PANTHERS BATTLE DIVISION II FOE NEBRASKA-OMAHA
UNI will take on the top-ranked Division II Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks on Thursday at 7 p.m. in the Sapp Fieldhouse on the UNO campus. The Mavericks are coming off a 32-7 over previously-ranked No. 1 Minnesota State, Mankato.

UNI and UNO have met 17 previous times on the mat with the Panthers holding a 13-4 all-time series lead. The teams have not met since the 1999-2000 season, when the Panthers scored a 33-6 victory over the Mavs.

WWC REGULAR SEASON TITLE UP FOR GRABS
UNI will be looking for its second-straight Western Wrestling Conference regular season title on Sunday. UNI is 3-0 so far this season in league duals, while NDSU is 3-1 in the conference.

The Panthers won the inaugural league title in 2006-07 with a perfect 4-0 mark in conference dual matches.

PANTHERS TO HONOR FOUR SENIORS
The Panthers will honor four seniors on Sunday in UNI's final home dual action of the season. Head coach Brad Penrith and the squad will honor 174-pounder Alex Dolly (Mishawaka, Ind.), 184-pounder Danny Dunning (Waterloo, Iowa), 141-pounder C.J. Ettelson (Hudson, Iowa) and 149-pounder Justin Swafford (Mediapolis, Iowa) prior to Sunday's match.

Dolly is a two-time national qualifier, who reached the Round of 12 at the 2005 NCAA Wrestling Championships. Dolly has posted a career mark of 53-48 entering this week's set of matches.

Dunning has collected 44 career wins for the Panthers including nine in dual competitions. He placed third at the 2007 NCAA West Regional after going 3-1 in the 184-pound weight class.

Ettelson is a three-time national qualifier, who reached the Round of 12 at the 2006 NCAA Wrestling Championships. Ettelson has a 90-45 career mark entering the week. Ettelson has also tallied 28 career pins, which ranks him tied for 8th on the Panthers' all-time falls list.

Swafford has tallied a 28-22 all-time record for the Panthers, which included three dual triumphs. He has been slowed by injuries this season.

THREE PANTHERS ON THE DEAN'S LIST
Student-athletes at the University of Northern Iowa posted a 2.98 grade point average for the fall 2007 semester. In addition, the more than 400 student-athletes competing at UNI hold a cumulative GPA of 2.96.

Of the 96 student-athletes named to the Dean's List were three members of the UNI wrestling team. Junior Andrew Anderson (Sioux City, Iowa), sophomore Charlie Ettelson (Hudson, Iowa) and sophomore Scott Hazen (Underwood, Iowa) were the three Panther wrestlers named to the Dean's List.

"Our student-athletes' performance in the classroom equals their success on the field, court and pool," assistant athletics director for compliance Steve Schofield said. "They truly are students first and athletes second, and deserve a ton of credit for their hard work in the classroom. In addition, our coaching staffs have done a great job recruiting quality students to UNI, and emphasizing academics with their respective squads. Jennie Sell, athletics academic advisor, should also be recognized for the countless hours she works to help us achieve this level of success."

A total of 96 student-athletes made the dean's list this past fall (GPA 3.5 or better), or nearly 25 percent. These student-athletes, listed below, have majors spread across all disciplines, in five separate colleges: Business Administration, Education, Humanities and Fine Arts, Natural Sciences and Social and Behavioral Sciences.

Perhaps even more impressively, more than 50 percent of UNI's student-athletes recorded a grade point average of at least 3.0. UNI's student-athletes also had the same cumulative GPA (2.98) for the fall 2007 semester as UNI's general student population.

UNI ON RADIO/INTERNET
UNI Panther wrestling fans can follow Sunday's dual between the Panthers and Bison via the radio and internet. Fans in the Cedar Valley can listen in on 99.3-FM (KWAY) and fans outside the local area can tune in via UNI's website and listen through UNI Panthers All-Access for a nominal fee. Benjamin Hupke (play-by-play) and Benji Dolly (analyst) will have the call.

Thursday's match between UNI and UNO will not be available on KWAY radio.

MOZA PINS TO WIN
Junior 165-pounder Moza Fay (Anamosa, Iowa) leads the squad this season with six falls. Fay scored his sixth fall of the season against Northern Illinois' Anthony Victor at the 4:40 mark of their match. Fay's victory helped UNI to a 24-13 dual win over the Huskies.

Fay reached the Round of 12 at last year's NCAA Championship and will be looking to make his second trip to nationals this season.

He has a career mark of 81-24 entering this week's matches against Nebraska-Omaha and North Dakota State.

C.J. CLOSES IN ON TOP 20 VICTORY CHART
Senior 141-pounder C.J. Ettelson will take his 90 career wins into this week's set of duals. Ettelson needs two more wins to rank in the top 20 at UNI when it comes to individual victories.

Efonda Sproles (1979-82) ranks No. 20 on the Panthers' all-time victory list with 92. Kirk Myers (1978-82) and Rich Powers (1988-92) are tied at the top of the list with 134 wins apiece.

Ettelson is 90-45 overall in his career and 27-19 in duals.

KITTLESON LEADS TEAM IN WINS
Redshirt freshman 149-pounder Trevor Kittleson (St. Ansgar, Iowa) leads the Panthers in wins this season with 21.

Kittleson has posted a mark of 21-9 this season, including an impressive 5-1 record in matches ending in a major decision. Kittleson won his first-ever collegiate dual match with a hard fought 2-0 decision over SDSU's Weston Blasius.

Kittleson has placed in the top six in five tournaments, including a championship in the Duhawk Open on Feb. 2.

SIXTEEN UNI NATIONAL CHAMPIONS RETURN FOR BIG EVENT
Sixteen wrestlers who won national titles while wrestling for the University of Northern Iowa were the stars of a very special celebration at the Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum (DGIWIM) on Dec. 16

The event, called the UNI Night of Wrestling Champions, was held Dec. 16 following the UNI-Iowa State wrestling meet at the McLeod Center. All 16 NCAA champions were recognized at dual's intermission.

"This is a great way to honor the greatest athletic tradition in Northern Iowa history," said Kyle Klingman, associate director of the wrestling museum. "As far as we know, nothing like this has ever been done to honor past UNI wrestling champions. Since the museum is all about history we felt this was a great way to recognize some of the sport's greatest champions."

The event was co-sponsored by the UNI Panther Wrestling Booster Club and DGIWIM.

"I am really excited and honored that we are able to have this many champions come back and participate in our champions night," said Ty Kimble, president of the UNI Wrestling Booster Club. "I've had the fortune of seeing all these national champions since 1966 and it was exciting to see the majority of these guys who were national champions for UNI. It was a fantastic night for fans, wrestlers, and obviously myself."

The celebration recognized athletes who participated at Iowa State Teachers College, State College of Iowa, and the University of Northern Iowa. The school was known as ISTC from 1909 through 1961, was changed to SCI in 1961 and finally to UNI in 1967.

In the long history of the school there have been 13 Division I national champions who have won 21 titles, and 14 Division II national champions who have won 22 titles. Twenty-two former NCAA champions are still living and 16 attended both the meet and the reunion.

"What a unique and great opportunity to get these great champions back all at once," UNI head wrestling coach Brad Penrith said. "These are the men who shaped and formed our institution and our wrestling program. It's something that's long overdue and with the help of the Dan Gable Wrestling Museum and their staff's continued efforts to preserve the history of wrestling, these great champions will not be forgotten."

Gerry Leeman won the national title in 1946 and is the senior member of the group. A longtime coach at Lehigh University, he currently resides in Cedar Falls.

"I think what the museum is doing is extremely important," said Leeman. "This is great publicity for the program. I think it's noteworthy that this new facility is being used to honor past champions and to improve local wrestling."

The Division I national champions who attended were Leeman, Bill Nelson (titles in 1947, 1948, and 1949), Bill Smith (1949 and 1950), Keith Young (1949, 1950, and 1951), Gene Lybbert (1952), Jim Harmon (1953) and Tony Davis (2000).

The Division II national champions who attended were Jim Sanford (1963), Don Parker (1966 and 1967), Clint Young (1971), Jim Miller (1974 and 1975), Ken Snyder (1974 and 1975), Randy Omvig (1975), Gary Bentrim (1976, 1977, and 1978), Keith Poolman (1978), and Ken Gallagher (1980).

Julie McCready represented her late husband Mike at the event. Mike McCready was a Division II NCAA champion in 1972 who won a total of 15 national titles in freestyle, Greco-Roman, and college.

PLEDGES FOR PINS
The 2007-08 wrestling season is well underway, but it's still not too late to participate in our second "Pledges for Pins" drive.

Let's look at what is being accomplished with pledges for last year's team total of 48 pins that brought in nearly $25,000.

A complete makeover of both sides of the West gym's north hallway, including action shots of all UNI national champions. (View the plans at www.thesignpeople.net; click on "Artwork," then enter "wrestling" as the "magic word.")

Coach Brad Penrith's former office now serves as a wrestlers' study and video room and contains a desk for assistant Tolly Thompson. The room's new doors now open into the assistant coaches' office.

A former athletic trainer's room was updated for the first time in about 30 years to become Brad's office.

Exposed plumbing was covered in a tiny custodial office now used for wrestling supplies.

Why is a Pledges for Pins drive necessary? Panther wrestlers compete in the first-rate McLeod center but sorely lack updated facilities in the West gym, which remains their home. This site pales in comparison to that of nearly every other Division I university, a definite recruiting disadvantage for the Panthers.

In recent years, rising costs and lower state funds have combined to severely limit help from the university itself, so those of us who care about returning the UNI program to its stature as one of the top in the nation are lending our support.

Any pledge amount, from $1 up, is welcome. Donors may specify a maximum number of pins for their contribution; for example, $20 for a maximum 50 pins ($1,000). Outright donations are also welcome, but PLEASE specify to the UNI Foundation that these are for the Pledges for Pins project. Contributors will be sent a statement at the end of the season, and all contributions are tax-deductible.

Pledges and donations should be sent to Pledges for Pins, UNI Foundation Accounting, 1221 W. 23rd St, Cedar Falls, IA 50614 -0239.

Last year, Panther wrestlers built an elementary school playground, moved a hospital daycare center's playground equipment, donated money for Christmas gifts for a classroom of low-income children (and sang them carols), read to children at area schools, and served as Safe Date escorts during Homecoming Week. And they did all this while posting the fifth-highest GPA in the nation, behind Duke, Stanford, Brown and Princeton! Now we can show them our spirit and concern.

NCAA DIVISION I WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPS IN ST. LOUIS
The 78th Annual NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships take place March 20-22, 2008, at Scottrade Center in St. Louis.

The Gateway City will once again host the tournament for two years as it heads back to the Arch in March.

For tickets to the 2008 championships, visit Ticketmaster.com or charge by phone at 314/ 421-1888 or 866/ 646-8849 (toll free).

For more information about the 2008 Wrestling Championships visit www.NCAAsports.com or www.stlsports.org/wrestling.

Good seats are still available for the 2008 NCAA Wrestling Championships. Fans can order tickets by calling 866/ 646-8849 or logging on to Ticketmaster.com. Tickets start as low as $60.

Groups of fifteen or more can call 314/ 206-7388 for great ticket discounts and special packages.

THE Brad Penrith SHOW
The Brad Penrith Show will be broadcast each Wednesday on KWAY (99.3-FM) from 7 p.m. - 8 p.m. Benjamin Hupke will serve as the show's host.

BOOSTER CLUB MEETINGS
The UNI wrestling Booster Club meetings are held the first Wednesday of every month at Biemann's Chuck Wagon on 2627 Center Street in North Cedar Falls (old 218).

WEEKLY PRESS LUNCHEONS
The UNI head coach Brad Penrith or a member of his coaching staff will be available at the weekly Press Luncheons held each Monday beginning at 12 noon in the back room of Pepper's Grill and Sports Pub located at 620 East 18th Street in Cedar Falls.