Storm fall to Cornell in opener

INDIANOLA, Iowa — The Simpson wrestling team got exciting wins from John Gioffredi and DeVaughn Scott but 17th-ranked Cornell was too much to handle, beating Simpson 30-16 in the season opener Thursday night at Hopper Gymnasium.

Gioffredi got a big win in his first dual for the Storm, handling Charlie Engelbrecht 17-4 at 133 pounds. A junior originally from Indianola, Gioffredi transferred to Simpson from Grand View after a successful high school career for the Indians.

Gioffredi's win gave the Storm a 10-0 lead as Jacob Irwin took a forfeit at 125. But the Rams took control of the dual after that, rattling off six straight wins, including pins by Nic Jarvis at 157 and Ben Hewson at 165.

Scott started the season off with a bang, pinning Chris Lyons 1:53 into the first period at 197 pounds. Scott is looking to pick up where he left off in 2016-17, when got off to a 15-7 start before suffering a season-ending injury.

Up Next
Simpson returns to action Tuesday, Nov. 7 when it hosts Graceland in another non-conference dual at Hopper Gym. Start time is set for 7 p.m.