ITHACA, N.Y. – It was announced today by the Ivy League office that Cornell freshman Troy Nickerson was named the Ivy League Wrestler of the Year and the unanimous Ivy League Rookie of the Year. Nickerson becomes the first male athlete to ever win the Player and Rookie of the Year awards in any sport. Senior Joe Mazzurco and junior Jerry Rinaldi join Nickerson on the All-Ivy first team while senior Mike Mormile, junior Keith Dickey, senior Dustin Manotti, sophomore Steve Anceravage and senior Dan Miracola were all named to the second team. Sophomore Zach Hammond was named an honorable mention. It is the third time in the last four seasons that the Ivy League Wrestler and Rookie of the Year have come from Cornell.
Nickerson entered his first season at Cornell as the only five-time New York state champion in history and the No. 1 recruit in his weight class. Nickerson didn’t disappoint, kicking off his career with a dominant performance at the Body Bar Invitational, recording two pins and a major decision en route to the tournament title. He went on to win the Las Vegas Invitational and the Southern Scuffle, finishing a perfect 15-0 in tournament action. He then continued his dominance into the Big Red’s dual schedule, winning 13 of 14 dual matches. His only loss came to second-ranked Sam Hazewinkel of No. 3 Oklahoma.
Nickerson won four-straight matches at the EIWA championships to capture the 125 pound title and an automatic berth to the NCAA tournament. He finished the year with 32 wins and only one loss while racking up 10 falls, two technical falls and nine major decisions. He also contributed a team-high 61 team points during the Big Red’s dual schedule.
Mazzurco posted a 22-2 overall record, including a perfect 9-0 in dual competition. He is now a three-time NCAA qualifier and will be gunning for his second All-American honor at the NCAA tournament in two weeks. Mazzurco advanced to the EIWA championship match for the second year in a row at this year’s tournament, earning an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. He won the 184 pound title at the Body Bar Invitational. Mazzurco’s only loss of the regular season came at the Las Vegas Invitational, when he fell to Purdue’s Ben Wissel in two overtimes. He won his next two matches to take third place.
Rinaldi turned in a third year of solid wrestling for the Big Red in 2006, and will be going to his third NCAA tournament later this month. He earned his third All-Ivy first team honor, going 28-3 during the regular season, including a 12-1 mark in dual competition. He took second at the EIWA tournament for the second season in a row and will look for his first All-America honor at the NCAA championships.
Mormile earned his third trip to the NCAA tournament with his fourth-place finish at the Easterns last weekend, as the EIWA coaches selected his as one of 14 wild cards from the conference. He went 3-2 at the tournament, pushing his season record to 26-12. He was named to the All-Ivy second team in 2004 and 2005.
Manotti will be making his fourth NCAA tournament appearance after finishing second at the EIWA tournament. He will be looking to become Cornell’s second four-time All-American at the NCAA tournament later this month. He posted a 26-4 record this season and has 128 wins in his career, which is third on the all-time list at Cornell.
Dickey will be making his first NCAA appearance after an impressive run in the EIWA tournament, earning him an at-large bid. He upset second-seeded Patrick Simpson (Army) to advance to the semis. Dickey is 10-9 this season.
After missing his entire freshman season due to injury, Anceravage took hold of the starting spot at 165 pounds, going 26-8 this season. He will be making his first NCAA appearance in Oklahoma City. At the EIWA championships, Anceravage upset No. 1 seed and 2004 national champion Troy Letters (Lehigh) in his semi-final bout.
Miracola went 3-2 at the EIWA tournament, receiving an at-large bid to the NCAA championships. He scored a major decision over Army’s Chad Marzec in the fifth-place match. Miracola split time at 174 and 184 this season, moving up a weight class while Mazzurco suffered an injury midway through the season. He is 13-9 at 184 and is 19-13 overall this season. This is Miracola’s first All-Ivy honor and first trip to the national tournament.
Hammond was unseeded going into the EIWAs, but had a strong showing, becoming the Big Red’s 9th place-winner. He went 3-2 at the tournament with both losses coming to third-seeded Adam LoPiccolo (American). After missing much of his freshman season because of injury, Hammond finished the season 8-8 and is 17-11 for his career.
In all, Cornell will send eight wrestlers to the NCAA tournament. The Big Red went 10-4 in dual competition this season, including a perfect 5-0 against Ivy League opponents. It won its final eight dual meets of the season and picked up a team title at the Body Bar Invitational.
The NCAA tournament will get underway on Thursday, March 16, at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City, Okla. The finals will wrap up the tournament on Friday, March 17.
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