Cornell topples IIAC foe Luther, 23-12, in consolation round

Cornell College's wrestling team fell to a pair of top-10 nationally-ranked foes and finished 1-2 at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals Saturday at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls.

The 12th-ranked and ninth-seeded Rams (9-6-1) dropped a 22-10 first-round dual to 10th-ranked and eighth-seeded UW-Stevens Point. Cornell came back to earn a 23-12 victory over 29th-ranked Luther in the first round of consolations.

Cornell was eliminated from the tournament with a 28-10 setback to seventh-ranked and seventh-seeded Concordia-Moorhead in a second-round consolation dual.

“We had a very uninspired performance, with the exception of a couple guys,” Cornell head coach Mike Duroe said. “(Kevin) Donahue and (Jacob) Schwebke had real strong performances and (Joe) Hambleton wrestled two good matches.”

Senior Kevin Donahue (Mechanicsville, Va./St. Christopher's) came away as the team's lone wrestler to go 3-0 on the day. Donahue, ranked ninth at 141 pounds, extended his winning streak to nine matches, posting two major decisions and a 4-2 sudden victory over Concordia-Moorhead's Ben Anderson.

Donahue improved to 18-4 and moved into a tie for 11th place on the school's career wins list with Chris Gerardy (1988-92) with 97 victories.

Juniors Jacob Schwebke (Aplington/AGWSR) at 149, sixth-ranked Nicholas Loughlin (Cherokee/Washington) at 157 and Joe Hambleton (Parsons, Kan./Labette County) at 165 all finished 2-1 for the Rams.

Donahue put the team's first points on the board against UW-Stevens Point with an 18-9 win. Loughlin and sophomore heavyweight Wyatt Bauman (Brooklyn/BGM) both prevailed by decision. It was the Pointers' second dual win over the Rams this season, including a 21-14 victory in December.

“I thought we were physically prepared, but we were not prepared mentally to perform in that first match of the day,” Duroe said.

The Rams won seven matches in the Luther dual, receiving bonus points with major decisions from junior Michael Buhr (Crystal Lake, Ill./Crystal Lake Central) at 133, Donahue and Hambleton. Schwebke, Loughlin, senior 174-pounder Cliff Robertson (Maryville, Mo./Maryville) and junior 184-pounder Andrew Roberts (Ackley/AGWSR) each picked up a decision for the Rams, who led 24-6 after eight matches.

Concordia-Moorhead recorded bonus points in seven matches – all major decisions – against the Rams. Hambleton turned in a 15-5 victory, while Cornell also got tight decisions from Donahue and Schwebke.

“I've never been involved in a dual where all seven losses were major decisions,” Duroe said. “I saw some real weaknesses in some of our guys. When we get down in matches, we have a difficult time getting back in the match. We just have to push harder as coaches and as athletes.”

Wins leaders – Three Rams cracked the 20-win mark for the season during Saturday's Duals. Hambleton, who's won eight of his last 10 bouts, stands atop the team's wins list with a 21-9 record. Buhr raised his season mark to 20-6, and Schwebke moved to 20-12.

The Rams have several wrestlers nearing 20 wins, including junior Tigue Snider (19-9 at 133), Donahue (18-4), Loughlin (18-7) and freshman Ben Rosen (18-8 at 133).

Matman Invitational – Cornell hosts its annual Matman Invitational Saturday, Jan. 15, with matches starting at 9 a.m. in the arena of the Small Multi-Sport Center. This year's field includes seven Iowa Conference teams in Buena Vista, Coe, Cornell, Dubuque, Loras, Luther and Wartburg, along with Augsburg, North Central and UW-La Crosse.

The Rams took runner-up last year with 114 points and crowned one champion in Nick Nothern (133). Wartburg turned in a winning team score of 171 points to claim its second consecutive Matman title.