Columbia's Strength of Schedule Creates Mental Toughness
By Austin Sommer, EIWA Sports Information Director
There is an argument to be made as to which NCAA team has the toughest schedule. Columbia is required to be in this conversation. The Lions schedule is not for the faint of heart. Of the thirteen dual meets on their schedule, seven of the teams are ranked in the top 25. This includes all five out-of-conference dual meets in which every opponent is ranked. With the first half of the season finished, let's examine the treacherous schedule the Ivy League school out of New York City has endured thus far in the 2023 – 2024 season.
The Columbia Lions opened the dual meet season with 9th ranked Michigan at home on a Friday, then hosted #6 Ohio State two days later. Results may look lobsided examining the score, but there were quite a few close matches that could have changed the outcome – particularly the Michigan bout. Three of Columbia's losses came by a takedown or less. Of course, the 33-6 result would need plenty more reversed results – but there are some positives to come from these duals, which occurred before Thanksgiving even occurred.
"We like to look at the big picture and get these guys matches during the year that they will see in March" Coach Zach Tanelli stated. He continued, "A lot of teams do not want to wrestle us. Thankfully, some Big Ten teams are typically willing to step up and benefit both parties."
The annual Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational occurred the week after Thanksgiving. This was a loaded field this season, where there were numerous All-Americans in each weight class. Unfortunately, they went home with no place winners on the weekend. Last year's event ended with two place winners by Columbia. This year, however, the Lions were forced to compete without two highly ranked wrestlers looking to cement their name near the top of the national rankings. Angelo Rini (#12 at 133lbs) was forced to sit due to a concussion from his previous bout. And Josh Ogunsanya (#15 at 165lbs) missed also due to an injury. This didn't bother Tanelli. "We're here to wrestle with whoever we have. We've had numerous guys step into the line-up this year."
Usually, teams taper a bit after an event like this. Concluding a grinder of a tournament, teams like to rest and reset. Not Columbia! They had a road trip to the Midwest with duals against #2 Iowa and #19 Northern Iowa less than a week later. The second week of December was a roller coaster of emotions for the squad. "Against Iowa, we got punched in the mouth" Tanelli put it bluntly. Between the huge atmosphere of 16,000 fans at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, another match where they were expected to get blown out, and other factors – it was a "punch in the mouth" the Lions possibly needed. After a 38-3 loss to Iowa, they needed to regain focus for the upcoming battle with Northern Iowa – who was ranked 19th at the time.
The Lions earned their first win of the season against Northern Iowa less than 48 hours after the aforementioned mouth punch. They utilized three pins en route to an upset. Recollecting the dual, Coach Tanelli said "The three pins were great, but we won six of those bouts. I think we pushed the pace the entire match as well." This was the highest-ranked opponent Columbia has ever beaten in a dual meet. With a wrestling history of over 110 years, this is an extraordinary achievement.
With such a heavy schedule, it takes a special type of person to lead a group into these uphill battles at a consistent rate. The props Tanelli gave to his team were very positive. "We have a mentally tough team. We always respond to adversity, and I think the Northern Iowa match was a great example of that." The culture of the team all seem to align with this thought process. It appears everyone included in the program is on the same page, from the coaches on down to every wrestler.
There is a debate in the current NCAA wrestling landscape when it comes to scheduling. Some teams like to shy away from the tough out-of-conference duals and mid-season grinding types of tournaments like the CKLV, Midlands, and Southern Scuffle. Columbia sees it the opposite, which helps get Lion wrestlers tough matches (and wins) over high quality opponents throughout the year. "It's all prepping for March. If we can get those types of matches during the season, it's beneficial to our guys" is how Tanelli explained it.
One of the leaders of the team has been part of this process for years. Angelo Rini has been the 133lbs wrestler for Columbia since his freshman campaign, making the national tournament for the first time last season. Angelo is now ranked 12th in the nation, per InterMat, in his final season. When asked what Rini needs to do to become an All-American, Coach Tanelli stated "He needs to keep doing what he's doing." His work ethic, along with being coachable has led him to make huge leaps. This was evident when he came into the EIWA Tournament in March of 2023 as the sixth seed. He pulled a few upsets (at least on paper) and earned a 3rd place finish to advance to NCAAs. He ended the season with a 13-17 record. It's not likely to see someone qualify for nationals with a losing record, but when you wrestle top competition every week like Columbia – this is not all that shocking.
"He's one of the best pure-wrestlers I've ever coached" was a praise coach gave to Rini. Rini is currently 8-2 on the year – making him well on his way to better his record from last year.
Zach Tanelli is halfway through his 8th season and coming off a program high 6 NCAA qualifiers a season ago. The previous few seasons have been monumental in helping improve the program's overall direction. And this improvement does not look to slow down. With some top-25 overall recruiting classes in the last three seasons, the youth movement is making its way into the line-up. The next step is to make an impact in the rankings and find a way on the podium.
Columbia's last All-American was in 2013 when Steve Santos finished in third place at 149lbs. Coach Tanelli has not yet had the honor to crown an All-American in his head coaching tenure with the Lions, but the time to do so is rapidly approaching. They will have to battle through the remainder of the schedule before competing at the conference tournament. This semester's remaining duals include: #23 West Virginia, Army, Princeton, #20 Penn, #8 Cornell, Bucknell, Harvard, Brown, and American.