Wrestling Posts Impressive 30-3 Victory Over #24 Penn
Lee, Manotti, Baier all score major decisions in rout of Quakers
ITHACA, N.Y. – The Big Red wrestling team took the driver’s seat in the Ivy League title race on Saturday after disposing of Ivy League rival 30-3 in a match that was nationally televised by CSTV. The match featured major decision victories by seniors Travis Lee and Tyler Baier and junior Dustin Manotti. Freshman Jordan Leen also recorded a dramatic win in the second sudden victory period. The Big Red improves to 6-4 in dual matches on the year while the Quakers drop to 4-3.
Mike Mormile got things started for the Big Red in the 125 weight class. Mormile and Penn’s Mason Lenhard wrestled a tough match that saw only one point scored, a Lenhard escape, through the first two periods. After Mormile was awarded a penalty point early in the third, he scored with a reversal and ended with a 3-2 win.
At 133 pounds, Lee extended his consecutive wins streak in dual matches to 42 with a major decision over Penn’s Jeff Eveleth. Lee, who is No. 2 in the NWCA/InterMat rankings, followed up his 12 takedown performance against Princeton a night before, with five on Saturday.
Arguably the most exciting match of the evening came in the 141 class where Leen and Penn’s Doug McGraw put on a show for the crowd at the Friedman Wrestling Center as well and the audience at home. Leen jumped out to an early lead in the first period with a takedown but McGraw tied it up with a two-point near fall in the second. Leen rebounded and scored a reversal as the period expired. In the third, McGraw was awarded a penalty point and then scored on an escape to set up the first sudden victory period. Neither wrestler could gain control on the period or in either of the two thirty-second tie breaker periods that followed. In the second sudden victory period, Leen gained control and scored a takedown to end the match.
Manotti, ranked No. 1, had another impressive afternoon, with his major decision over Kyle Berholz. Manotti dominated the match, recording seven takedowns.
Junior John Cholish followed up Manotti with a 3-2 riding time victory over Penn’s Brock Wittmeyer. Sophomore Joey Hooker and senior Joe Mazzurco chipped in three team points each with their decisions in the 165 and 174 weight classes, respectively.
Senior Tyler Baier added a major decision, 10-0 over Jack Kitchen for the Big Red in the 184 class. Sophomore Jerry Rinaldi took the 194 pound bout from Marcus Schontube with a 4-3 riding time victory to give the Big Red a commanding 30-0 lead heading into the final bout of the night.
Senior Tyler Shovlin dropped a hard-fought match to No. 5 Matt Feast, 11-5, to give the Quakers their only points of the night.
The Big Red will face Hofstra in a non-conference match on Saturday, Feb. 5 at 1 p.m. and then take on Ivy foe Columbia at 7 p.m.
No. 24 Penn at No. 14 Cornell Univeristy
* Match started at 125
125 – Mike Mormile (C) dec. Mason Lenhard (P), 3-2 (C-3, P-0)
133 – No. 2 Travis Lee (C) major dec. Jeff Eveleth (P), 12-3 (C-7, P-0)
141 – Jordan Leen (C) dec. No. 16 Doug McGraw (P), 6-4 (sv) (C-10, P-0)
149 – No. 1 Dustin Manotti (C) major dec. Kyle Bernholz (P), 17-4 (C-14, P-0)
157 – John Cholish (C) dec. Brock Wittmeyer (P), 3-2 (C-17, P-0)
165 – Joey Hooker (C) dec. Rich Ferguson (P), 7-4 (C-20, P-0)
174 – No. 9 Joe Mazzurco (C) dec. Dustin Wiles (P), 5-4 (C-23, P-0)
184 – No. 8 Tyler Baier (C) major dec. Jack Kitchen (P), 10-0 (C-27, P-0)
197 – No. 10 Jerry Rinaldi (C) dec. Marcus Schontube (P), 4-3 (C-30, P-0)
Hwt. – No. 5 Matt Feast (P) dec. Tyler Shovlin (C), 11-5 (C-30, P-3)
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