Did Cornell really choke in 2011?

[MSU158 1,333]

After seeing this posted again, I figured we can look back objectively after being 4 years removed from that tournament.

 

Per Intermat 2010-2011 Preseason rankings

 

1. Cornell 98 pts-scored 93.5

2. Boise State 79.5-scored 57.5

3. OkState 65-scored 70.5

 

7. PSU 47-scored 107.5

8. Iowa 35.5-scored 86.5

 

Per Intermat (Midseason) rankings

 

1. Cornell 87.5

2. PSU 77

3. Boise State

 

10. Iowa 33.5

 

Per Intermat (Prior to Qualifiers) rankings

 

1. Cornell 89

2. PSU 82

3. Iowa 74

4. OkState 73.5

 

Per ACTUAL seeding value (SHP Tourney Strength Style)

 

1. PSU 79.5

2. Cornell 75

3. Iowa 74.5

 

Cornell scored 93.5 with ALL 9 qualifiers scoring team points and ALL 5 top 8 seeded wrestlers finishing as AA's. PSU scored 107.5 and ALL 8 qualifiers scored team points and 5 of their 6 top 8 seeded wrestlers finished as AA's.

 

Cornell--------------------------------------------PSU

Perrelli 11 seed-1-2=2pts (125) Pataky unseeded -1-2=1pt

Grey 8 seed 6th=10 pts (133) Long 3 seed 3rd=18.5 pts

Manson unseeded 2-2=1.5 pts(141) Alton 6 seed 2-2=6 pts

Dake 4 seed 1st=23 pts (149) Molinaro 2 seed 2nd=18 pts

Meagher unseeded 1-2=1pt(157) Taylor 3 seed 2nd=19.5 pts

Kerber 9 seed 2-2=2.5 pts (165) DNQ=0 0 pts

Lewnes 3 seed 4th=15.5 pts (174) Ruth 2 seed 3rd=18.5 pts

Bosak 3 seed 4th=19.5 pts (184) Wright 8 seed 1st=23 pts

Simaz 1 seed 3rd=18.5 pts (197) DNQ=0 pts

DNQ---------------------------(285) Wade 9 seed 2-2=3 pts

------------------------------------------------------------------------

93.5--------------------------------------107.5

 

If anything I would say Cornell stayed super consistent throughout the season. No one could have expected PSU to become the team they did. Adding Long put them over the top. I don't see any way Cornell was going to score 15 more points. PSU simply turned out to be the better team.

[scribe 1,655]

Lewnes sagged quite a bit as the season went on. He is the particular soft spot come the post season.

 

Us Cornell number crunchers knew trouble was brewing with the ascension of Ruth and addition of Long. Long was a terrible addition and made all the difference in the world. You take out his numbers and no other reasonable combination +/- between PSU and Cornell wins it for Cael.

[Asa Packer 3]

"You take out his numbers...and Cornell wins it..."

 

Not so fast, scribester. You can't take Long's points away and declare CU the winner. Who was his backup? How many points might he have earned?

[SetonHallPirate 677]

Bryan Pearsall, and most likely not very many. This was a guy who lost to guys like sub-.500 Tyler Sackett, National 0-2 Garrett Drucker, and National 0-2 Eric Morrill.

[Flying-Tiger 612]

SHP, your selling Pearsall a bit short. He improved immensely between his fresh and soph year and cracked the top 20 in at least one poll right before Long arrived so I don't think anyone can speak in absolutes, especially considering his propensity for getting falls (Top 20 all time at PSU). Here is a summary of his abbreviated 2010-11 season from the PSU website:

 

Pinned Bloomsburg's Nick Wilcox in the first period of season-opening dual on 11/12....went 2-1 at Sprawl and Brawl Duals on 11/21, including pin over Harvard's Fermin Mendez...went 4-2 (with three pins) at the Nittany Lion Open on 12/5...pinned Lock Haven's Evan Kolb on 12/12 in Penn State's 48-0 win over the Bald Eagles...dominated #10 Ian Paddock of Ohio State in Big Ten dual meet victory on 12/19...went 4-2 with two pins at the Southern Scuffle on 12/29-30.

 

Based on these results, is it really so hard to believe that Pearsall could of scored the 5 points necessary to keep Penn State in the top spot alone? Granted, it's far from a given, but certainly plausible.

 

Here are some guys that scored 5 points that year: Diego Bencomo, Flint Ray & Johnny Greisheimer

 

Here are some guys that scored 4.5 that year: Andy Johnson, Cole Dallaserra, Eren Civan & John Hall

[SetonHallPirate 677]

Here's his full body of work, you be the judge: http://www.nwcaonline.com/nwcaonline/re ... 1&ID=27944

[TBar1977 3,441]

Cornell did NOT choke in 2011. They just were not the best team.

[headshuck 2,008]

Cornell won the National Duals team title so they were the best team.

[preceptor 19]

I was just going to ask who beat Cornell in a dual that year that could be claimed as the best team.

[SetonHallPirate 677]

I was just going to ask who beat Cornell in a dual that year that could be claimed as the best team.

Lehigh.

 

But nobody beat Iowa that year!

[preceptor 19]

Found it.

Results:

125: No. 10 Frank Perrelli (Cornell) dec. Mitch Berger (Lehigh), 9-3 (Cornell 3, Lehigh 0)

133: No. 20 Frank Cagnina (Lehigh) maj. dec. Joe Stanzione (Cornell), 13-4 (Lehigh 4, Cornell 3)

141: Stephen Dutton (Lehigh) dec. Corey Manson (Cornell), 8-5 (Lehigh 7, Cornell 3)

149: No. 2 Kyle Dake (Cornell) dec. Joey Napoli (Lehigh), 4-3 (Lehigh 7, Cornell 6)

157: No. 9 DJ Meagher (Cornell) dec. Sean Bilodeau (Lehigh), 5-1 (Cornell 9, Lehigh 7)

165: Brandon Hatchett (Lehigh) dec. No. 3 Justin Kerber (Cornell), 3-2 (Lehigh 10, Cornell 9)

174: No. 3 Mack Lewnes (Cornell) dec. No. 13 Austin Meys (Lehigh), 4-1 (Cornell 12, Lehigh 10)

184: No. 9 Robert Hamlin (Lehigh) dec. No. 3 Steve Bosak (Cornell), 5-4 (Lehigh 13, Cornell 12)

197: No. 1 Cam Simaz (Cornell) dec. No. 14 Joe Kennedy (Lehigh), 2-0 (Cornell 15, Lehigh 13)

HWT: No. 1 Zach Rey (Lehigh) maj. dec. Oney Snyder (Cornell), 8-0 (Lehigh 17, Cornell 15)

[PANewbie 35]

Found it.

Results:

125: No. 10 Frank Perrelli (Cornell) dec. Mitch Berger (Lehigh), 9-3 (Cornell 3, Lehigh 0)

133: No. 20 Frank Cagnina (Lehigh) maj. dec. Joe Stanzione (Cornell), 13-4 (Lehigh 4, Cornell 3)

141: Stephen Dutton (Lehigh) dec. Corey Manson (Cornell), 8-5 (Lehigh 7, Cornell 3)

149: No. 2 Kyle Dake (Cornell) dec. Joey Napoli (Lehigh), 4-3 (Lehigh 7, Cornell 6)

157: No. 9 DJ Meagher (Cornell) dec. Sean Bilodeau (Lehigh), 5-1 (Cornell 9, Lehigh 7)

165: Brandon Hatchett (Lehigh) dec. No. 3 Justin Kerber (Cornell), 3-2 (Lehigh 10, Cornell 9)

174: No. 3 Mack Lewnes (Cornell) dec. No. 13 Austin Meys (Lehigh), 4-1 (Cornell 12, Lehigh 10)

184: No. 9 Robert Hamlin (Lehigh) dec. No. 3 Steve Bosak (Cornell), 5-4 (Lehigh 13, Cornell 12)

197: No. 1 Cam Simaz (Cornell) dec. No. 14 Joe Kennedy (Lehigh), 2-0 (Cornell 15, Lehigh 13)

HWT: No. 1 Zach Rey (Lehigh) maj. dec. Oney Snyder (Cornell), 8-0 (Lehigh 17, Cornell 15)

 

 

The Vermonster won this one for the Hawkineers!

[PhiferFuqua 184]

Cornell won the National Duals team title so they were the best team.

 

An argument only a Goofer fan could embrace ...

[ocho 0]

Wasn't that the same year that Iowa decided to protect their consecutive dual win streak and not attend the national duals?

 

Cornell was tough, for the sake of college wrestling I wish they had won the Title instead of a Big Ten or Big 12 school. Spread the wealth!

 

Oh well... ya know what they say... if you live in the past, you die in the past

[flaBigRedfan 0]

naw - they did't choke. They could have had a better tournament, but Penn State was just (unfortunately) better that year.

 

No worries though - Cornell will win it at least once over the next few years. They'll be in the mix next year, and probably one of the primary favorites the next year or two after that.

[wrestlingnerd 2,479]

No worries though - Cornell will win it at least once over the next few years. They'll be in the mix next year, and probably one of the primary favorites the next year or two after that.

 

I agree they'll be one of the favorites in a couple of years, but I wouldn't be so sure of them winning it at least once. If tOSU develops as expected, I see them being stronger when Cornell is strongest (Garrett's senior year).

[Flying-Tiger 612]

tOSU or Cornell winning a championship would be good for the overall health of college wrestling although a non Big Ten program probably would be better.

[RED 31]

Heck, Cornell would have won if some AHole didn't pull someone out of the klink so his team could win. No respect for Cael ever. Why is it the most religious..

 

Biggest travesty in the history of the sport. Like I said, NO respect for Cael.

[RED 31]

Heck, Cornell would have won if some AHole didn't pull someone out of the klink so his team could win. No respect for Cael ever. Why is it that the most religious..

 

Biggest travesty in the history of the sport. Like I said, NO respect for Cael.

[headshuck 2,008]

Funny , I thought someone was piling on, then I realized I was fooled by another repost.

[IvyDoc 0]

A few things hurt Cornell that year.

 

1. Kerber blowing out his knee and wrestling one legged in the NCAAs. He was ranked 5th most of that year.

 

2. Lewnes losing to Amuch in the semis. Mack was such a nice kid, sucks he could never put it together. The worst was when he had then number 1 seed at 165 and blew out his leg before the tournament and didn't even win a match at NCAAs.

 

3. Simaz losing a close match to Kilgore.

 

4. Andrew Long.

 

Long aside, credit to PSU. Cael really did an outstanding job with that team.

[LemonPie 1,364]

Of course they choked. They tried to buy a championship with Cooperman/Grey and they failed