Rob Koll clearly leads a program that is on the rise.  Top 10 finishes for his Cornell team, once considered an impossibility, are now almost expected.     The wrestling community certainly saw a flash-point of the program's success materialize when Koll brought in a young Hawaii native named Travis Lee. In his sophomore campaign, he finished out the NCAA Championships with a championship performance against Purdue's Chris Fleeger at 125 pounds. The team is now making an impact in the EIWA Conference and at the NCAA Championships on a regular basis.    While many people would note the success of wrestlers on the mat at Cornell as the program's finest accomplishment, something that shouldn't be overlooked is the deep support that the Cornell wrestling program has from a large and generous alumni base.      Cornell is about to begin its third season in a sprawling complex built specifically for the sport of wrestling. The Friedman Wrestling Center is a thing of beauty that brings a look of astonishment to any true believer in the sport.      Success has been building in this up-state New York campus for some time now. Koll counts himself fortunate to be the coach in position to take the program to even greater heights.  Koll noted that Andy Noel, the prior coach to the program, really set him up for success and deserves much of the credit for the support that Cornell wrestling receives.  Andy Noel's efforts, first as coach and now as Athletic Director, set in motion an effort that is respected in today's wrestling world.      "We know we have the best facility in the world for the sport of wrestling, and we have a great group of wrestling supporters to thank," said Koll.      The process to build such an astounding facility has been at the forefront of Coach Koll's wish list for a long time. The college wrestling community knows gender equity concerns can hold up even the best of intentions.  It wasn't as simple as just raising the money for Koll; instead, he had to first get approval from the university.  The process was helped along by three important donations.     First, Arno Nieman, a Cornell alumni wrestler, donated the funds to help build a better women's softball complex.  Then, Stephen Friedman, at the time serving as the CEO of Goldman Sachs, paid for a strength and conditioning complex.     Finally, Koll's program raised a four million dollar endowment that fully finances the program.  After all of these stars aligned just perfectly, Koll was given the go-ahead to begin planning for a capital campaign that could be one of the most successful in college wrestling history.    Cornell, an Ivy League school, has a healthy list of successful alumni.  There has been a wrestling program at Cornell since 1906.     This long list of wrestling donors includes so many successful individuals (such as NASA astronaut Ed Lu). These alumni were ready to listen to the vision that Koll laid out for the program.  After consulting with the college administration and formulating a detailed plan on the building improvement, Koll began to meet with potential donors.      "When you are asking for this kind of support and money, you don't do it over the phone.  You have to go in person," stated Koll.      From the beginning of the meetings, Koll was excited about the reception he received.  The largest gift for the new facility came from Stephen Friedman who is now President Bush's chief economic advisor.  The building is named in his honor.  As a part of the giving campaign, different rooms and even the lockers for the athletes were named for the donors giving a specific amount for naming purposes.    As Koll reached the goal of raising the funds, he began to meet with architects and was involved in every stage of the planning process.  The Friedman Wrestling Center, with its arching roof, presents any visitor to the arena that's designed for wrestling workouts as well as dual meets a vision with hope for the future of the sport of wrestling.      The workout area is easily 2 and 1/3 mats long.  On three sides of the arena are bleachers.  The end bleachers pull out when it is competition time.      The facility also reflects a high emphasis on Cornell's specialty, learning.  The wrestlers have can thank the alumni for a first-class study hall that includes computers wired to the internet as well as a 60" plasma TV for reviewing video.  The locker room is built with comfort in mind, as each wrestler has their own pro-style locker that is right next door to a training room that can only be described as first-class.      Throughout the building are constant reminders of the success that is expected.  One long hallway beautifully displays the team photos of nearly a century of wrestling.  All-American photos are hung on the wall of the study hall, and in the foyer is a giant picture of the first match ever wrestled there against Ohio State.      Koll shows the building off like he is a proud father.  And he likes to tell people that no one declined to give to the program that was asked, and all people that already had planned giving to the university continued with their other obligations.      Cornell University now has a wrestling facility that sets a standard for college wrestling.  The loyalty displayed by the alumni to the wrestling program is truly a credit to the sport's importance and influence at Cornell. Koll believes that the facility has helped in recruiting highly talented athletes. Cornell also provides the obvious advantages of a top-rate Ivy-League education. These are just some of the reasons that Cornell continues to climb in the Div. I rankings and develop individual wrestling champions.