-
NCAA Champion (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013)
-
Hodge Trophy (2013)
-
All-American (2010, 2011, 2012. 2013)
-
NCAA Qualifier (2012, 2011, 2012, 2013)
-
EIWA Champion (2010, 2012, 2103)
-
EIWA Finalist (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013)
-
EIWA Wrestler of the Year (2011,2012, 2013)
-
Ivy League Wrestler of the Year (2013)
-
First-Team All-Ivy (2010, 2011)
-
Ivy League Rookie of the Year
At Cornell
2012-13: Dake rewrote the history books during his final season with the Big Red when he became the first wrestler to win four NCAA titles at four different weight classes. The third wrestler to win four titles, Dake was also the first to do so without a redshirt season. At the NCAA tournament, he defeated Penn State's David Taylor by a score of 5-4 in the finals to secure his fourth NCAA title. After the win, Dake was the lead story on ESPN's Sportscenter. Taylor was the returning NCAA champion at 165 pounds and won the Hodge Trophy last season which is given to the most outstanding college wrestler of the year. A week later, Dake became the first Cornell wrestler to win the Hodge. Dake was named the Outstanding Wrestler at the NCAA tournament. He was the first Cornell wrestler to earn the award since Dave Auble in 1960. He is only the third Cornellian to earn the award with Frank Bettucci being the first in 1953. Dake also earned the NCAA award for the most falls in Division I wrestling this season with 18. He wrapped up his amazing Cornell career with a 137-4 record. Dake won his last 79 matches, a winstreak that goes back to March 6, 2011 when lost the EIWA finals at 149 pounds. Dake had perfect seasons at 157 and 165 pounds. The Big Red senior immediately found success in his fourth weight class by defeating Taylor at the All-Star Classic in the preseason. Dake went 37-0 this season year and had a school record 18 falls. Only nine of his 37 victories were by decision. With a 5-0 record, Dake was named Ivy League Wrestler of the Year and grabbed first-team All-Ivy honors. He also won his third-straight EIWA Wrestler of the Year honor. Dake plowed through the EIWA championships with four wins, including two falls, one technical fall and one major decision. Dake swept the individual awards at the tournament. He was named the Outstanding Wrestler, earned the Sheridan Award that is given to the wrestler with the most falls, and took home the Fletcher Award given to the wrestler that wins the most points for his team in his career. Dake won the title at the Las Vegas Invitational with a 5-0 record with two pins and two major decisions. He also won the crown at the Southern Scuffle with three falls, a major decision and a 3-2 victory over Taylor in the finals. Dake is third in the Cornell record books for pins in a season with 44, while he is fourth in wins with 137. He is second in winning percentage at 97.2 percent. Dake is also fourth in bonus wins with 83 and seventh in major decisions with 30.
2011-12: Dake became the first wrestler in history to win NCAA titles at three different weight classes after capturing the crown at 157 pounds. He is also the first wrestler in Cornell history to win three individual NCAA titles. In his junior season, he finished with a perfect 35-0 record and notched his 100th career victory in his NCAA finals’ win over Iowa's Derek St. John. Dake tied for second on the team in pins with 12 and was the co-recipient of the Peter J. Floros Memorial Award as the team’s Most Valuable Wrestler. He was also named the Co-EIWA Wrestler of the Year. Last season Dake has won titles at the Binghamton Open, Body Bar Invitational, Las Vegas Invitational and Southern Scuffle. The Big Red wrestler won the EIWA tournament in a dominant fashion, going 4-0 with a pin and two major decisions. Dake placed third at the Olympic Freestyle Wrestling Team Trials at 74 kg in Iowa. He won four matches on the day including pinning Penn State NCAA champion and Hodge Trophy winner David Taylor, 5-0, 1:28. Dake wrestled with for Team USA throughout the spring and summer.
2010-11: Dake followed up his national title at 141 pounds as a freshman with another NCAA championship, this time at 149 pounds, as a sophomore. He was named EIWA Wrestler of the Year and was a First Team All-Ivy selection for the second time after a 31-2 campaign in which he notched 20 bonus point wins, seven of which were falls. Dake opened the season with a title at the Binghamton Open in which he went 5-0 with four major decisions without yielding a single point. He captured his second championship of the campaign at the Southern Scuffle where he went 6-0 and defeated Penn State’s Frank Molinaro in the final match. Dake also went undefeated at the National Duals, where he scored valuable team points by winning three of his four bouts by bonus. Following his first loss of the season in the dual against Binghamton, Dake won his next nine bouts by bonus points, including six by fall. This included his run to the EIWA finals, where he was stopped in overtime by Bucknell’s Kevin LeValley. However, two weeks later at NCAAs, Dake was dominant, outscoring the competition 32-1, including an 8-1 triumph over Molinaro for the crown. Dake earned the Peter J. Floros Memorial Award as the team’s Most Valuable Wrestler and was named to the NWCA All-Academic Team.
2009-10: Dake won the national title at 141 pounds, earning national and regional honors along the way in one of the most impressive freshman seasons in program history. Dake took home the titles at the Brute Binghamton Open, an EIWA championship and went unbeaten in dual match action (12-0). The Ivy League Rookie of the Year and the Amateur Wrestling News and InterMat Wrestling National Rookie of the Year, Dake also took home EIWA Freshman of the Year accolades. Dake won two of his five matches at the NCAA tournament b helping Cornell pick up bonus points, including one by fall and another by major decision. He charged into the national spotlight early in his rookie season after compiling a 20-2 record against 2010 NCAA qualifiers. Dake opened his col¬legiate career by cruising to a first-place finish at the Brute Binghamton Open where he picked up two major decisions, a tech fall and a pin. In his first dual match in a Cornell singlet, Dake brought the hometown crowd to its feet by dazzling fans with an 8-3 decision over No. 4 Alex Krom of Maryland in the Friedman Wres¬tling Center. The freshman faced a star-studded lineup at the Las Vegas Invitational where he placed fourth. Dake suffered his first loss of the season at the hands of Ohio State’s Reece Humphrey, who narrowly squeaked by the Big Red wrestler in sudden victory, 4-2. Dake would avenge that loss with two wins over Humphrey later in the year. His only other loss of the season was in the match for third place, where he was edged out in sudden victory by Oklahoma qualifier Zachory Baily, 2-1. Dake bounced back at the Southern Scuffle to notch a 5-0 mark to earn his second individual title of the season. Dake went 5-0 at the National Duals where he avenged his loss to Humphrey by defeating the Buckeye, 8-4, to earn the No. 1 ranking in his weight class. Dake closed out his season with a 24-match win streak, culminating in a 7-4 win over Iowa’s Montell Marion to claim the NCAA crown.
Prior to Cornell: A six-time letter winner at Lansing HS, Dake was a two-time New York State champion and three-time finalist. He served as his team captain for four seasons, and received the 2009 team sportsmanship award. Dake was also Male Athlete of the Year in 2007. He was a 2008 junior World Team member, and Dake is a three-time NHSCA Wrestling Champion. Dake was also a two-time letter winner in baseball playing second base and catching. He was a sprinter in track where he lettered. Dake was student council vice-president from 2008-09.
Personal
Kyle Douglas Dake is the son of Doug and Jodi Dake and has a sister and a brother. Majoring in developmental sociology, Dake is studying sociology and economics.
Dake's Career Statistics
