This weekend, the Columbia men’s wrestling team will face two New York rivals in Cornell and Binghamton. The Lions are coming off last week’s successful three-match stretch where they went 2-1.
Columbia’s first match will be against Ivy rival Cornell at 2 p.m. on Saturday. Cornell will enter this weekend’s match with a 4-3-1 record, but don’t let the record fool you: the Big Red will be a tough opponent. Junior Mack Lewnes leads Cornell with an impressive 25-0 record on the season in the 174-pound weight class. Most likely to face Lewnes will be Columbia’s Jonathan Weibel, who also sports a solid record at 13-4. Another Columbia wrestler to keep an eye out for is sophomore Kyle Gilchrist in the 125-pound weight class. Gilchrist, currently resting on a 20-7 overall record, was named Student-Athlete of the month for January. Last month, Gilchrist went 8-1 in competition, including a big upset over Anthony Zanetta of the University of Pittsburgh, who was then ranked 19th in the country. In order to beat the Big Red, the Lions are going to need everyone to step up as Cornell has five wrestlers with a winning percentage over 80. A win against Cornell will be a season-defining moment for the Light Blue.
Just four hours after facing Cornell, Columbia will travel to face Binghamton at 6 p.m. The Bearcats enter the weekend with an 11-6-1 overall record and recent victories over Boston University and Ithaca. Binghamton will be lead by junior Anwar Goeres, who leads the team with a 27-7 record. Goeres, a New York native, competes in the 141-pound class and leads the team with eights pins on the season. In addition to Goeres, Binghamton will bring several top-notch wrestlers including freshman Donnie Vinson, 24-10 overall at 149 pounds, and freshman Nate Schiedel, 20-6 overall at 184 pounds.
This weekend will be a good test for the Columbia wrestling team, as both Cornell and Binghamton have solid wrestlers in nearly every weight class. A good showing this weekend will provide some much-needed momentum heading into Ivy League competition.
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