What are the keys to Cornell’s success in Division 1 wrestling? Cornell has been the NCAA runner-up for two seasons in a row, despite the fact that none of the Big Red wrestlers receive scholarship money. According to the WSJ, alumni donations play a large part:
But Cornell is the only Ivy that’s lately been making a serious run at the NCAA team championship. How are they doing it? The school’s former wrestling coach and current athletic director Andy Noel cites contributions from “key generous alumni.”
Chief among them are former Goldman Sachs Chairman Stephen Friedman and his wife Barbara Benioff Friedman, who contributed millions for a new weight-training facility and then a first-of-its-kind complex built specifically for wrestling.
Cornell also sells recruits on different kinds of scholarships- opportunities for future earnings:
The school sells recruits on the idea that while they might not get the free education offered by programs with athletic scholarships, their future earnings potential makes it a financial winner. With an active alumni network, wrestlers can expect a range of summer internship options in business, medicine and on Wall Street.
Read the rest of the article here.
Fifteen years it’s been. Man it goes quick but thank god for the memories.,