SOURCE: cornellbigred.com

January 05, 2024

Cornell pulled its way back after falling behind 13-3 to Ohio State but fell 21-20 to the Buckeyes on Friday night in Columbus. https://t.co/z5V8Bs8snb

— Cornell Big Red (@CornellSports) January 6, 2024

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- In a dual that wasn't decided until the final minute of the final match, the No. 10 Cornell wrestling team (3-2) fell 21-20 Friday night to the No. 8 Ohio State Buckeyes (8-1) at the Covelli Center.

After falling behind 13-3 in the first four matches, the Big Red pulled its way back into it. Cornell won four of the next five bouts to take the lead, with victories from freshman Meyer Shapiro (157), Julian Ramirez (165), Chris Foca (184) and Jacob Cardenas (197).

Shapiro, ranked 15th in the country by InterMat, got the Big Red within five on the team scoreboard (13-8) with a 15-0 technical fall over No. 12 Paddy Gallagher, a 2023 NCAA qualifier. Three matches later, No. 8 Foca pinned No. 14 Gavin Hoffman to make it 18-17 Ohio State. Cardenas, ranked No. 7, gave the Big Red the lead, 20-18, with an 8-2 win over No. 23 Luke Georg.

In the final match, No. 19 Lewis Fernandes (HWT) fell behind 3-0 to No. 18 Nick Feldman in the first period before he evened the score with a takedown in the second. He went ahead 4-3 with an escape in the third, but Feldman recorded the decisive takedown in the final minute to pull out a 6-4 victory.

Cornell Notes and Highlights
With the match tied at 4, Ramirez recorded a reversal in the final seconds to defeat Bryce Hepner. It was Ramirez's 60th career win (11th this season).

With his victory over No. 12 Gallagher, Shapiro notched his third ranked win of the season. Shapiro leads the team in wins by technical fall (4).

Foca's victory over Hoffman, a 2022 All-American, was his 14th collegiate win by fall (third this season).

Full Results

125: No. 14 Brett Ungar def. No. 22 Brendan McCrone 7-1 by decision

133: No. 13 Nic Bouzakis def. Ethan Qureshi by fall (1:48)

141: No. 3 Jesse Mendez def. No. 17 Vince Cornella 14-4 by major decision

149: No. 5 Drew D'Emilio def. No. 24 Ethan Fernandez 8-1 by decision

157: No. 15 Meyer Shapiro def. No. 12 Paddy Gallagher 15-0 by fall

165: No. 3 Julian Ramirez def. Bryce Hepner 6-4 by decision

174: Rocco Welsh def. Benny Baker 20-4 by technical fall

184: No. 8 Chris Foca def. No. 14 Gavin Hoffman by fall (1:48)

197: No. 7 Jacob Cardenas def. No. 23 Luke Georg 8-2 by decision

HWT: No. 18 Nick Feldman def. No. 19 Lewis Fernandes 6-4 by decision

Up Next

Cornell hosts No. 11 Virginia Tech on Sunday, Jan. 7, at 3 p.m. at Newman Arena.