Cornell wrestling’s Yianni Diakomihalis makes special Hilton homecoming
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HILTON, N.Y. (WHEC) – In high school, Yianni Diakomihalis was a four-time New York state wrestling champion, closing his career on a 210 match winning streak.
At Cornell, Diakomihalis continues to smash any records in his way, ranked the number one college wrestler in the 149 pound division.
“Intrinsically, I really want to be a great wrestler. And whatever that means, that’s an accolade, whatever. It’s something I take a lot of pride in. It’s something I’m really passionate about,” said Diakomihalis.
And on Friday night he got to have a homecoming at the place where it all started, at Hilton high school.
“I would’ve never expected to end up back in Hilton. This was awesome. It reminds me of my days back in high school. I think it was really cool for me to have my Cornell teammates here to kind of see where I grew up,” said Diakomihalis.
In high school, Yianni Diakomihalis was a four-time New York state wrestling champion, closing his career on a 210 match winning streak.
“For them it was more kind of busting Yianni’s chops. Like, we’re going to the house that Yianni built! It was exciting, it’s an exciting event to get back to a high school, have a packed house, thanks to everybody coming out, and just a whole lot of fun,” said Cornell wrestling head coach Mike Grey.
It wouldn’t be complete without a post-meet autograph signing session.
“There’s a mad rush to my left. The support from the community is awesome. Sometimes you wonder when you’re gone what people think of you, so it’s really cool to have that support,” said Diakomihalis.
The Big Red took the meet, 28-15. Coach Mike Grey says the goal is to bring home a national championship to Cornell. And that starts with Diakomihalis.