Hood pegged IIAC Athlete of Week

Cornell senior Timothy Hood has been named the Iowa Conference Wrestler of the Week and Male Athlete of the Week for the period covering Dec. 19, 2011-Jan. 1, 2012.

Hood was dominant in winning the 125-pound title at the Citrus Invitational Dec. 29-30 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. He rolled to the finals with three first-period pins and then capped an impressive tournament with a 9-3 decision over second-ranked Kyle Pedretti of NCAA Division II Upper Iowa in the championship match.

Hood recorded quick falls against Liberty's Joseph Sebastion (47 seconds), Mount Union's Dan Hoberney (2 minutes, 3 seconds) and New York University's Janik Santana (1:42) to reach the title bout. He then beat Pedretti, avenging a two-point loss to the Upper Iowa All-American in November.

Hood, a 2011 All-American, allowed only three points in four matches. He stands 16-4 on the season with a current seven-match winning streak. Hood is second on the team with eight falls.

Hood led the fifth-ranked Rams to a third-place finish in a competitive 16-team field. Cornell scored 124.5 points and placed ahead of three nationally-ranked teams in No. 6 Saint John's (fourth), No. 24 Mount Union (fifth) and No. 26 Ohio Northern (seventh).

The Rams are back in action Saturday at the William Penn Open in Oskaloosa. Cornell hosts its annual Matman Invitational Jan. 14 in the arena of the Small Multi-Sport Center.