Freshman Gabriel Smith took runner-up in the 157-pound division, heading Cornell’s performances at the Milwaukee School of Engineering Invitational Saturday.
Smith, who was crowned champion in his last tournament Nov. 19, picked up two decisions and a pin on his path to Saturday’s finals. Smith lost by technical fall (15-0) to top-ranked Tyler Shilson of Augsburg in the championship match.
Smith (11-3) scored a 7-0 first-round win and then pinned UW-Whitewater’s Hunter Rudzinski in the quarterfinals in 1:27. The first-year Ram earned a 4-2 semifinal win over Augsburg’s Blake Jagodzinske.
Senior 133-pounder Evan Husko (5-2) placed fourth in his bracket with a 3-2 record. Husko was edged 3-1 in the semifinals by Central’s Brock Beck and then dropped another tight decision, 3-2, to Chicago’s Griffin Seyfried in the third-place bout.
Freshman Jayden Rael finished sixth at 125, going 3-3 with a major decision and a fall. Rael (9-5) fell 6-5 to Eureka’s Jake Jozwiak in the fifth-place match.
The Rams finished eighth in the 18-team field with 52 points. Second-ranked Augsburg won the team title with 174 points.
Coming up – Cornell (3-0) hosts 20th-ranked Loras in a home-opening dual meet at 7 p.m. tonight (Thursday, Dec. 8) in the Small Athletic and Wellness Center.