Clean sweep for Rams at IIAC Duals

Cornell's sixth-ranked wrestling team swept its side of the Iowa Conference Duals for the fourth consecutive year with four resounding wins Saturday at Kuyper Athletic Complex.

The Rams recorded victories over Buena Vista (36-12), 11th-ranked Luther (26-12), Loras (31-7) and host Central (34-6). That made it 16 straight dual wins in the event for Cornell, which held an 82-23 advantage in takedowns over its four weekend foes.

"We wanted to come out and be aggressive. We did that for the most part," Cornell head coach Mike Duroe said. "Our guys were ready Saturday. And they'll have to be ready Thursday (Feb. 2) against Dubuque."

Cornell (10-3 overall) climbed into sole possession of second place in the IIAC standings with a 5-1 record. The Rams have home duals remaining against 20th-ranked Dubuque (3-4, 2-2 IIAC) on Thursday and fourth-ranked Coe (8-3, 3-1 IIAC) on Friday, Feb. 10.

Senior Tigue Snider headlined Cornell's performances with a perfect 4-0 record at 133 pounds. He compiled 60 match points and 23 takedowns during a solid day's work. Snider posted a 21-6 technical fall, an 18-6 major decision, and two decisions (14-7 and 7-1) while improving his season record to 22-10.

"Tigue Snider was a machine," Duroe said. "He went out to dominate and that's what he did. He kind of sparked the team. That was an absolutely dominant performance."

Duroe also cited strong outings from seniors Andrew Roberts and Jacob Schwebke. Roberts finished 4-0 with a pair of first-period pins at 184. Schwebke went 3-1 with one fall at 149.

"Schwebke and Roberts really came out of their shells a little bit. Both are seniors and know time is against them," Duroe said. "They both came out aggressive and took the fight to their opponents. I think a breakthrough at this time will help both those guys as we get into the postseason."

The Rams had three other unbeatens in Timothy Hood (2-0 at 125), Nicholas Loughlin (3-0 at 157) and Carl Gaul (2-0 at 285). Michael Buhr (141), Joe Hambleton (165) and Alex Coolidge (197) all finished 3-1.

Cornell finished the duals 16-4 at the five lower weights. "Having early wins helped for sure," Duroe said.

Cornell's win over No. 11 Luther was the team's fourth over a ranked opponent this season. Hood got the Rams going early with a pin in 4:07 over fifth-ranked Daniel Mendoza at 125. Schwebke had a quick fall in 2:43 at 149 as Cornell built an 18-3 lead after five weights.

Gaul stamped the victory over Luther with an 18-1 technical fall at heavyweight. Cornell owned a 17-7 edge in takedowns. All four of Luther's wins were two-point decisions.

The Rams received pins from Buhr, Roberts and Coolidge in the rout of Buena Vista. Snider, Loughlin and Hambleton all scored technical falls.

In the Loras dual, Cornell got pins from Roberts and heavyweight Wyatt Bauman. Loughlin added a major decision. The Rams claimed four tight win over the Duhawks decided by two points or less.

Gaul recorded a 57-second pin and Hambleton scored a 16-0 technical fall to lead the Rams past Central in the finale. Snider and Coolidge both contributed bonus points with major decisions.

Team leaders - Hambleton remained atop the team's wins list with a 28-5 record. Loughlin improved his season mark to 24-7. Hood stands 22-5, Snider 22-10, Gaul 20-18 and Coolidge 19-8.

Career wins - Coach Duroe saw four of his senior starters reach the 90-win mark at Saturday's duals in Pella. The group included Schwebke (92-63), Snider (91-58), Loughlin (91-27) and Roberts (91-69). Hood is about to join them, standing at 89-54 over his career.

Earlier this season, Hambleton became the 10th member of Cornell's 100-win club. He has a career mark of 110-47.

Rams in the rankings - Cornell remained No. 6 in the latest NWCA Division III Team Poll released Jan. 24. The Rams are among five IIAC teams ranked in the top 20, including No. 1 Wartburg, No. 4 Coe, No. 11 Luther and No. 20 Dubuque.

The Rams have five individuals ranked in the top 10 at their respective weights, led by fourth-ranked Hood at 125. Hambleton (165) and Coolidge (197) are both ranked seventh. Loughlin (157) and Snider (133) both stand 10th. Snider made his first appearance in the polls since early November.

Coming up - Cornell's first home dual of the season is Thursday at 7 p.m. against Dubuque. Cornell snapped a three-match slide against the Spartans last year with a 22-16 win in Dubuque. The Spartans prevailed 22-20 in a 2010 dual in Mount Vernon.