Cornell is coming off an outstanding performance at the 2023 NCAA Tournament where they finished in third place with 4 All-Americans and 2 NCAA Champions. Check out the below article for an early preview of the upcoming 2023-24 season. 

Click here for other early line-up looks

Overview

Head Coach: Mike Grey

Assistants: Donnie Vinson, Kellen Russell, Nick Gwiazdowski

2023 NCAA Tournament Finish: 3rd

2023 NCAA Tournament Team Points: 76.5

2023 EIWA Tournament Finish: Champions

2023 Dual Record: 12-3

Returning national qualifiers: 8 (Brett Ungar, Vito Arujau, Vince Cornella, Julian Ramirez, Chris Foca, Jonathan Loew, Jacob Cardenas, Ethan Fernandes)

Returning All-Americans: 4 (Vito Arujau, Chris Foca, Jonathan Loew, Jacob Cardenas)

Last NCAA champion: Vito Arujau and Yianni Diakomihalis (2023)

Highest NCAA tournament team finish: 2nd (2010 & 2011)

Highest NCAA team finish under Grey: 3rd (2023)

Most place winners under Grey: 4 (2023)

Last 10 NCAA Championships:

2013: 5th

2014: 7th

2015: 5th

2016: 7th

2017: 8th

2018: 7th

2019: 7th

2020: Canceled (COVID)

2021: Did Not Participate (COVID)

2022: 7th

2023: 3rd

125: #7 Brett Ungar

Ungar had a very productive freshman year for Cornell last season and looks to be an All-American threat moving forward. Ungar finished one match shy of earning All-American honors at the 2023 NCAA Tournament when he lost to Killian Cardinale in the round of 12, 3-2. Despite that loss, Ungar recorded signature wins over the likes of Malik Heinselman, #8 Jarrett Trombley, #14 Brandon Kaylor, and #4 Eddie Ventresca on the year. With the graduation of All-Americans Spencer Lee, Pat Glory, Brandon Courtney, and Liam Cronin, Cornell should expect big things from Ungar at the 2024 NCAA Tournament. 

Brett Ungar's win over Jarrett Trombley at the 2022 CKLV:

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133: #1 Vito Arujau

Vito Arujau put together one of the most impressive NCAA Tournaments in recent history when he took out Daton Fix and Roman Bravo-Young to win his first NCAA title. Arujau then followed that up with making his first senior world team at 61kg and will compete at senior worlds this September in Belgrade, Serbia. Arujau should be considered the favorite at 133 pounds in the 2023-24 season over the likes of #2 Daton Fix, #3 Aaron Nagao, #4 Sam Latona, and #5 Kai Orine.

Vito Arujau's NCAA Finals win over Roman Bravo-Young:

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141: #12 Vince Cornella

Similar to Brett Ungar, Vince Cornella put together a solid freshman campaign and climbed as high as #10 in the rankings. During the regular season, Cornella accumulated ranked wins over Tom Crook, Jesse Vasquez, Matt Kazimir, Cleveland Belton, Darren Miller, and Josh Koderhandt. Despite those wins, Cornella came up short at the NCAA Tournament after losing in overtime to eventual All-American Lachlan McNeil and round of 12 finisher Casey Swiderski. Cornella will once again be in the mix to earn All-American honors this coming season and has the potential to earn significant points for the Big Red at the NCAA Tournament. 

149: #24 Meyer Shapiro

Meyer Shapiro might be the best freshman in the entire country coming into the 2023-24 season. Shapiro won a U17 world title in 2021 and most recently made the U20 world team at 70kg with significant wins over Kaleb Larkin (6-1), Daniel Cardenas (11-0), and Antrell Taylor (7-2, 8-0, and 11-0). Of those 3, Cardenas is the most notable result considering he was the #6 seed at the NCAA tournament and finished 1 match shy of All-American honors. 

Along with the wins at the US Open and World Team Trials, Shapiro wrestled in 4 open college tournaments where he accumulated a 15-0 record with 13 wins coming by bonus. This is not hyperbole, Shapiro will be a title contender right away for Cornell and a dangerous threat to anyone in the country at 149. 

Shapiro's win over Cardenas at the 2023 US Open:

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157: Cole Handlovic/Colton Yapoujian

157 is the most "up in the air" weight for Cornell heading into next year with Cole Handlovic and Colton Yapoujian as the front runners. Yapoujian has shown slightly more potential in his career but has yet to stay healthy long enough to reach the postseason. Yapoujian defeated Handlovic 7-0 last season and has career wins over Derek Holschlag, Elijah Cleary, Marcus Hartman, Zach Hartman, and Michael Petite. If Yapoujian can stay healthy, he should be able to work his way into the rankings and qualify for the NCAA Tournament.

165: #7 Julian Ramirez

After 2 years as the 165-pound starter for Cornell, Julian Ramirez is still searching for his first All-American finish after finishing in the round of 12 twice. Though he finished outside the top 8, he’s put together an impressive hit list including Quincy Monday (X2), Patrick Kennedy, Matt Olguin, Zach Hartman, Austin Yant, Cam Amine, and Shane Griffith. Ramirez is one of the best 165-pound wrestlers in the country and has shown he’s capable of moving into the top 4.

Julian Ramirez's win over Quincy Monday in the 2023 EIWA Finals:

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174: #2 Chris Foca

After failing to place at the 2022 NCAA Tournament, Chris Foca had a breakout season in 2023 ultimately resulting in a 3rd place finish at the NCAA Tournament. Along with the podium finish, Foca recorded wins at the NCAA Tournament over Cade DeVos, Dustin Plott, Nelson Brands, and Mekhi Lewis while only losing to Carter Starocci. Foca is currently ranked #2 in the country, only behind the aforementioned Starocci, and will be a threat to make the finals next year for the Big Red.

Highlights of Chris Foca's win over Mekhi Lewis at the 2023 NCAA Tournament:

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184: #16 Jonathan Loew

Jonathan Loew will return to his starting spot at 184 pounds next season after missing most of last year with an injury. If Loew can return to his form prior to the injury, Cornell should expect big things from him next year. In 2022, Loew finished 8th at the NCAA Tournament after compiling a 30-8 record with notable wins over Zac Braunagel, John Poznanski, Isaiah Salazar, Hunter Bolen, and a number of other ranked wrestlers. 

197: #7 Jacob Cardenas

Jacob Cardenas upgraded a 1-2 finish at the 2022 NCAA Tournament into an 8th-place finish in 2023. Cardenas made notable improvements from year one to year two while recording ranked wins over #9 Zac Braunagel, #11 Luke Surber, #17 Luke Stout, #22 Levi Hopkins, #10 Michael Beard, #20 Andy Smith, #24 Max Shaw, and Tanner Harvey. We should expect Cardenas to continue making improvements heading into next season and for him to be a threat to anyone in the country at 197 pounds. 

Jacob Cardenas' win over Michael Beard in the 2023 EIWA Finals:

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285: #10 Lewis Fernandes

Similar to Loew, Lewis Fernandes missed most of last season with an injury that forced him to only wrestle 8 matches on the year. In the 2022 season, Fernandes reached the round of 12 at the NCAA Tournament but lost in the match to place to Christian Lance, 4-2 in overtime. Despite that loss, Fernandes has established himself as an All-American threat, and if he’s healthy, we should expect him to score significant points for the Big Red at the 2024 NCAA Tournament.

Where Will Cornell Finish In 2024?

Cornell is looking for their first back-to-back trophy finish since they finished runner-up in 2010 and 2011. Big Red fans should be confident in their chances of reaching the podium once again for a variety of reasons. First, Cornell is currently ranked #3 in our early season rankings with 61.5 points - only behind Penn State (138.5) and Iowa (73). After that, Cornell isn’t getting significant points from Vince Cornella, Meyer Shapiro, Cole Handlovic/Colton Yapoujian, Jonathan Loew, or Lewis Fernandes. All of those wrestlers have the potential to raise Cornell in the team standings. 

The best argument for Cornell to reach the podium in 2024 is the number of All-American contenders they have entering the season. That depth is ultra-important considering the chaotic nature of the NCAA Tournament. Even if 2-3 of their wrestlers don’t perform to their seed, they will still have multiple point scorers to help them reach the podium. The future is bright for the Big Red and next year should prove to be an exciting season in Ithaca.