Cornell is in the middle of three straight weekends of home action. The stretch started last weekend with Military Appreciation Day and a 25-13 win over Army. Cornell’s ‘Big Three’ of Jaxon Joy (149 pounds), Meyer Shapiro (157) and Simon Ruiz (174) all scored tech falls — by a combined 54-9 margin — to outscore Army by themselves. By the way, those three are a combined 26-0 this season. 

“We welcomed (Army head coach and Cornell four-time All-American and 2009 NCAA champion) Troy Nickerson back as well,” Grey said. “With our Military Appreciation Day, all our ROTC branches were represented, which made it a great event.

“That kind of set the stage and built momentum for the next few home events.”

This weekend, Cornell will have a doubleheader on Sunday against Ivy League foes Brown and Harvard. The following weekend, it will be a doubleheader against Columbia and Arizona State.

“We are excited to welcome all of those teams,” Grey said. “Each dual brings some different, interesting tests. Each team has some great individuals, and we’re excited for that.”

Cornella Ready For Deep NCAA Run

Cornell added more firepower to its lineup this year, as Vince Cornella has returned to action at 141 pounds after missing the 2024 NCAA Championships and all last season while recovering from a torn ACL.

Cornella was named the EIWA and Ivy League Rookie of the Year after claiming an EIWA title in his freshman season in 2023. He was well on his way to a second trip to the NCAAs in 2024, but was unable to compete due to injury.

Last season proved to be a recovery year, and he did not return to the dual lineup this season until the Journeymen Collegiate Wrestling Duals in December.

“It was a tough injury to overcome,” Grey said. “I’m very proud of him for making it back after that time away. He is a resilient kid, very tough. His mindset has always been really good; he just takes every opportunity to get better and put his best foot forward.”

In all competitions thus far, Cornella is 9-1 on the season and has risen to #6 in the national rankings. He made a statement at the Southern Scuffle, where he was seeded 13th and finished atop the podium after a 7-2 win over #5 CJ Composto of Penn in the final.

Grey and his staff are eager for him to keep improving and return to make a deep run at his first NCAA Championships since 2023.

“He is in a great spot for us this year,” Grey said. “He is going to be somebody that’s a tough out in March for sure. It is our job to support him, and we want to help him reach his goals. I know that he does the work, and he’s continuing to progress week to week.

“You’ve got to wrestle well, but I absolutely think he will be in the mix that third weekend in March (the NCAA Championships).”

Hansen Waits For His Turn

Another Big Red wrestler who has showed tremendous patience working his way into the lineup has been 184-pounder Christian Hansen.

His wait wasn’t due to injury. Hansen was stuck behind All-Americans each of the three previous seasons.

Cornell has had a string of top wrestlers at 184 pounds recently. First, it was Jonathan Loew in 2023 (although Hansen made the postseason lineup after Loew was injured in early February. Then he was behind Chris Foca the last two years, watching Foca advance to the blood round in 2024 before placing fifth last year in his final season.

Now it’s Hansen’s turn.

“He is a great example of staying the course and developing in our room,” Grey said. “He’s a kid that values his education, he wants to get an Ivy League degree. He was behind some great guys, but he didn’t transfer, he didn’t take the easy way out.

“He’s reaping the benefits now because he’s been wrestled with some great training partners and we are seeing that success pay off this season.”

Hansen finds himself ranked 16th this week with 18 wins on the season.

“He’s doing a heck of a job right now,” Grey said. “He’s continuing to be more consistent every single outing. I’m really proud of Christian. I think he keeps getting better even as this season has moved forward.

“That’s a guy that you’re not going to want to wrestle in March. He’s extremely confident and is a little bit under the radar.”