Lions get pummeled by Cornell in Ivy League debut

The Columbia wrestling team opened its Ivy League season against Cornell this past Saturday. Unfortunately for the Lions, it was not the result they had hoped for. Cornell, ranked No. 1 in the country, defeated the Light Blue with a score of 40-3. The Big Red won nine out of 10 matches, with the Lions’ sole victory coming from heavyweight Kevin Lester, who defeated Stryker Lane in the last match of the day.

The match was tied going into the third period, but it was the 1:04 of riding time that Lester earned which raised the final score to 5-4. 165-pounder Eren Civan put up a good fight against the No. 5 ranked Craig Eifert, where Civan led 2-1 after the first period. In the second period, Civan earned a point with an escape, but then Eifert edged ahead with two takedowns worth two points each. In the final period, Civan earned a point with an escape, Eifert one with a takedown, and then a minute of riding time bumped up Eifert’s score to 9-4 to conclude the match.

Another notable performance was 157-pounder Jake O’Hara, who lost to No. 11 DJ Meagher in a tight match. O’Hara trailed only two points behind after the second period, while Meagher extended his lead to an 11-5 decision over O’Hara. The Lions continue their Ivy League season this weekend, competing against Princeton and Penn. The action kicks off at the New York Athletic Club at 6:30 p.m. on Friday night.