at the EIWA tournament throughout his career. With a 97-8 career record, Nickerson ranked sixth all-time in winning percentage at Cornell in a career (.924). A four-time first-team All-Ivy pick, he earned EIWA Wrestler of the Year accolades in 2009. Nickerson was a two-year captain and finished with 38 pins, second in school history, and received the 2009 Sheridan Award given to the wrestler that wins the most matches by fall in the least amount of time at the EIWA meet. He had the two fastest falls in school history, including a record-setting 13-second win during a dual meet against Eastern Michigan as a junior. As a freshman, Nickerson burst onto the scene, winning Ivy League Wrestler and Rookie of the Year, the first male athlete in any Ivy sport to capture both awards in the same season.
Simaz, a two-time Ivy League Wrestler of the Year, won an NCAA title as a senior at 197 pounds. He graduated ranked second in the school's career record book with a 145-21 record and first with 100 bonus victories. Simaz was 31-1 as a senior with his only loss coming from a medical forfeit. The four-time All-American went 5-0 to top off his stellar career with an NCAA title in 2012. At the EIWA tournament as a senior, he became just the 11th wrestler in conference history to win four titles. That earned him the Fletcher Award, given to the wrestler that has scored the most points for his team at the tournament in his career. With two wins by fall and a major decision, Simaz was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Wrestler. Simaz finished his Ancient Eight career a perfect 20-0 and was named first-team All-Ivy four times.
Stafford was the first Cornell and Eastern wrestler to capture first place honors at the NCAA wrestling championships. He appeared in the second NCAA championship ever held, winning the title at 175 pounds. To reach the NCAAs, he had an outstanding season, winning important dual matches and capturing the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association championship. He was captain of the 1928-29 team. As a sophomore, he placed second at the EIWA championships at 175 pounds and won the heavyweight title as a junior.
Mike Grey Era
For the 2021-22 season, former assistant Mike Grey was hired to replace Koll as head coach for the Big Red. In his first season at the helm, Cornell regained the EIWA and Ivy league titles and finished in 7th place at the NCAA tournament. In 2023, he led Cornell to its first NCAA tournament team trophy under his tenure, placing third. As a team, the Big Red placed third, with Chris Foca ’24 and Jacob Cardenas ‘24 placing in the top eight in their weight classes, earning All-America honors. Earlier this season, the team clinched its 19th Ivy League championship in 20 years, and won the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) conference championship for the second straight year and 13th in the last 16.
The Culture of Cornell Wrestling
“The number one thing is our culture,” Grey said. “Our program is designed to focus on every single kid in the room,” said J.J. Wilson ’23, a human biology, health, and society major in the College of Human Ecology, who spent much of his Cornell wrestling career supporting and training starters. “[Coach Grey] makes sure that every person is working their butt off the entire year, and it sets us apart.
“Some of the most respected guys on the team are the backups,” said Diakomihalis. “I lean on these guys to help me, to give me the right look in the room, and to push me. And I haven’t even talked about out-of-the-room stuff - just having friends and these guys who I know have my back. Grey, who took the reins as head coach in 2021 after working his way up in the coaching ranks, said the emphasis on each athlete has long been a priority in the program. In addition, Grey looks to maximize potential. Diakomihalis said what sets Cornell apart is the coaches’ focus on helping athletes tailor their styles to their unique strengths. “I really want our guys to recognize and be mindful of everybody that’s come before them and what it means to step out on the mat and represent Cornell,” Grey said. “I like to remind them how privileged they are and how special it is to be at a place like Cornell. I tell them, ‘You’re living the life: You’re at Cornell. You’re on the wrestling team. You’re working hard.
“Mike likes hard workers, and I think a lot of the new guys are kind of shocked at how hard it can be,” said Brendan Furman ’23, an industrial and labor relations major in the ILR School who served as the heavyweight backup and starter at various points in his career. “There are so many things I’ve taken away from it. It’s hard even to articulate,” said Furman, who came back from two major knee injuries and surgeries that would have ended most athletes’ careers. “In the end, it’s just you out there on the mat, and all of your work, your failures, your sacrifices and shortcomings are highlighted in that match. If you’re doing the right things leading up to competition, it’ll show; if you’re not, it will show.
“The thing I love about this sport is the character it builds and the person it makes you into,” Grey said. “The life lessons are endless. Lessons you can use to raise your children, to lead within your career. Diakomihalis, who plans to train at Cornell after graduation with his sights on the 2024 Olympics, said he’s grown up at Cornell. “These coaches pour their hearts into me, and the guys - I know they’re all behind me,” he said. “But at the end of the day, we put the work in, and if it doesn’t work out, it doesn’t work out,” he said.
Redman: The Unofficial Mascot
Koll accomplishes this through a number of means; however, as of fall in 2010 he invented an unofficial wrestling mascot known as Redman. While the mascot for Cornell University is the Big Red Bear, Koll felt the need to create a mascot solely for the wrestling team. His appearance is representative of the sport itself, wearing red spandex's covering from head to toe, coupled with a white Cornell Wrestling singlet. Additional attributes include: sunglasses, Cornell C tattoo, wrestling shoes and wrestling headgear. Although Redman's identity remains secret, he promotes the program through his acrobatic dance moves at wrestling events.
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