No. 19 Cornell upends No. 22 Rutgers on the road

Photo Courtesy of Cornell Athletics

PISCATAWAY, N.J. – In front of a packed house at the Rutgers Athletic Center, the Cornell wrestling team defeated former EIWA-foe #22 Rutgers by a final score of 18-16 on Friday night. Junior Hunter Richard's third period pin at 149 pounds was a catalyst for the Big Red, who led big at the break after winning a number of key swing matches in the middle weights.
With a win, Cornell improves its season tally to 6-4 before welcoming #3 Virginia Tech to town on Sunday afternoon. Friday night's win marks two straight for the Big Red, who now own a 2-4 record against ranked opponents this season.
Rutgers opened the dual with an early lead following Dom LaJoie's 10-5 loss to #15 Nicolas Aguilar at 125 pounds, but that was the last lead the Scarlet Knights would see for the remainder of the evening. Chas Tucker got Cornell on the board first at 133 pounds, keeping his undefeated season alive in typical Tucker fashion with a 3-2 decision over #11 Sammy Alvarez. Tucker's win over Alvarez is his eighth victory over a ranked opponent this season and marks the first loss to a ranked opponent for Alvarez this season.
Noah Baughman extended Cornell's lead to 6-3 following a 6-4 decision over highly-touted freshman JoJo Aragona. Baughman trailed Aragona, 4-2, with just 15 seconds remaining in the bout, but fought for a late takedown and tallied two near-fall points at the buzzer to come out on top. Hunter's Richard fall at 149 pounds proved to be the dual deciding bonus points after his pin of Gerard Angelo gave the Big Red a 12-3 lead. Richard turned Angelo's offense against him late in the match before sticking the Scarlet Knight's shoulders to the mat. On fire as of late, Richard has won three straight bouts with bonus points.
Adam Santoro gave Cornell its fourth of five straight victories on Friday night with a 9-4 win over Michael VanBrill at 157 pounds. Jake Brindley capped off the run for the Big Red with a narrow 5-3 decision over Brett Donner. Brindley's takedown with under a minute to go in the third period was the deciding factor in the match as Brindley was then able to ride out the clock to secure his second dual win of the season.
Rutgers mounted a comeback effort over the final four bouts of the night, taking three by decision and one by major decision. Joe Grello, Billy Janzer, Jordan Pagano and Alex Esposito all earned wins for the Scarlet Knights, with Pagano the lone bonus win at 197 pounds.
Up Next
Cornell welcomes #3 Virginia Tech (6-0) to Ithaca on Sunday, Jan. 19 for a 1 p.m. ET dual in Newman Arena. Virginia Tech will first battle Binghamton University on Saturday, Jan. 18 prior to arriving on East Hill. The Hokies are 6-0 on the season and boast a lineup that features seven wrestlers ranked by FloWrestling and nine total wrestlers ranked by a major ranking provider. All of Sunday's action in Ithaca can be viewed on ESPN+.
#19 Cornell Big Red (6-4, 1-0 Ivy) vs. #22 Rutgers (7-2, 2-1 B1G)
Jan. 17, 2020 // Rutgers Athletic Center (RAC) // Piscataway, N.J.
Final: Cornell wins, 18-16
125: #15 Nicolas Aguilar (RUT) dec. Dom LaJoie (COR), 10-5; Rutgers leads, 3-0
133: #5 Chas Tucker (COR) dec. #11 Sammy Alvarez (RUT), 3-2; Tied, 3-3
141: Noah Baughman (COR) dec. JoJo Aragona (RUT), 6-4; Cornell leads, 6-3
149: Hunter Richard (COR) over Gerard Angelo (RUT), Fall (5:54); Cornell leads, 12-3
157: Adam Santoro (COR) dec. Michael VanBrill (RUT), 9-4; Cornell leads, 15-3
165: Jake Brindley (COR) dec. Brett Donner (RUT), 5-3; Cornell leads, 18-3
174: Joe Grello (RUT) dec. Milik Dawkins (COR), 7-2; Cornell leads, 18-6
184: #25 Billy Janzer (RUT) dec. #23 Jonathan Loew (COR), 10-4; Cornell leads, 18-9
197: #18 Jordan Pagano (RUT) major dec. Jonathon Fagen (COR), 12-0; Cornell leads, 18-13
285: Alex Esposito (RUT) dec. Brendan Furman (COR), 6-3; Cornell wins, 18-16
How The Big Red Won
133: #5 Chas Tucker dec. #11 Sammy Alvarez, 3-2
Match of the night on paper as each represent the highest-ranked wrestler on their respective squads. Tucker hasn't lost at all, while Alvarez is undefeated against ranked opponents. Tucker shoots in first with a single leg on Alvarez. Alvarez whizzers down as Tucker tries to elevate the leg. Action is carried off the mat forcing the wrestlers back to neutral. Rest of the first period plays out in neutral. Tucker on top to start the second. Alvarez escapes to take a 1-0 lead. Tucker picks the ankle of Alvarez and scores the first takedown of the bout, taking a 2-1 lead. Alvarez escapes without much ride from Tucker to tie things at 2-2. Tucker on bottom to start the third. A quick escape for Tucker, who takes a 3-2 lead to start the third. Tucker stays on the offensive with a deep shot on Alvarez. Alvarez able to scramble out despite the near takedown from Tucker. Superb defense from the Scarlet Knight in this match to avoid a number of Tucker's takedown attempts. Alvarez never able to break Tucker's defense as the Big Red senior remains undefeated.
141: Noah Baughman dec. JoJo Aragona, 6-4
The first of a few important swing matches if Cornell wants to win the dual. Aragona scores the first takedown of the bout after a Baughman spent a lengthy amount of time on one leg. Baughman close to an escape, but Aragona returns him to the mat. Aragona rides out the remainder of the first period with a handful of mat returns. Baughman on top to start the second. Baughman rides Aragona for first 38 seconds of the second period before conceding the escape. Baughman goes neutral to start the third with Aragona leading, 3-0. Baughman catches Aragona midway through the through the second period to score his first takedown of the bout. Aragona went for a double leg that was well defended by Baughman, who was able to score off of Aragona's shot. Aragona escaped to bring the score to 4-2 with less than a minute to go. A lot of action to close the period with both wrestlers wildly scrambling. Baughman able to score a takedown at the edge of the mat after tripping up Aragona to tie the bout at 4-4 with 13 seconds left. Wrestling goes back to the center of the mat. Baughman a strong mat return, scoring a pair of back points on Aragona at the buzzer to win, 6-4.
149: Hunter Richard over Gerard Angelo, Fall (5:54)
Angelo with the first shot of the bout, but it's well defended by Richard to keep things neutral. Both teams showing immense scrambling ability tonight in the RAC. No scoring in the first. Angelo with a few mat returns on Richard. Angelo picks up two near-fall points at the edge of the mat as Richard escapes soon thereafter to cut the deficit to 2-1. Richard on top to start the third period. Angelo escapes to take a 3-1 lead. Richard needing a takedown to tie the bout. Angelo shoots on Richard and has him in a headlock. Richard strong on the reattack though to lift Angelo, despite being headlocked. Richard locks up a half of his own and sticks Angelo to give Cornell a 12-3 lead in the dual.
157: Adam Santoro dec. Michael VanBrill, 9-4
Santoro the first to score in the bout with an early takedown. VanBrill escapes after a short ride from Santoro. Score now 2-1 with less than a minute to go in the first. Santoro picks the ankle of VanBrill, but a stalemate is called after each wrestler had control of one leg of the other. VanBrill on top to start the second period. Santoro escapes to take a 3-1 lead over VanBrill. A technical violation for tugging on the headgear gives Santoro a 4-1 lead. Santoro quickly follows up the technical with a takedown to lead VanBrill, 6-1. VanBrill escapes at the end of the second period. Santoro on top to start the third, up 6-2. VanBrill escapes to start the third, cutting Santoro's lead to 6-3. VanBrill close to sticking Santoro who was thrown to his back, but Santoro scrambles out before VanBrill can score. Santoro takes an 8-3 lead with another takedown of his own in a key swing match for the Big Red. VanBrill escapes late, but it's not enough. Santoro has ride time to win, 9-4.
165: Jake Brindley dec. Brett Donner, 5-3
Stalemate called with 1:30 to wrestle in the first period. Brindley now in on the leg of Donner, but another stalemate called. Brindley doing a solid job of sprawling on Donner's shots. No score after the first period. Brindley on top to start the second period. Quick escape for Donner to take a 1-0 lead. Donner in on another shot, but once again Brindley doing a good job of defending it. Brindley warned for stalling before scoring the first takedown of the match with 30 seconds remaining in the second. Brindley goes for a mat return but Donner escapes on a roll through. Donner gets a second point on the escape after Brindley keeps his hands locked, taking a 3-2 lead into the third period. Brindley on bottom to start the third. Brindley escapes with 1:22 to go in the third, tying the bout at 3-3. Brindley takes a 5-3 lead with a takedown as the clock ticks under a minute. Donner tries for a roll through, but no escaping there. Brindley rides out the remainder of the match to win, 5-3.