Last month the NCAA Division I1 wrestling championships took place in Tulsa, Oklahoma. This tournament brings together some of the top wrestlers in the country, and even the world.
A few of the athletes that competed at this tournament have also competed previously at the Olympics, and other tournaments around the globe. Cornell had two of their own world class grapplers attend the tournament. Vito Arujau and Yianni Diakhamihalis both won the NCAA tournament in their respective weight classes.
What is interesting though, is that these two go way back to their days of high school, having both been top wrestlers in their sections in New York and always seeing each other at tournaments. After wrestling each other more than once back in the day, they formed a friendly rivalry which ultimately led to them being friends and training partners. After finishing their highschool careers, They both committed to Cornell University to wrestle and the rest is history.
Arujau, who is a two-time world champion, Pan-American Champion, and United States champion, competed this year in the 133 lbs. weight class. He beat former champion Roman Bravo-Young of Penn state for the title.
Arujau stayed resilient throughout the tournament and put on an almost flawless performance which earned him Most Outstanding Wrestler of the entire tournament. This is his first ever NCAA Gold medal and one more to add to his resume.
In a press conference with USA Wrestling when asked about his reaction to the win, Arujau said,”I say this is a moment of satisfaction, it’s a moment of validity for my own cause and my own greatness and I’m very happy to finally have that check marked… like, ‘I did that’”.
A few classes above Arujau, Yianni Diakhamihalis competed in the 149 lbs. Weight class. Yianni is also no stranger to the gold, having this been his fourth NCAA Title, which makes him the fifth Cornell wrestler to win 4 NCAA Championships.
Along with that he is a two time world champion, a Pan American and a United World Wrestling champion. When asked about his title match performance in a USA Wrestling Interview, Yianni said, ”What I did this weekend is far from the best version of myself, far from what I need to do to become an Olympic champion or world champion, and because of that… I’m going to go home to my hotel room and watch the match and think to myself, ‘what should I have done’”.
Both of these guys have bright futures ahead of them. Recently they both signed to Spartan combat, a combat sports brand and agency, which opens the door to countless opportunities. Along with their unbelievable work ethic and a community of people behind them, they will go far in the sport of wrestling. Don’t be surprised to see these two on the Olympic podium in the next few years.
*Credit- New York Wrestling News