Cornell has had recent success in having freshmen place high at their first NCAA Championship.

Yianni Diakomihalis won his first of four NCAA titles as a freshman in 2018. A year later, Vito Arujau took fourth in 2019 before winning his two NCAA titles. Last year, Meyer Shapiro placed third in a deep 157-pound weight class.

One freshman to break into the Big Red lineup this year, Simon Ruiz, is hoping to add his name to that distinguished list of accomplished freshmen come March.

“He is super talented, and as a freshman, he is having to step up and be one of our team leaders,” Cornell head coach Mike Grey said. “He is doing a really good job overall.

“I expect him to be right where he needs to be in March and expect him to be in the hunt. He needs to continue to be super aggressive in reaching the goals he wants to reach.”

Ruiz was the #27 overall recruit in the Class of 2023. He deferred his enrollment for a year to Cornell and spent last season as a grayshirt. 

The Big Red has a distinct advantage to those that take a grayshirt, an advantage that Ruiz said has helped him in adapting to college wrestling this year in the lineup as a freshman.

“It is the Ivy League’s redshirt, as you can only be involved in sports as an undergraduate,” Ruiz said. “You are not allowed to be enrolled in classes. I’d say it is like a gap year.

“We were pretty much on an RTC schedule, mainly training and working out with the other grayshirts. I know I really developed over that year. I had Yanni as my grayshirt coach, and also (Michael) Kemerer for part of the year. It was a good year learning from them and just maturing physically.”

Grey is quick to point out the advantage his grayshirts have over those that redshirt at schools outside of the Ivy League.

“I think a big difference is the competition,” Grey said. “I know redshirts can wrestle a lot more second semester, but you don’t really see it too much. Our guys (the grayshirts) get a ton of matches in each year. 

“They also have a great staff that is solely focusing on them. I think our guys develop at a higher rate than most, and that makes our program very unique.”

After facing some competition to replace the graduating Benny Baker, a 2024 NCAA qualifier, Ruiz won the starting spot at 174 pounds for the Big Red. He currently sits #14 in the nation with a 12-4 start, including a fourth-place showing at the Cliff Keen Invite.

“I’ve taken some bumps this year, but I like how I’ve started,” Ruiz said. “I’m progressing and just trying to get better. I need to continue to get stronger and be a little more patient on some of my attacks. I know I can’t just go-go-go; I need to set up a bit more.”

Grey and his coaching staff have been impressed with how Ruiz has bounced back from his few defeats and how he works on progressing as he sees more matches.

“We have seen him make some of those freshman mistakes, but I love what I’m seeing in how he is fixing and recovering from those situations,” Grey said. “He wrestles hard, has the right tenacity, and has the right frame of mind when he steps on the mat.”

Ruiz and his teammates will return to dual action this weekend, with a heated rivalry matchup against Lehigh. The 174-pound bout will be one to watch as Ruiz will take on recent Michigan transfer Rylan Rogers.

“I’m really excited for this dual, especially after last year just having to watch it from the sideline. That loss stung,” Ruiz said. “Rylan is somebody I grew up with being on teams with him. He was always bigger. We were friends growing up, and I’m excited to get back out there and have a great match.”

Tumble & Rumble

Cornell returns to the home mat this weekend, hosting long-time rival Lehigh. Not only will it be a wrestling match between two great foes, but the Cornell gymnastics team will be simultaneously competing as well in what Cornell is calling Rumble and Tumble Sunday afternoon in Newman Arena.

Cornell wrestling and gymnastics hosted a similar event back in 2019, and the Big Red also recently experienced a wrestling/gymnastics event during last weekend’s win at Missouri.

“I think it is a fun event, I think it is good for our wrestling community,” Grey said. “I think it will help build a different atmosphere and get more eyes on the mat from fans that might not normally come to our of our matches.”

The two teams are no longer facing off as EIWA opponents, with Cornell now in the Ivy League, but that doesn’t mean fans from both programs haven’t circled this meeting when the schedules were released.

Last year’s meeting was one of the best duals of the college season. Cornell built a 16-8 lead by winning five of the first seven matches, but Lehigh won the final three of the dual for a narrow 17-16 upset win.

“We are super excited for this rivalry dual, and we know they are going to bring their very best,” Grey said. “We want to be able to wrestle really talented teams, and Lehigh obviously fits the bill. They always bring their best when they wrestle us, and that is great for us. 

“At the end of the day, a dual like this is great preparation for March.”

While Cornell is still “figuring things out at 125 and 133 pounds,” according to Grey, the Big Red will welcome back into their dual lineup heavyweight Ashton Davis.

Davis started the season 3-0 the first weekend of the season at the Journeymen Classic, but then missed almost the next two months. He returned to action last weekend, not at the dual at Missouri, but at the Bobby Kauffman Open in Edinboro.

“We are excited to have Davis back,” Grey said. “Ashton was back last weekend, and we decided to have him wrestle in a tournament as opposed to just one dual. 

In Davis’ first dual of the season, he will get #9 Owen Trephan. Trephan will be donning a Lehigh singlet for the first time, as the two-time defending ACC champion just transferred from NC State for the second semester.

“I know (Ashton) is excited to wrestle a quality opponent in Trephan, and it should be a good contest,” Grey said.