This week just five years ago was filled with great excitement for Big Red wrestling, which ultimately culminated in the program’s fifth straight Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association championship. This title came after a dominating season with an overall record of 13 and 1, including an Ivy League Championship.
This EIWA title was one of a record setting eight consecutive championships, and this victory in 2011 was not only a team accomplishment, but was also comprised of four individual first place finishes in Mack Lewnes, Frank Perrelli, Mike Grey, and Cam Simaz. In addition to these championship performances, four Big Red athletes earned automatic qualifying bids to the NCAA tournament.
The EIWA tournament was defined by two dominating individual efforts from Lewnes and Steve Bosak. First, Lewnes was awarded the Fletcher Trophy for earning the most team points in an EIWA career. Meanwhile, he capped off his heralded career by winning his fourth EIWA championship. Bosak also went home with hardware, as he achieved the Sheridan Award for scoring the most falls in the smallest amount of time.
This incredible Cornell squad went on to fall just short of a National Championship only a few weeks later, as the team placed second behind Penn State. This NCAA tournament conclusion was tied for the highest finish by a group in program history and marks the closest they have come to the sport’s biggest prize.
However, at the 2011 championships, phenom Kyle Dake captured his second of four consecutive individual national championships in four different weight classes, an accomplishment that has yet to be matched. Amazingly, the Big Red has possessed three All-American wrestlers in every year since 2003, including Grey, Dake, Lewnes, Bosak, and Simaz in that single season five years ago.
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