Starting off the new year, we have a great dual coming up between the #9 Cornell Big Red and the #16 Missouri Tigers this Friday. Ironically enough in what could be 9 good matches, none of these wrestlers have met before. New year, new opponent, I guess.
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| #12 Greg Diakomilhalis Vs #30 Gage Walker 125 lbs |
I've said it often & I'll continue to say it, the sport of wrestling is about proving yourself. Every single time you step out on to the mat, you have to bring the best of what you have to offer. People say, "Diakomihalis" the go to is Yianni. Yet in his final season of collegiate wrestling, Greg is stepping it up and making a name for himself among the collegiate ranks. A win here won't do anything for his ranking, but it will help fend off a hungry ambush of Tigers. Looking at this from the other perspective, Gage Walker had big shoes to fill with the sudden and unexpected departure of Noah Surtin (due to unfortunate injuries). He's still on a mission to show that he's up to the task. A win over Diakomihalis would be huge.
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| #30 Brett Ungar Vs U.R. Kade Moore 133 lbs |
Neither one of these guys is quite having the '24-'25 they were hoping for, but there's still a lot of season left. An All American candidate at 125 lbs in his first two seasons, Brett Ungar hasn't quite reached that level at 133 lbs yet. Kade Moore an NCAA qualifier last season, with some notable upsets, is currently 5-9 on the year. While it may not appear so on paper, a win here is crucial for both of these wrestlers. Ungar obviously doesn't want to slip any lower in the rankings. Moore could use a nice upset victory to begin the second half of his season. It'll be fun to see how this one plays out.
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| #32 Josh Saunders Vs #14 Josh Edmond 141 lbs |
Josh Edmond ended '23-'24 one match shy of being an All American. Josh Saunders, who has been with the Big Red program for six seasons, is in his first year of being a starter. This one most certainly favors the Tigers, but could turn out to be better on the mat than what it is predicted to be on paper.
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| #18 Ethan Fernandez Vs U.R. Logan Gioffre 149 lbs |
Here, the opposite of 141. This match heavily favors the Big Red. Could even see a major decision. With that said, every now and again, Logan Gioffre will come out of nowhere and pull off a big win. He was an NCAA qualifier last season, and despite being outside of the top 33 at the moment, could very well be within the top 33 by season's end.
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| #2 Meyer Shapiro Vs #32 James Conway 157 lbs |
Meyer Shapiro finished 3rd at last year's NCAA championships & by ranking, an NCAA DI champion hopeful, is the clear favorite in this match against #32 James Conway. I thought he might be a little rusty as he was injured earlier this season, but he looked to be 100% against Ed Scott a couple of weeks ago. I think this one is in the bag for the Big Red.
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| #5 Julian Ramirez Vs #18 Cam Steed 165 lbs |
R12-R12-R12, is all I need to say to make it an objective statement that Julian Ramirez is one of the best wrestlers in NCAA DI yet to All American. Cam Steed is a tough wrestler in his own right, with some notable wins, but again, this one heavily favors the Big Red.
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| #13 Simon Ruiz Vs #1 Keegan O'Toole 174 lbs |
Only a freshman and already, it's pretty clear that Simon Ruiz has a successful career ahead of himself. 4th at CKLV, it wouldn't surprise me at all to see him contending for All American honors by season's end. With that said, he is facing not only the #1 wrestler at 174 lbs, but one of the very best wrestlers in all of DI wrestling tomorrow. A win here would be not to get majored. That's just how good Keegan O'Toole is.
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| #8 Chris Foca Vs #9 Colton Hawks 184 lbs |
In all of our other matchups, it's clear in each match that it either favors Cornell or it favors Missouri. Here is the sole toss-up of the event. Foca was 3rd in the NCAA DI wrestling at 174 lbs two seasons ago, but he hasn't reached that level of success yet at 184. Both he and Colton Hawks finished one match shy of All American status last year. In the fight to get back on the podium by season's end, every match counts. Seeds are important. This match is crucial for both of these wrestlers.
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| #8 Chris Foca Vs U.R. Rocky Elam/R.S. Aeodon Sinclair 197 lbs |
Four time All American Rocky Elam is still listed on the roster, but here we are the second part of '24-'25 and we have yet to see him compete. I'm not sure what the story is there, and I'm not sure if Aeodon Sinclair has any more matches to compete in before his redshirt would be pulled. Might not see either one of these guys against Chris Foca, but if we do, either way, we're looking at one of the best matches of the night.
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