No. 5 Rams sweep three duals in La Crosse

Cornell's fifth-ranked wrestling team took down two nationally-rated opponents on its way to a perfect 3-0 weekend at the UW-La Crosse Candlewood Suite Duals Saturday at Mitchell Hall.

The Rams won eight bouts in a 37-12 rout of UW-Eau Claire. Cornell prevailed in a 21-15 battle with sixth-ranked Saint John's, and finished the day with a 25-16 victory over 25th-ranked UW-Stevens Point.

Cornell (5-2 overall) had six individuals go undefeated with at least two wins in Timothy Hood (2-0 at 125 pounds), Michael Buhr (3-0 at 141), Jacob Schwebke (3-0 at 149), second-ranked Nicholas Loughlin (2-0 at 157), fourth-ranked Joe Hambleton (3-0 at 165) and Alex Coolidge (3-0 at 197).

"We definitely made progress from a fighting standpoint," Cornell head coach Mike Duroe said. "We competed harder this weekend and were able to overcome our mistakes. We still made a lot of tactical and technical errors, but it's always good to beat two nationally-ranked teams. We had good effort in training all week and it paid off. That was the most satisfying part of the weekend."

In the top-10 matchup with Saint John's, Hood got the Rams going with a first-period pin (2:54) at 125. After Tigue Snider dropped a 5-3 overtime decision to third-ranked Chad Henle at 133, Cornell won the next four weights to build an 18-3 lead.

Buhr (7-0 at 141), Schwebke (10-5 at 149), Loughlin (6-5 at 157) and Hambleton (4-2 at 165) all won by decision. Sophomore 197-pounder Alex Coolidge clinched the dual win with a 4-3 decision. Three of Cornell's four individual losses were against rated wrestlers from Saint John's at 133, 184 and 285.

Cornell took six of 10 matches against UW-Stevens Point, earning bonus points with a 22-12 major decision from Loughlin at 157 along with two forfeits. The Rams received tight wins from Schwebke (3-2 at 149) and Hambleton (2-1 at 165). Hood recorded a 9-2 victory at 125. Snider battled fourth-ranked Joe Mileski in a 5-3 loss at 133.

The Rams got falls from Buhr (2:33 at 141) and Hambleton (4:11 at 165) in the UW-Eau Claire dual. Coolidge scored a 10-2 major decision at 197. Schwebke (6-3 at 149), Andrew Roberts (4-3 at 184) and Wyatt Bauman (8-2 at 285) all earned decisions for the Rams, who also received a pair of forfeits.

"We're trying to get better individually right now," Duroe said. "Team wins are not significant when you look at the big picture. We need to get more consistent individually."

Team leaders - The Rams have five individuals with double-digit wins for the season, led by Hambleton's 13-2 mark at 165. Loughlin stands 13-4 at 157, followed by Ben Rosen (125) at 11-2, Timothy Hood (125) at 11-4 and freshman Mitch Hood (125) at 11-7.