Friday, March 21
Session III 10 a.m.
Session IV 6 p.m.

Saturday, March 22
Session V 10 a.m.
Session VI 7:30 p.m.

All sessions will be held in the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Mo.

UNI SENDS NINE WRESTLERS TO NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
The University of Northern Iowa Panthers' wrestling team will have nine wrestlers in action at the 2008 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships held March 20-22 at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Mo.

For ticket information on the 2008 Championships, call 866/646-8849 (toll free), 314/241-1888 (in St. Louis) or log on to www.ticketmaster.com.

The Panthers' lineup boasts four returning national qualifiers. Senior C.J. Ettelson, junior Moza Fay, senior Alex Dolly and junior Andrew Anderson all competed at the 2007 NCAA Championships in Detroit.

Ettelson will be making his fourth appearance at the national meet, while Anderson is making his third. Dolly is also making his third appearance at the national meet after earning previous bids in 2005 and 2007. This is Fay's second NCAA tournament appearance.

Redshirt freshman Caleb Flores, junior Josh Baldridge, redshirt freshman Nick Pickerell, sophomore Tyson Reiner and redshirt freshman Nick Pickerell will all be making their national tournament debuts.

Under head coach Brad Penrith the Panthers have qualified as many as nine (2003, 2008). UNI qualified eight wrestlers in 2001 and 2002 during Penrith's first two seasons as the Panthers' head coach. UNI advanced seven wrestlers to the NCAAs in both 2004 and 2005.

The last time UNI qualified nine to the championships, the Panthers placed 11th overall in the teams standings.

Under Penrith's leadership the Panthers have crowned 11 All-Americans. The last two Panthers to earn All-America honors came in 2005 with Sean Stender (2nd - 197 lbs.) and Eric Hauan (6th - 174 lbs.).

UNI'S NATIONAL QUALIFIERS UNDER PENRITH
Head coach Brad Penrith and the Panthers' goal each year is to qualify all 10 wrestlers for the NCAA Championships.

This season the Panthers matched its previous high under the Penrith era with nine national qualifiers. UNI sent nine wrestlers to the 2003 NCAA Championships and placed 11th.

In 1986, UNI qualified all 10 of its wrestlers to the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. It is the only time in the Division I era that UNI has qualified all 10 wrestlers to the national meet. According to wrestling records kept by Jay Hammond, 68 teams have qualified 10 individuals in a single season to the national meet since 1973, including all 10 this season by Edinboro (Pa.) and Iowa State.

2001 - 8 qualifiers
2002 - 8 qualifiers
2003 - 9 qualifiers
2004 - 7 qualifiers
2005 - 7 qualifiers
2006 - 8 qualifiers
2007 - 6 qualifiers
2008 - 9 qualifiers

Caleb Flores - 125 lbs.
Redshirt freshman Caleb Flores (Rosemead, Calif.) earned his first trip to the NCAA Championships with a wild card spot.

Flores placed third at the West Regional after posting three wins.

The 125-pounder has wrestled 10 matches this season against fellow national qualifiers.

He tallied nine wins on the season, including four in dual competition.

Josh Baldridge - 133 lbs.
Junior Josh Baldridge (Haysville, Kan.) is no stranger to the national scene after earning All-America honors at the junior college level the past two seasons.

Baldridge placed second in 2007 and fourth in 2006 at the NJCAA national meet competing for Labette Community College.

Baldridge will make his NCAA Division I national championships debut in St. Louis after winning the 133-pound title at the NCAA West Regional in Fargo, N.D.

The 133-pounder joined the Panthers at the beginning of the spring semester and has posted a mark of 8-5.

Baldridge has notched two wins in five matches this season against fellow national qualifiers. Baldridge recorded a pair of wins over Wyoming's Cory VomBaur (4-1 & Fall 4:34).

C.J. Ettelson - 141 lbs.
Senior C.J. Ettelson (Hudson, Iowa) is a four-time national qualifier and a two-time West Regional champion.

In his three previous trips to the NCAA Championships, Ettelson has secured five victories. Ettelson went 3-2 in 2006 and reached the Round of 12. Last season in Detroit, he went 2-2.

Ettelson earned his trip to the 2008 NCAA Championships with a wild card for the second straight year. He finished third at the West Regional in Fargo, N.D.

Ettelson is 15-10 this season and has wrestled nine matches against fellow national qualifiers and secured two wins.

The 141-pounder's biggest win of the season came Jan. 12 when he knocked off No. 1-ranked Kellen Russell of Michigan, 9-3. Ettelson also scored a 6-0 win over Chattanooga's Cody Cleveland on Jan. 6.

Nick Pickerell - 149 lbs.
Redshirt freshman Nick Pickerell (Albia, Iowa) will be making his first appearance at the NCAA Championships after winning the 149-pound title at the West Regional.

Pickerell is 2-1 against national qualifiers this season after notching wins over North Dakota State's Ryan Adams (9-5, 15-0).

Pickerell, 21-7 overall and 3-2 in dual action, picked up first-place honors in the 149-pound weight class at the Jim Fox Open on Dec. 8 and the Flash Flanagan Open on Jan. 5.

Tyson Reiner - 157 lbs.
Sophomore Tyson Reiner (Mitchell, S.D.) earned his first trip to the NCAA Championships by taking the 157-pound title at the West Regional.

Reiner pinned both his opponents at the regional to up his season mark to 5-6. Reiner enters the national tournament on a four-match win streak.

Reiner missed a majority of the season with a broken bone in his hand.

The 157-pounder has matched up with three national qualifiers on the mat this season.

Moza Fay - 165 lbs.
Junior Moza Fay (Anamosa, Iowa) will be making his second straight appearance at the NCAA Championships. Fay gained his spot by winning his second consecutive West Regional title (157 lbs. - 2007; 165 lbs. - 2008).

Fay reached the Round of 12 at last year's NCAA Championships in the 157-pound weight class. Fay is ranked No. 6 in the nation in the latest W.I.N. Magazine rankings.

Fay is 20-6 this season, which includes four victories over fellow national qualifiers. Fay has notched wins over Wisconsin's Jake Donar (9-5), Iowa State's Jon Reader (9-6) and Air Force's Stephen Crozier (13-2, Fall 1:25).

He has matched up nine times this season against national qualifiers.

Fay won the 165-pound title at the Loras Open on Nov. 10 and placed second at the Kaufman-Brand Open on Nov. 17.

Alex Dolly - 174 lbs.
Senior Alex Dolly (Mishawaka, Ind.) will be making his third trip to the NCAA Championships.

Dolly competed in the 2005 national tournament in the 184-pound bracket and reached the Round of 12. Dolly missed a majority of 2005-06 after suffering a neck injury early in the season. But Dolly bounced back and earned a spot at the 2007 NCAA Championships with a wild card selection at 174 pounds.

Dolly placed second at the 2008 NCAA West Regional in the 174-pound weight class and was granted a wild card into this year's national tournament.

Dolly has posted a mark of 16-10 this season, which includes seven dual wins. Dolly wrestled nine matches this season against fellow national qualifiers.

Dolly placed first at the Loras Open on Nov. 10 and placed second at the Kaufman-Brand Open on Nov. 17.

Andy O'Loughlin - 184 lbs.
Redshirt freshman Andy O'Loughlin (Independence, Iowa) earned his first trip to the NCAA Championships by winning the 184-pound title at the West Regional.

O'Loughlin captured the regional crown with a 20-4 technical fall over Northern Colorado's Edward Matthews in the semifinals, followed by a 6-4 decision over Air Force's Jacob Devlin in the title match.

The 184-pounder has two wins this season over fellow national qualifiers including an 8-5 triumph over Chattanooga's Josh Edmondson. O'Loughlin wrestled 10 matches this season against national qualifiers.

O'Loughlin has 12 victories on the season, including four in dual action. He will enter the NCAA Championships on a three-match win streak.

O'Loughlin placed third in the 184-pound weight class at the Loras Open on Nov. 10. He also took sixth-place honors at the Kaufman-Brand Open on Nov. 17.

Andrew Anderson - 197 lbs.
Junior Andrew Anderson (Sioux City, Iowa) earned his third trip the NCAA Championships by winning the 197-pound title at the West Regional. It was Anderson's first regional title after placing third in 2006 and second in 2007.

Anderson, 20-9 overall and 8-5 in dual action, is ranked No. 18 in the nation at 197 pounds by W.I.N. Magazine. Anderson finished the regular season strong with seven wins in a row, including nine of his last 10.

The Panthers' 197-pounder has four wins this season over national qualifiers. Anderson picked up two wins over North Dakota State's Jacob Bryce (Fall 1:40, 4-0). Anderson scored a 6-1 win over Chattanooga's Matt Koz.

But Anderson's signature win of the 2007-08 season came against Wisconsin's Dallas Herbst, 4-3. Anderson's win helped UNI tie the No. 10-ranked Badgers in dual action.

Anderson wrestled a total of 10 fellow national qualifiers in the 2007-08 season.

He placed sixth at the Midlands tournament on Dec. 30, marking the third time in as many years he has placed in the top six at one of the nation's most prestigious open tournaments. Anderson also tallied first-place honors at the Loras Open on Nov. 10 and placed second at the Kaufman-Brand Open on Nov. 17.

UNI BOOSTER CLUB OPEN HOUSE IN ST. LOUIS
The UNI Wrestling Booster Club will have an open house for all alumni and friends of Panther wrestling. The open house will take place at the Holiday Inn Select ballroom.

The Holiday Inn Select is located at 118 North 9th Street in St. Louis, two blocks from the Edward Jones Dome.

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).

NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS ON THE RADIO
UNI Panther wrestling fans can follow the NCAA Championships in the Cedar Valley by tuning in to 99.3-FM (KWAY) for all the action. Benjamin Hupke (play-by-play) and Benji Dolly (analyst) will have the call.

NCAA WRESTLING TV Coverage
ESPNU/ESPN360.com will air the quarterfinals live at 10 a.m. (CT) on Friday, March 21.

Additionally, ESPNU will be producing and syndicating live coverage of the semifinals beginning at 6 p.m. (CT) that same day.

On Saturday morning, ESPNU will carry the medal rounds live at 10 a.m. (CT).

ESPN/ESPN360.com will air the championships live later that evening at 7:30 p.m. (CT).

FORMER CHAMP TONY DAVIS TO BE HONORED IN ST. LOUIS
The National Wrestling Hall of Fame & Museum will honor the contributions made by African Americans to the sport of wrestling in a special recognition ceremony on Thursday, March 20 at the 2008 NCAA Wrestling Championships Fan Fest at Union Station. Former Panther wrestler Tony Davis, who captured the 149-pound national title in 2000, will be honored.

Free to the public, the event will begin at 5 p.m. with the official recognition of the greats in attendance. A Q&A forum with former NCAA All-Americans Bobby Douglas (Oklahoma State), Lloyd Keaser (Navy), Lee Kemp (Wisconsin), Kenny Monday (Oklahoma State), and Simon Roberts (Iowa) will follow. Roberts became the first African American NCAA wrestling champion 50 years ago. The event will conclude with an autograph session.

A special traveling exhibit, entitled "50 Years of African American Wrestling Excellence," will be on site at the Fan Fest throughout the Championships (March 20-22). The exhibit features a timeline of African American wrestling firsts and a list of African American NCAA champions, Olympians, and Hall of Famers.

The National Wrestling Hall of Fame & Museum will hold a champions reunion and social prior to the recognition ceremony at 3:30 p.m. Tickets for the reunion and social, which is open to the public, are $35 and can be purchased by calling Krista at 405/377-5243.

The 2008 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships are hosted by the University of Missouri and the St. Louis Sports Commission. This marks the fourth time this decade St. Louis hosts the event. The Championships return to Scottrade Center in 2009. For event schedule and ticket information, visit
www.stlsports.org/wrestling

PANTHERS SECURE 23RD STRAIGHT REGIONAL TITLE
The University of Northern Iowa wrestling team crowned six individual champions and won its 23rd straight regional title March 8 at the 2008 NCAA West Regional held in the Bison Sports Arena.

The Panthers' individual champions included 133-pounder Josh Baldridge (Haysville, Kan.), 149-pounder Nick Pickerell (Albia, Iowa), 157-pounder Tyson Reiner (Mitchell, S.D.), 165-pounder Moza Fay (Anamosa, Iowa), 184-pounder Andy O'Loughlin (Independence, Iowa), 197-pounder Andrew Anderson (Sioux City, Iowa).

Baldridge captured the 133-pound title with a second-period fall of Wyoming's Cory VomBaur at the 4:34 mark of their match. It was Baldridge's second fall of the day and capped a perfect 3-0 mark at the regional tournament. It will be Baldridge's first trip to Division I nationals after twice earning all-America honors as a junior college wrestler.

Pickerell earned his first trip to nationals with a 9-5 win over North Dakota State's Ryan Adams in the 149-pound title match. Pickerell jumped to a 6-0 lead and was able to withstand a late rally from Adams to take the match.

Reiner won the 157-pound title with a third-period fall at the 6:36 mark of his match with Air Force's Anthony Dorward. Reiner got the fall after he hooked up a body lock and took Dorward straight to his back. It was Reiner's second fall of the day as he went 2-0 in the tournament.

Fay wasted little time in earning his second straight regional crown as he pinned Wyoming's Eric Coxbill 28 seconds into their 165-pound championship bout. For Fay it was his second fall of the tourney and capped a perfect 2-0 weekend.

Senior Alex Dolly was the lone Panther to finish second in the tournament as he dropped the 174-pound championship match to Air Force's Tyler French, 8-0. However, Dolly bounced back and dominated Northern Colorado's Ryan Johnson in the "True Second" match with a 19-6 major decision.

O'Loughlin earned his first trip to nationals by notching a 6-4 win over Air Force's Jacob Devlin in the 184-pound championship tilt.

Junior Andrew Anderson punched his third ticket to the NCAA Championships with a 4-0 triumph in the 197-pound championship. Anderson's win was his third of the day and he scored two major decisions and a shutout.

UNI WINS SECOND STRAIGHT WWC REGULAR SEASON TITLE
The Panthers secured its second straight Western Wrestling Conference regular season title with a 44-6 dual victory over North Dakota State on Feb. 24. UNI finished the 2007-08 conference dual season with a perfect 4-0 mark.

UNI won the 2006-07 WWC title with an identical 4-0 league record.

UNI DOMINATES WWC DUALS
Not only did the UNI wrestling team capture its second straight Western Wrestling Conference title, the Panthers did so in dominating fashion.

UNI outscored its WWC opponents by the count of 162-15. The Panthers lost only four bouts in league action this season.

ANDERSON NAMED WWC WRESTLER OF THE WEEK
University of Northern Iowa 197-pound junior Andrew Anderson has been named the Western Wrestling Conference's Wrestler of the Week as announced by league officials.

Anderson (Sioux City, Iowa/East HS) posted a perfect 2-0 mark this past week to improve to 17-9 on the season. Anderson scored a 6-5 victory over Jacob Marrs (Nebraska-Omaha), who is ranked No. 2 in NCAA Division II at 197 pounds. Anderson then added a first-period fall at the 1:40 mark of his match with NDSU's Jacob Bryce, who was a national qualifier in 2007. Anderson has won four matches in a row to end the dual portion of the season.

It marks the second time this season that Anderson has earned the league's top weekly honor (Jan. 23 & Feb. 27). UNI's Moza Fay has also been named the WWC Wrestler of the Week twice this season (Nov. 21 & Jan. 8).

THREE PANTHER WRESTLERS 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.

MOZA PINS TO WIN
Junior 165-pounder Moza Fay (Anamosa, Iowa) added a pair of falls in winning the NCAA West Regional title, which upped his team-leading season total of pins to nine.

Fay has tallied 24 career pins while at UNI and needs only three more to crack the Panthers' top-10 career falls list.

Fay is 20-6 on the season and 85-24 in his UNI career.

C.J. JOINS TOP-20 WIN LIST
Senior 141-pounder C.J. Ettelson moved into a tie for 17th on UNI's career wins list with three wins at the NCAA West Regional. Ettelson is 95-47 overall in his UNI career.

Ettelson is tied with Dion Cobb, who secured 95 wins from 1979-84.

Kirk Myers (1978-82) and Rich Powers (1988-92) are tied at the top of the list with 134 wins apiece.

ETTELSON MOVES TO #7 ON UNI'S ALL-TIME FALLS LIST
Ettelson moved to No. 7 on the Panthers' all-time pin list. He is tied with Joel Greenlee (1985-89) with 29 falls apiece.

With one more fall, Ettelson would move into a tie for fifth with Dion Cobb (1979-84) and Dan Kjeldgaard (1993-97).

Kirk Myers (1978-82) holds the Panthers' record for career pins with 61.

KITTLESON, PICKERELL TIED FOR LEAD IN WINS
Redshirt freshmen 149-pounder Trevor Kittleson (St. Ansgar, Iowa) and 157-pounder Nick Pickerell (Albia, Iowa) are tied for the team lead with 21 wins.

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

Pickerell is 21-7 on the year, which includes a 3-2 mark in dual action. Not only did Pickerell win the West Regional title at 149 pounds, he also captured championships a the Jim Fox Open (Dec. 8) and the Flash Flanagan Open (Jan. 5).

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.

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.