Football coach Pete Carroll called recruiting “the lifeblood of every program.” The future at Cornell looks extremely bright as recruiting has been exceptional over the past few years. The 2019 class was ranked third in the country by Flowrestling, while the 2020 group earned the #5 spot. That momentum has continued, as the Big Red coaching staff has secured commitments from stars in the classes of 2021 and 2022.
Let’s take a look at the high school seniors and juniors who have given a verbal pledge to Cornell to this point.
The following is a list that will be periodically updated with information on the wrestlers so you can get to know a little bit about them before they arrive in Ithaca.
Class of 2021 Commitments
#17 Ryan Sokol, Simley (MN)
#21 Brett Ungar, Notre Dame (PA)
#60 Vince Cornella, Monarch (CO)
#84 Cooper Kropman, Penfield (NY)
#87 Justin Mayes, Bellevue (OH)
#95 Nico Provo, Greens Farms Academy (CT)
Evan Canoyer, Waverly (NE)
Luke Duthie, Wyoming Seminary (PA)
Christian Hansen, Cold Spring Harbor (NY)
Class of 2022 Commitments
#34 Erik Gibson, Forest Hills (PA)
#64 Brody Conley, Tiffin Columbian (OH)
#75 Jack Darrah, Christian Brothers (MO)
**The numbers above are Flowrestling’s Class of 2021 or 2022 Pound-for-Pound Big Board Rankings.
With that introduction out of the way, let’s get started with future Big Red middleweight. . .
Ryan Sokol (Simley High School, Minnesota)
National Rankings/Achievements:
#17 Overall in the Class of 2021 on Flowrestling’s Big Board
#15 Overall in the Class of 2021 by Matscouts
#3 at 152 Pounds by Flowrestling
Also #3 at 152 Pounds by Matscouts
Represented the USA at the Cadet Freestyle World Championships in 2019 at 65 kg (went 1-1)
2019 UWW World Team Trials Cadet Freestyle 65 kg – Champion
2019 UWW World Team Trials Cadet Greco Roman 60 kg – 3rd
2017 Cadet Freestyle National Champion (Fargo) – 120 pounds
Selected to compete at Flowrestling’s Who’s #1 in 2019 (vs. current Penn St freshman Beau Bartlett)
State Achievements:
2020 Minnesota State Champion – 145 pounds (junior)
2019 Minnesota State Champion – 132 pounds (sophomore)
2017 Minnesota State 3rd – 113 pounds (eighth grader)
2016 Minnesota State 5th – 106 pounds (seventh grader)
191-19 Varsity Career Record with 98 pins, according to The Guillotine
Named to The Guillotine’s 2020 Academic All-State First Team
Sokol on Recruiting:
Sokol originally committed to Iowa as a sophomore, but reopened his recruitment the following summer. He committed to Cornell in November of 2019.
“Honestly, Coach Koll’s humor reminds me of my grandpa’s,” Sokol said. “It’s really funny. The personalities and everyone there – the second I got to Cornell [on his fall 2019 official visit], they made me feel like I’d already been there for months. I like that – the family feel.” – Courtesy of trackwrestling.com.
Take a Look:
Sokol Beating Current Oklahoma State Freshman Trevor Mastrogiovanni at Fargo in 2017:
Note: Mike Grey is coaching during this match – against Sokol – as he is on the staff of Team New Jersey, which Mastrogiovanni represents. Also, note current Big Red freshman Josh Saunders walking back and forth on the right side of the mat, as he gets ready for his next match.
Sokol Winning the Cadet Freestyle National Title at Fargo over Dom Serrano (now a freshman at Nebraska):
By Betsy Veysman