MOUNT VERNON – Cornell's wrestling team went down to the wire with UW-Platteville, falling 18-16 in an entertaining season-opening dual Friday night before a standing-room only crowd inside the Meredith Wrestling Complex.
The Rams won five of the 10 contested matches and held a decisive 16-4 advantage in near-fall points. Cornell totaled 14 takedowns, to the Pioneers' 10.
Cornell held a 16-15 lead going into the heavyweight bout, where UW-Platteville's ninth-ranked and 2019 NCAA qualifier Lucius Rinehart earned a hard-fought 6-0 decision over impressive freshman Drake Fox (FR/Danville, Iowa) that sealed the win for the visiting team.
Fox was among four Cornell starters wrestling their first collegiate match.
Junior Bryce Oveson (JR/Wilton, Iowa) gave the Rams a bonus point at 184 pounds with a dominant 18-5 major decision over Jacob Sklenar. Oveson posted six takedowns and built a 12-3 lead after one period.
Kendale McCoy (SR/Oak Park, Ill.) followed that up with a 6-2 victory at 197, pushing the Rams ahead 16-15 in the team score. McCoy finished strong, scoring all of his points in the third period.
After the Pioneers led 9-0 after two matches, Cornell climbed back in it with back-to-back wins from Jake Wulf (SR/Odebolt, Iowa), 7-4 at 141, and Klayton Keller (SO/Des Moines, Iowa), 8-3 at 149. Wulf scored a big six-point move in the second period to take control against Chase Katzenmeyer. Keller broke his match open with a four-point near fall in the final period against Garrett Ruckdashel.
Senior 165-pounder Nic Jarvis (SR/Iowa City, Iowa) rallied for eight points in the third period in a 10-6 comeback win over Nathan Wynsma. Jarvis brought the crowd to its feet with a takedown and four-point near fall in the final 30 seconds.
Freshmen Evan Husko (FR/Wauconda, Ill.) at 133 and Vincent Vass (FR/Ottumwa, Iowa) at 157 both dropped tight 4-1 decisions in their Cornell debuts. Vass was tied 1-1 with less than a minute to go in regulation.
Cornell's John Engelbrecht (SR/Mount Vernon, Iowa) dropped an 8-3 match at 174. UW-Platteville's Isaac Wiegel pinned freshman Joey Shaw (FR/Colorado Springs, Colo.) in 3:52 at 125.
Coming up – The Rams compete Saturday at the Yellow Jacket Open in Rochester, Minn.
