Two all-Americans lead Rams to top-20 finish

LA CROSSE, Wis. - For the fourth consecutive year, Cornell College's wrestling team notched a top-20 team finish and crowned multiple all-Americans as the NCAA Division III Championships concluded Saturday night at the La Crosse Center.

Senior Kevin Donahue gained a spot on the all-America podium for the third year in a row. The sixth-seeded Donahue (30-7) placed fourth at 141 pounds. He also took fourth in 2010, and was seventh in 2009.

Junior Timothy Hood (25-16) battled through the consolation bracket to take an all-America eighth-place finish at 125. The unseeded Hood, who placed fifth at conference, made the most of his first national tournament berth as one of 10 qualifiers the NCAA added to this year's field.

The Rams wound up 17th in the team standings with 21.5 points. Cornell was only three points out of 13th place in the 60-team field.

Donahue finished 3-2 in the tournament while splitting a pair of matches Saturday. He scored a 5-2 victory over third-seeded Aljamain Sterling of SUNY Cortland in the consolation semifinals. Donavin then dropped a 7-4 decision to St. Olaf's Ryan Timmerman in the third-place bout.

Donahue, a two-time Iowa Conference champion, concluded an outstanding career ninth on the school's all-time wins list with a 109-41 record. He is the program's seventh three-time all-American, and the third under head coach Mike Duroe.

Donahue joins Nick Nothern (2008-10), Chris Heilman (2006-08), current assistant coach Shawn Voigt (1987-90), Rodger Snook (1947, 1949-50), Lowell Lange (1947, 1949-50) and Lyle Morford (1930-32) as the only Rams to garner all-America honors at least three times in a career.

Hood secured his first all-America award Friday with a 7-5 consolation win over Luther's seventh-seeded Daniel Mendoza. Hood lost both his matches in Saturday's consolation rounds.

Hood dropped a 6-5 battle to eighth-seeded Alex Crown of Waynesburg in the consolation quarterfinals. He then was pinned in the first period of the seventh-place match against Rhode Island's Brandon Gauthier.

The Rams had five other wrestlers eliminated during the first day of competition. Tigue Snider at 133, Nicholas Loughlin at 157 and Joe Hambleton at 165 all finished 1-2 and came within one win of reaching all-America status. Jacob Schwebke at 149 and Andrew Roberts at 184 both finished 0-2.