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For First Time In 30 Years, Princeton Will Wrestle For The Ivy League Title
February 12, 2016 | Wrestling
LIVE VIDEO l LIVE RESULTS l JUDD ZIEGLER ON TIGERCAST
For men like Rich Tavoso '87, Mike Novogratz '87, Eric Pearson '87 and senior captain Dave Crisanti '86 — and many others that won two straight Ivy titles in the mid-1980s — this was the experience they savored, and the one they ultimately fought for.
They know what it was like to wrestle for the Ivy League championship. They took the mat in Dillon Gym on Feb. 15, 1986, and defeated Cornell 21-19 to clinch the program's second straight — and 10th overall — Ivy title.
Nearly 30 years to the date later, Princeton will wrestle for the Ivy League title again.
Everybody associated with the program lived those three decades in between, so there is no sense in rehashing it. However, it is a tribute to everybody involved, from those who fought both on and off the mat during some of the darkest day, to those who sport the Orange and Black singlets today, that this opportunity has finally returned.
Just as those three decades were a roller coaster ride, so have the last three weeks. Princeton will enter the weekend with a 3-0 Ivy record, but all three of those wins came down to the 10th match. Two were within one point in the final period; the other wouldn't have mattered if the ninth match wasn't an overtime win for the Tigers.
Win. Win. Win. Opportunity.
Princeton will wrestle both Columbia (1-2 Ivy) and Cornell (3-0 Ivy) this Saturday in Dillon Gym, and both will be streamed live on the Ivy League Digital Network. While a victory over Columbia could obviously set up a potential winner-take-all showdown with the Big Red that night (Cornell wrestles at Penn that afternoon as well), the Tigers will wrestle for at least a share of the Ivy title at 7 pm regardless of the afternoon result because every other team has at least one league loss entering this final weekend.
“This is a special moment for our program, and I'm excited about it,” head coach Chris Ayres said. “We're still on the journey, and we will be regardless of this weekend's results. Our goal is to be the best program in the NCAA, and we have a long way to go. But there are moments, opportunities, we need to embrace, and this is a big one. I'm proud of everybody involved, especially our guys who have put the work in this season to get to this moment.” This moment, of course, provides the ultimate challenge.
We'll start with Columbia, the 1 pm opponent. Princeton has split the last six meetings with its New York City rival, though the Tigers have taken each of the last two matches, including a 26-6 road win last season. While the Lions' record isn't great, they posted a very respectable 23-15 loss against Cornell last weekend.
Junior Markus Scheidel (157) is a two-time NCAA qualifier who has been ranked in the national Top 20 this season. Sophomore Garrett Ryan (285) shared the Ivy League Rookie of the Year honor last season with Princeton's Jonathan Schleifer, and Ryan joined Schleifer at the NCAA Championships last season. Both were victors against Cornell, and Ryan hasn't lost an Ivy League match yet this season.
And then there is Cornell.
The Big Red has won every Ivy League title since 2003, and it has won 71 straight Ivy League matches. They haven't lost a league match since 2002, prior to when Tiger starter Patrick D'Arcy began elementary school. They'll have an opportunity to push that streak to 72 when they take on Penn Saturday afternoon.
The last time Princeton scored double-digit team points in the Cornell dual was 2002. The Big Red have won 29 straight duals against Princeton in this series, and they'll likely bring five nationally ranked starters to the mat, including three who have wrestled in the NCAA finals.
Junior Gabe Dean is the reigning NCAA champion at 184, while classmate Brian Realbuto (currently 6th at 174) was the national runner-up at 157 last year. Senior Nahshon Garrett is currently ranked first at 133, and he reached the 2014 NCAA final at 125.
The Cornell lineup is, as you'd expect, loaded. The challenge is, as it should be, daunting. But for Princeton, this is a challenge that few could have foreseen 5-10 years ago. It has been a journey of blood, sweat and tears from all involved, and one that everybody can cherish Saturday night when both teams' starters stand across the mat from each other. From there, who knows?
But there is an amazing place, don't you think?
| Wt. | Princeton | Columbia | Cornell |
| 125 | Pat D'Arcy (17-10) | Britain Carter or Vince Pallone | Dalton Macri (10-5) |
| 133 | Noah Ajram (2-7) | Angelo Amenta | #1 Nahshon Garrett (25-0) |
| 141 | Jordan Laster (16-10) | Sam Ward or Will Kui | Mark Grey (7-7) |
| 149 | Mike D'Angelo (7-7) | Dan Reed or Tyler Ponte | Joey Galasso (15-11) |
| 157 | Adam Krop (4-2) | Markus Scheidel | #12 Dylan Palacio (8-1) |
| 165 | #16 Jonathan Schleifer (18-6) | Tyrel White | #15 Duke Pickett (21-8) |
| 174 | Judd Ziegler (17-13) | Zack Hernandez | #6 Brian Realbuto (27-3) |
| 184 | Abram Ayala (15-9) | Mike Fetchet | #1 Gabe Dean (24-1) |
| 197 | #11 Brett Harner (26-2) | Troy Hembury | Owen Scott (10-5) |
| 285 | Ray O'Donnell (21-8) | Garrett Ryan | Jeramy Sweany (19-10) |