Cornell beat Stanford 30-9 on Saturday. Cornell has transformed themselves into a powerful team riding on the back of 2 time national champ Yianni Diakomihalis, they have recruited a solid lineup with a lot of talented young guys. The win comes as little surprise as most saw Cornell as the clearly better team. The surprise comes from the 165 pound weight class, a matchup between returning national champ and program hero, Shane Griffith, and freshman Julian Ramirez.
Shane Griffith is a redshirt junior and made a name for himself last year when he not only won a national title, but saved Stanford wrestling. Griffith has established himself as a dominant wrestler at 165, Ramirez, has no college career to speak on before this match.
Ramirez picked up the decision 3-2, knocking off the number 1 ranked 165 pounder in the country.Â
Ramirez, like any number of recruits, had a successful high school career and is a highly anticipated pickup. He has a lot to prove but the big red bears have welcomed him gladly into their ranks and he fits in well with fellow class of 2019 NJ state champions, Chris Foca, and Jacob Cardenas who also picked up wins Saturday.Â
Cornell has high hopes for their young team and will certainly look to be contenders in the years to come. With the squad being led by the experienced veteran in Yianni Diakomihalis and a horde of accomplishments that can be named to their youthful lineup, things are looking promising for the Ivy League team.Â
By: Nick Jairdullo (Senior Writer for Heavyweight Nation)