After competing in the Bearcat Open in Binghamton last Sunday, the Columbia wrestling team heads upstate once more this weekend for the Body Bar Invitational in Ithaca on Saturday. Hosted by Cornell, the tournament consists of 11 teams from across the nation and will feature a full day of competition.
Head coach Brendan Buckley is pleased with the way his team has responded over the past week. “The team is wrestling very well right now,” he said. “Our conditioning is excellent, which is helping to build the team’s confidence.”
A number of powerhouse squads will be converging at Cornell, including the Big Red team themselves—ranked No. 4 nationally—as well as No. 10 Maryland and No. 20 Penn State. The tournament will be the Lions’ final action before they open their dual schedule next weekend with three nonconference matches in Troy, N.Y.
Last weekend, the Light Blue had a number of strong individual performances, mostly from its young core. Steven Santos, a freshman from New Jersey, led the way with a second-place finish in the 149-pound bracket. He lost 6-4 in the final round to the No. 13-ranked wrestler in the nation.
Sophomore Jonathan Weibel, who competes at 174 pounds, took third after losing in the semifinals to Cornell senior Mack Lewnes, who ranks second in the country. Also for the Lions, junior Eren Civan finished fourth at 165 pounds and senior Kevin Lester took fifth as a heavyweight.
The Lions will be in for some serious competition on Saturday. Cornell is a perennial Ivy League front-runner and the Big Red supplied five first-place finishers last week at the Bearcat Open. Even though the season is young, Cornell is already shooting for its eighth consecutive Ivy League championship.
The Lions hope to get their underclassmen some more experience and preparation for the dual season while still placing a number of wrestlers at or near the top of their brackets.
“We’re looking forward to another opportunity to compete,” Buckley said. “It’s been a real long time and the intensity has been increasing.”
The Body Bar Invitational kicks off at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 21 at Cornell’s Newman Arena.
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