PHILADELPHIA, Pa. — The final minute of Brett Ungar's match against Penn's Max Gallagher defined the No. 10 Cornell wrestling team's effort on Saturday night at the Palestra.
Cornell wrestlers showed championship-level resolve as they kept findwing ways to win.
Ungar (125 pounds), trailing Gallagher 2-1, willed his way for a three-point takedown with about 30 seconds left, taking a 4-2 lead he would hold. He clinched Cornell's 26-8 victory over Penn and the 43rd Ivy League title in program history. The Big Red has now won 20 of the last 21 Ivy wrestling titles, including three straight under Mike Grey, the David Dunlop '59 Head Coach of Wrestling.
Cornell improved to 10-3 overall and 5-0 in the Ivy with its sixth straight dual victory.
All but one of the Big Red's victories on Saturday — Lewis Fernandes' 15-0 technical fall over John Stout — were decisions. Some, like Ungar, had to finish (or hold off) their opponents at the end of matches.
At 157, No. 6 Meyer Shapiro held on for a 6-3 victory over No. 23 Lucas Revano to start the dal. In the next match, No. 4 Julian Ramirez (165 pounds) battled through an injury and recorded a takedown in the third period to seal his 5-1 win over Kaya Sement.
No. 7 Chris Foca (184), in the lowest-scoring match of the night, strung together his points on an escape, a stall call and riding time. It was enough for Foca to come out with a 3-0 victory over No. 17 Max Hale.
At 197 pounds, No. 7 Jacob Cardenas sealed his 7-0 win over No. 24 Cole Urbas with a four-point near fall. A short time later, three-time All-American and 2023 national champion Vito Arujau (133), getting everyone's best shot this season, scrapped for an 11-4 victory over No. 9 Michael Colaiocco.
Things were no different in the last match, which featured No. 23 Ethan Fernandez against Jude Swisher. Fernandez led 7-2 but had to survive a late charge from Swisher, who cut his deficit to 7-6 after an escape and a takedown in the final minute. Fernandez recorded an escape and won 8-7, prevailing in the same fashion as many of his teammates.
From there, the Big Red hoisted the Ivy League wrestling championship trophy again.
Cornell Big Red Notes
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The Big Red has won 107 of its last 108 Ivy League duals, including 15 in a row since losing to Princeton in 2020.
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Cornell is 317-53-1 all-time against Ivy League opponents.
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Cornell has captured 20 Ivy League titles in the past 21 seasons, including three in a row under Grey, who won four as a student-athlete and eight as an assistant coach for the Big Red.
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Every four-year member of the Cornell wrestling team who has enrolled since 1980 has won at least one Ivy League title during their career.
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Cornell wrestlers went 42-8 against Ivy opponents in duals this season.
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Cornell is 90-21-1 all-time against Penn. The Big Red has won the last 21 duals in the series.
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Shapiro won his 12th match in a row, improving to 17-2 overall. The freshman is unbeaten (12-0) in duals.
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Cardenas improved to 9-3 against wrestlers ranked in the top 25 at 197 in the coaches' rankings.
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Cardenas leads Cornell in wins (18). He has won his last six bouts.
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Fernandez won his seventh match in a row.
Match-by-match results: Cornell 26, Penn 8
157: No. 6 Meyer Shapiro def. No. 23 Lucas Revano 6-3 by decision (Cornell 3, Penn 0)
165: No. 4 Julian Ramirez def. Kaya Sement 5-1 by decision (Cornell 6, Penn 0)
174: No. 6 Nick Incontrera def. Benny Baker 9-2 by decision (Cornell 6, Penn 3)
184: No. 7 Chris Foca def. No. 17 Max Hale 3-0 by decision (Cornell 9, Penn 3)
197: No. 7 Jacob Cardenas def. No. 24 Cole Urbas 7-0 by decision (Cornell 12, Penn 3)
285: No. 17 Lewis Fernandes def. John Stout 15-0 by technical fall (Cornell 17, Penn 3)
125: No. 14 Brett Ungar def. Max Gallagher 4-2 by decision (Cornell 20, Penn 3)
133: No. 2 Vito Arujau def. No. 9 Michael Colaiocco 11-4 by decision (Cornell 23, Penn 3)
141: No. 16 CJ Composto def. Mark Botello 15-0 by technical fall (Cornell 23, Penn 8)
149: No. 23 Ethan Fernandez def. Jude Swisher 8-7 by decision (Cornell 26, Penn 8)
Up Next
Cornell faces No. 8 NC State next Friday, Feb. 16, at 7 p.m.
