Cornell’s Cael McLaren knocked off two nationally-ranked opponents in claiming the 184-pound title Saturday at the Pete Willson Invitational hosted by Wheaton College.
McLaren highlighted a strong two-day performance for coach Brent Hamm’s Rams, who racked up 109 total points to place fourth in a competitive 32-team field that featured eight Top 25 schools.
The Rams, who were in seventh place after Day 1, finished only one point behind No. 11 UW-Whitewater in the team race. No. 3 UW-La Crosse edged No. 6 UW-Eau Claire for the team crown, 144.5-143.5.
McLaren (15-8) won his weight class in convincing fashion, earning a 13-2 major decision over North Central’s 15th-rated Cole Cervantes in the championship bout. McLaren posted a 4-1 semifinal win over top-seeded and ninth-ranked Marcus Orlandoni of UW-La Crosse.
McLaren finished the tournament 5-0, recording bonus points in three wins.
The Rams landed four other placewinners, including third-place efforts from Landon Card at 149 and Gabriel Smith at 157. Treyten Steffen took fourth at 197 and heavyweight Jackson Brinker finished fifth.
Card (17-7) capped a 6-1 tournament with a 5-1 decision over UW-La Crosse’s Talan Schulte in the third-place match. Card registered three pins on Day 1. His lone blemish came against UW-Eau Claire’s Zach Sato in the quarterfinals.
The 14th-ranked Smith (20-7) scored an 11-2 major decision over No. 2 seed Drew Vlasnik of Ozarks in his third-place bout. Smith won four consecutive matches on the consolation side.
The 15th-ranked Steffen (20-5) totaled three pins and one major decision during his 5-2 weekend. He lost by fall in 1:57 against Concordia Moorhead’s 11th-ranked Gabriel Zierden in the third-place match.
At heavyweight, Brinker (23-9) received a medical forfeit for fifth place to finish his 4-2 tournament. The sophomore tallied two falls, raising his team-leading pins total to 13 for the season.
The Rams also competed Saturday at Loras’ Pat Flash Flanagan Open in Dubuque. Elliot Cooney (141) and Austin Wilkins (174) both placed sixth, while heavyweight Brandon Bray was consolation runner-up.