The Ithaca College Bombers shut the SUNY Cortland Red Dragons out in a dominating 51-0 victory Feb. 12 at Ben Light Gymnasium.
The Bombers attacked the rival Red Dragons early in each bout. After a 6-0 decision victory from first-year student Tomah Gummow over Cortland’s Christian Lievano in the opening 125 lb match, the remaining nine bouts were decided by either a technical fall or a pin in favor of the Bombers.
Junior Isaias Torres followed Gummow and set the tone for the remainder of the night. Despite falling behind 3-1 early in the first period to sophomore Culley Bellino, Torres remained composed, securing a massive takedown to end the first period which electrified both the Ithaca bench and the home crowd.
The two-time NCAA national qualifier and 2024 All-American smelled blood in the water and put Bellino to bed in the second, securing takedown after takedown before eventually securing a 15-point advantage, securing the tech fall with a commanding 19-4 victory.
Torres said he does not normally find himself behind early. However, he said he relishes these opportunities because it will prepare him to respond to adversity on the national stage.
“It’s a long match and I’m all about composure,” Torres said. “I know I can’t let my emotions take over so I just stay calm, look over to my corner, breathe [and] embrace it.”
The aggression that Torres came out with in the second period seemed to fire the squad up for the remainder of the match. Junior Matt Haycock, senior Wenchard Pierre-Louis, junior Brian Bienus and junior Konrad Parker won the following four bouts via technical falls. The four wrestlers dominated each of their bouts from start to finish, controlling the tempo, hardly allowing their opponents to get off the ground.
The Bombers were ready to celebrate by this point, having already clinched the victory. They had a 28-0 lead after Parker’s victory in the 165 lb bout, but the hometown crowd was eager for more and the South Hill squad delivered.
Senior Jackson Gray recorded a massive pin in the 174 lb bout. Gray recorded four takedowns, controlling the match from start to finish as first-year student Gavin Seiler had no response. He was pinned down by the Bomber captain not even halfway through the first period.
The Bombers rolled to the finish following another tech fall in the 184 lb bout, courtesy of senior Xavier Pommells. Junior Ryan Galka and sophomore Charlie Turner finished the Red Dragons off, both securing pins in the 194 lb and 285 lb bouts, respectively. These two pins wrapped up the shutout for the Bombers against their rivals.
The Red Dragons won the SUNYAC Championships earlier in the season, a tournament in which the Bombers rested their top wrestlers, but finished in sixth place nonetheless. Torres said the team did not necessarily get the results they wanted at early tournaments like SUNYAC, but they trusted their training.
“It’s showing how much Ithaca wrestling has evolved throughout the season,” Torres said. “We were good in the beginning of the year, but we work hard everyday with top guys in the country, and we just trust the process now, and we’re getting the results when it matters.
The Bombers’ final meet of the season will be their senior day, against St. John Fisher University on Feb. 19 at the Ben Light Gymnasium.
