InterMat's All-Quarter Century Team: Cornell

Our All-Quarter Century feature has taken us to one of the most impressive teams during the last 25 years - Cornell. At the beginning of this era (2001), it didn’t seem feasible that an Ivy League school could routinely contend for top recruits and NCAA titles in modern collegiate athletics. Cornell and Rob Koll turned that thought process on its head and got some of the best recruits possible and became a regular NCAA team trophy threat. 

Coming into the 2000's, there had only been one four-time NCAA champion (Pat Smith). Since then, six others have achieved the feat, and two wore the Big Red singlet. 

A recent coaching change that saw Koll leave for Stanford has not slowed down the momentum in Ithaca. Mike Grey’s first two teams earned NCAA team trophies (2,3). Grey and his staff have been able to recruit at a very high level, so that tradition looks ready to continue well into the next quarter century. 

In making our first team for Cornell, we had to make some of the most difficult decisions yet. No matter how we chose, there was bound to be a four-time All-American and national champion on the second team at 125 and 133 lbs. Nickerson/Garrett was extremely difficult to choose - instead of a numerical system, the deciding factor was that Nickerson was rarely ever completely healthy, yet never finished lower than fourth at NCAAs. At 133, the strength of Vito Arujau’s NCAA opponents gave him the nod over Travis Lee. 

With Yianni Diakomihalis and Kyle Dake both wrestling multiple weights and winning four titles, it gave some flexibility to make the best possible first time. I think that’s what we did at 141-165. 

Once again, it was tough going through 174 and 184, as you have a pair of NCAA finalists on the second team. At the same time, it’s hard to argue with the guys on the first team. 

Wrestlers considered for the three teams had to compete from 2001 to 2025. For the wrestlers early in this timeframe, their entire collegiate body of work was considered. Only collegiate results were taken into consideration. Even if a wrestler was successful at multiple weights, they were only selected for one weight - typically, it was based on the strongest possible first team.

After the three All-Century teams, there are some fun facts about Cornell’s results over the past 25 years.

Here are the programs we’ve already covered

Lehigh

Minnesota

Missouri

NC State

Cornell

First Team

125 lbs -

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