Donahue becomes first Ram to win back-to-back Iowa Conference titles

Senior 141-pounder Kevin Donahue (Mechanicsville, Va./St. Christopher's) stamped a strong Cornell team performance by claiming his second consecutive Iowa Conference title at the IIAC Wrestling Championships Friday at Simpson's Cowles Fieldhouse in Indianola.

Donahue made school history with a 3-2 finals victory over top-seeded Matt Kelly of Wartburg. He became Cornell's first two-time IIAC individual champion and the first Ram to win back-to-back league titles since Ryan Reasland (190 pounds) did so in the Midwest Conference in 1996 and 1997.

Donahue was one of six Rams to earn automatic berths to the NCAA Division III Championships March 11-12 in La Crosse, Wis. The six qualifiers are the most by a Cornell squad in 14 years in the IIAC.

The Rams fielded runner-up finishes from juniors Tigue Snider (Wilton/Wilton) at 133 pounds and Nicholas Loughlin (Cherokee/Washington) at 157. Snider joined juniors Jacob Schwebke (third at 149), Joe Hambleton (third at 165) and Andrew Roberts (third at 184) as first-time qualifiers.

Cornell finished fourth in the team race with 114.5 points, only one point behind third-place Dubuque. Wartburg had seven champions and ran away with the team title with 206.5 points. Coe was second with 147.5.

The second-seeded Donahue (27-5) rolled to a 13-1 opening-round win before outlasting Coe's Chris LeClere in the semifinals, 3-2 in the first tiebreaker. Donahue then held off Kelly in the finals, avenging a 3-2 loss a month ago against the three-time Wartburg all-American.

Loughlin (25-8) made his way back to the finals for the second consecutive year after winning in 2010. He came up short in an 8-4 loss to top-seeded Carrington Banks of Wartburg. Loughlin beat second-seeded Dale Handley of Coe in the semifinals, 4-2.

Snider (30-12) advanced to the IIAC finals for the first time, dropping a 10-1 major decision to Wartburg's top-seeded Thomas Mirocha. Snider blanked Coe's Drew Hinschberger in the semifinals, 6-0.

The Rams posted a perfect 6-0 mark in the consolation place matches. Schwebke (Aplington/AGWSR), Hambleton (Parsons, Kan./Labette County) and Roberts (Ackley/AGWSR) earned automatic berths by placing in the top three at their respective weights.

Schwebke scored a 5-4 win over Joe Wood of Loras in his third-place bout. Schwebke finished 3-1 on the day, his lone blemish a 3-2 overtime decision against Coe's James Locke.

Hambleton avenged a 3-2 first-round loss to Mitch Gansen, dominating the Loras wrestler in the third-place rematch with a 17-2 technical fall. Hambleton's path through the consolation side included a first-period pin over Simpson's Cory Stratton and a 6-5 victory over second-seeded Nick LeClere of Coe.

Roberts punched his ticket to nationals with a 4-2 decision over Dubuque's Logan Einerson. He rebounded from a 13-6 semifinal loss to eventual champion Dylan Azinger of Wartburg with a 9-5 win over Central's Greg Barner to advance to the third-place match.

Junior 125-pounder Timothy Hood (Morrison, Ill./Morrison), freshman 197-pounder Alex Coolidge (Gillette, Wyo./Campbell County) and senior heavyweight Robert Widmer (Malcom/Montezuma) all won their final matches of the tournament.

Hood took fifth place with a third-period fall over Dubuque's Andre Taylor, whom Hood lost to by a point in the first round. Hood was named the IIAC's first alternate and would replace any conference qualifier unable to compete at nationals.

Coolidge also placed fifth with a 2-1 win over Coe's Ethan Ball. Widmer closed his career with a 6-1 victory over Buena Vista's Matthew Sefcik in the seventh-place match.

Iowa Conference Championships

Friday, Feb. 25

Cowles Fieldhouse

Indianola, Iowa

Final team standings – 1. Wartburg 206.5, 2. Coe 147.5, 3. Dubuque 115.5, 4. Cornell 114.5, 5. Loras 92.5, 6. Luther 87.5, 7. Central 83.5, 8. Simpson 47.5, 9. Buena Vista 46.5.

Cornell results

125 – Timothy Hood (5th place) – lost dec. Andre Taylor (Dub), 6-5; pinned Pat Pfantz (Lor), 6:53; lost dec. Daniel Mendoza (Lut), 13-6; pinned Taylor (Dub), 6:30.

133 – Tigue Snider (2nd place) – dec. Chris Sokol (Dub), 5-3; dec. Drew Hinschberger (Coe), 6-0; lost maj. dec. Thomas Mirocha (War), 10-1.

141 – Kevin Donahue (champion) – maj. dec. Eric Wilkerson (Cen), 13-1; dec. Chris LeClere (Coe), 3-2 TB1; dec. Matt Kelly (War), 3-2.

149 – Jacob Schwebke (3rd place) – dec. Derek Mizaur (Dub), 6-4; lost dec. James Locke (Coe), 3-2 TB1; dec. Caleb Brus (Sim), 9-3; dec. Joe Wood (Lor), 5-4.

157 – Nicholas Loughlin (2nd place) – dec. Calvin Canales (Lut), 10-3; dec. Dale Handley (Coe), 4-2; lost dec. Carrington Banks (War), 8-4.

165 – Joe Hambleton (3rd place) – lost dec. Mitch Gansen (Lor), 3-2; pinned Cory Stratton (Sim), 2:24; dec. Nick LeClere (Coe), 6-5; tech fall Gansen (Lor), 17-2 (6:50).

174 – Derek Munsey – lost dec. Scott King (Coe), 9-6; lost dec. Jordan Ammons (Sim), 8-5.

184 – Andrew Roberts (3rd place) – dec. Matt Fassbinder (Lut), 7-3; lost dec. Dylan Azinger (War), 13-6; dec. Greg Barner (Cen), 9-5; dec. Logan Einerson (Dub), 4-2.

197 – Alex Coolidge (5th place) – dec. Ethan Ball (Coe), 2-1 SV1; pinned by Byron Tate (War), 1:56; lost dec. Bradon Reyerson (Lut), 1-0; dec. Ball (Coe), 2-1.

285 – Robert Widmer (7th place) – pinned by Ted Dirkx (Cen), 1:40 TB1; pinned by Tyler Hoerner (Dub), 6:33; dec. Matthew Sefcik (BV), 6-1.