Cornell wins National Duals


By Craig Sesker CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – The short- handed Cornell wrestling team needed a spark early in its National Duals finals matchup with Virginia Tech.


They received two huge ones at 125 and 141 pounds. Cornell’s Frank Perrelli started the dual with an overtime win at 125 before team- mate Corey Manson delivered a win at 141 to lead No. 1 Cornell to a 25-10 win over No. 7 Virginia Tech on Jan. 9 at the UNI-Dome.


Cornell captured its first NWCA National Duals title.


“It was tough having two starters out, but we have great senior leadership on this team,” Cornell coach Rob Koll said. “Holy smokes, that was a big win by Frank to start the dual. That gave us a big spark. And then the big win by Manson was huge for us. Those guys really came through.”


Those performances were key for the Big Red as they wrestled without injured All-Americans Mike Grey and Cam Simaz.


Perrelli, ranked 15th, beat No. 11


Cornell’s Frank Perrelli (in red) battles Virginia Tech’s Jarrod Garnett at 125 pounds. Tim Tushla photo.


Jarrod Garnett 7-5 in a match that went to the tiebreaker at 125. The unranked Manson then downed No. 5 Chris Diaz 6- 4 at 141. Cornell’s finals win stopped a strong run by Virginia Tech, which stormed into


CODY INTERVIEW, Continued from page 25


went to Cornell, one just graduated from med school. Josh was an academic All-American for us and is now a Navy SEAL. I loved his work ethic and his fascination with the technical side of wrestling. He is tough. In the NCAA finals, he shredded his knee but came back to win that match. It was very impressive. His senior year, he got a staph infection and other problems, and we were happy he got on the podium again.


USA Wrestler: How did you discover Steve Fittery, the trans- fer from Shippensburg, who is currently ranked No. 1 in the nation on the Div. I level? Cody: Scott Fawcett turned us on to him and brought his resume to one of our matches. He said he knew we needed a 157-pounder. I said to get him here ASAP before anybody else heard about him. His personal qualities are a factor. He is a devout Christian. He does charity work. I made an offer, he signed and we got him in quick. He came in immediately at the beginning of the summer and worked hard right away. He has worked hard on the technical side, and built himself up physical- ly. He is more solid mentally.


USA Wrestler: You have been able to develop extremely tal- ented individuals. What are some strategies you use to help athletes to reach their highest level of potential? Cody: If you train year round, you will have success. As a coach, as long as you work with them all year, you can help them and they will find the way. That includes getting better technique and getting stronger in the off season. We don’t call if off season. It is a 12-month sport here. I ask recruits if they are committed to training year round. If they have problem areas,


30 USA Wrestler


the finals after beating Wisconsin in the semifinals.


Third-seeded Wisconsin downed No. 4 Minnesota 19-17 to finish third. Top-ranked Jordan Oliver of Oklahoma


State was named Outstanding Wrestler for the No. 2 Cowboys, who struggled to a sixth-place finish. Oliver competes at 133. Top-ranked Nebraska-Omaha won its third straight National Duals title in Division II by pulling out a dramatic 17-15 win over No. 3 Augustana. UNO has won this event five of the past seven years. Backup heavyweight Taylor Escamilla, whose win over Newberry put UNO in the finals earlier in the day, came through again with a 3-1 win over Augustana’s Lance Peters at heavyweight. The Wartburg College Knights rallied to beat Wisconsin-La Crosse 16-15 to win the title in Division III.


Clackamas won the Junior College title. Notre Dame won in NAIA. Oklahoma City won the women’s title. U.S. National Team member Helen Maroulis of Simon Fraser was named Outstanding Wrestler.


we spend weeks on them. We make their weaknesses strengths, and make their strengths stronger. USA Wrestler: American has been ranked in national polls. Can a school like American challenge the larger and more pres- tigious wrestling programs and win a NCAA team title? Cody: I think so. We got fully funded last year. We are getting success already from having more scholarship money. It is still hard to get 35-40 guys in the room at American with its price tag. I believe we can do it. If I didn’t think that way, it would be time to leave. It is my goal to win multiple NCAA titles. If I didn’t think that way, we wouldn’t have had the success we already have. I am happy, but I am not satisfied. We need to get the horses in the barn. We need to be coaching the right guys. We need 10 guys who want to be national champions.


USA Wrestler: How important is it to the success of our national program to have college coaches involved in USA Wrestling and dedicated to the international styles? Cody: It is very important. Freestyle and Greco have changed the careers of so many wrestlers I have coached. I have tried to introduce everybody to it. We now have Kyle Borschoff, who wrestled at the World Team Trials last year. I am excited we have guys who are interested in that level.


USA Wrestler: What kind of goals have you set for yourself? Cody: One we have accomplished. We have been the top team in the country academically. The other is to be the top wrestling team in the country. I am not sure anybody has done both of those in Div. I wrestling. My biggest goal in life is to make a difference in the life of my wife and kids. My family is most important to me.


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