Hambleton wins 165-pound title at Luther

Cornell's fifth-ranked wrestling team had three individuals reach the finals, led by senior Joe Hambleton's title at 165 pounds Saturday at the Luther Open.

Hambleton, ranked third in his weight class, scored bonus points in three of his four bouts to improve his early-season record to 7-1. He rallied from a 5-0 first-period deficit in the championship match to post an 8-6 victory over Tel Todd of NCAA Division II Minnesota State-Mankato.

Hambleton recorded a technical fall (17-2), a pin (2:39) and a major decision (13-3) on his path to the finals.

"The one real positive coming out of the tournament is we had a champion," Cornell seventh-year head coach Mike Duroe said. "Joey looked really good. He has developed good leg attacks that he can consistently score off. That's the biggest difference in Joey this season. He showed a lot of heart in the finals match."

The Rams fielded two other finalists in senior 125-pounder Timothy Hood and senior third-ranked Nicholas Loughlin at 157.

Hood's lone setback was a 10-8 finals decision to Division II's second-ranked Kyle Pedretti of Upper Iowa. He rolled to a 12-2 major decision in the first round, and then received an injury forfeit. Loughlin fell 14-5 in his finals bout against eighth-ranked Winston Robbins of Upper Iowa. Loughlin tallied a technical fall and two decisions.

"Our team made improvement from the Loras tournament, but we still have a lot of guys making basic mistakes in basic positions," Duroe said. "Those mistakes are costing us points and keeping us from winning matches.

"We need to stay positive and work toward perfection. Our focus early in the year is to gain experience and get matches. We don't have as much time as we'd like for practice."

Senior sixth-ranked Tigue Snider placed fourth at 133 with a 2-2 mark. He dropped a 10-5 decision to third-ranked Adam Sheley of UW-La Crosse in the third-place match. Sophomore Jordan Ng took fourth at 125.

Senior Zach Wilson saw his first action of the season and finished sixth at 149, recording a pin and a major decision. Andrew Roberts placed seventh at 184.

The Rams had four placewinners in the Freshman Division. Dane Norris and Mitch Hood shared fifth place at 125. Nicholas Drendel won three matches and finished fifth at 149. Jacob Brown was sixth at 184.

Coming up - Cornell opens dual competition Tuesday at 7 p.m. against Iowa Conference foe Simpson in Indianola. The Rams have won the last seven meetings with the Storm, including a 42-0 rout last year in Mount Vernon.

The Rams travel to Cedar Rapids Saturday to compete in the Turkey Open, hosted by Coe.