|
Wrestling
UNI Wrestling Set For Loras Open
Nov. 5, 2009
Complete Release in PDF Format THIS WEEK IN PANTHER WRESTLING The University of Northern Iowa wrestling team will commence the 2009-10 season this Saturday at the Loras Open in Dubuque. The Panthers return 13 letterwinners this season under tenth-year head coach Brad Penrith. UNI also boasts seven national qualifiers including Caleb Flores (125), Trent Washington (141), Nick Pickerell (149), Trevor Kittleson (149), Tyson Reiner (157), Andy O’Loughlin (184) and Christian Brantley (285).
PANTHER POINTS The University of Northern Iowa wrestling team enters the 2009-10 season returning seven national qualifiers with hopes of taking their 25th straight NCAA West Regional Championship and improving upon their 22nd-place finish at the NCAA Championships a year ago.
The Panthers are missing a vital piece of their puzzle from a season ago, losing two-time All-American Moza Fay to graduation. However, looking to fill his void are redshirt sophomore Christian Brantley and redshirt sophomore Trent Washington after both earned West Regional crowns and made their first appearances at the NCAA Championships.
“I expect both Christian and Trent to have very successful years,” head coach Brad Penrith said. “The only thing that can hold them back is themselves this season. Both of them have a lot of experience and some really good wins in their careers so far. They need to continue to improve in practice and then carry that to the mat.”
Not only do the Panthers return Brantley and Washington, they also return five other national qualifiers including Caleb Flores, Nick Pickerell, Trevor Kittleson, Tyson Reiner and Andy O’Loughlin. Flores and Pickerell were both national qualifiers in 2008, but injuries forced both Flores and Pickerell to miss a majority of the 2008-09 season with Pickerell being sidelined the entire season.
“We have a nice core of seven guys that have seen NCAA action,” Penrith said. “With the mixture of the last two recruiting classes and those returning guys we have put together a very scrappy and hard-nosed team.
“We’re going to have our share of challenges and we’ll need to stay focused and positive,” Penrith said. “But the dividends should pay off at the end of the year for this team.”
With the mix of experience and high quality underclassmen Penrith notes no spot on the Panther line-up is secure for the 2009-10 season.
“We’re at a crossroads this season,” Penrith said. “We are not sure who will start at certain weights. This is a good situation for us; we haven’t had options in the past.”
“We’ll have good depth at the 149 weight class and we’ve seen some good workouts and wrestlers really challenging each other at 157. The 133 weight slot should also have good depth and have some great matches this year. I’m really looking forward to getting these guys into competition and see how they do outside of the UNI wrestling room.”
The Panthers will continue to prepare for the NCAA Championships by setting up dual matches with some of the country’s top teams while also competing in the prestigious Midlands Championships.
UNI’s dual schedule features six teams that finished in the top 25 at the NCAA Championships a season ago, including perennial powers Iowa (Dec. 10), Iowa State (Dec. 19), Wisconsin (Dec. 12) and Oklahoma State (Feb. 4). UNI will also look to capture its fourth straight Western Wrestling Conference crown as the Panthers will host four league duals this season while also hitting the road for two. UNI will open the WWC slate against Northern Colorado (Jan. 22) followed by South Dakota State (Jan. 23). The Panthers will then travel to Laramie, Wyo. to face both Wyoming and Utah Valley (Jan. 30). UNI will wrap up the WWC portion of the schedule in February hosting North Dakota State (Feb. 14) and Air Force (Feb. 21).
The Panthers will then look to extend their West Regional dominance to 25-straight seasons when they head to Brookings, S.D. for the NCAA West Regional on March 6.
125 2008 national qualifier Caleb Flores returns to the mat for the 2009-2010 season after suffering a season-ending hamstring injury early last season. Cruse Aarhus entered the Panther line-up after Flores injury and posted nine wins, including one by fall.
Redshirt freshmen Ryan Jauch and Grant Sutter as well as redshirt junior Terrance Young will challenge both Flores and Aarhus for time on the mat this season, as Sutter, a two-time high school state champion, posted a 12-7 overall record in open tournaments a season ago while Jauch registered nine wins in tournament action. Prior to UNI, Young captured a junior college national championship in 2008 as well as placing third in his freshman season as a member of the Iowa Central wrestling team.
133 Sophomore Steven Fitzgerald looks to hold a spot in the starting lineup at 133 pounds after taking a third-place finish at the West Regional a season ago. Fitzgerald earned third-team all-WWC honors after posting a record of 7-9, including three dual wins.
Freshmen Jake Demmon and Joey Lazor look to challenge Fitzgerald this season as Lazor, a native of McDonough, Ga., finished his final two years of high school wrestling with an umblemished record of 110-0 while also setting school records for most pins in a single season (50) and career pins (180) at Union Grove High School. Demmon (Ottumwa, Iowa) joins the Panthers after claiming a state title of his own in 2008 while finishing with a high school career record of 162-10.
141 The Panthers look forward to the return of national qualifier Trent Washington at the 141-pound slot. Washington comes into the season ranked 17th by the Amateur Wrestling News as well as a No. 15 ranking by Intermat. Washington notched victories over highly ranked opponents, claiming wins over No. 9-ranked Cody Cleveland (Chattanooga) and No. 1-ranked Zach Tanelli (Wisconsin). Washington faced one of the nation’s toughest schedules a season ago with seven of his eight losses coming to ranked opponents.
Mitchell Johnson, Alec Hoffman, Tannor Burke, Aaron Senzee and Cole Zempel also look to add dept at the 141-pound class. Hoffman earned the team’s Redshirt Award in 2009 after posting a record of 17-8 in open tournaments. Senzee captured a junior college national title as a freshman last season at St. Louis-Meramec Community College, posting a record of 23-4.
149 The 149-pound weight class looks to have the most experience coming into the 2009-10 season with the return of redshirt senior Charlie Ettelson as well as 2009 national qualifier Trevor Kittleson. Redshirt sophomore Jamal Lawrence will also battle for time on the mat.
A season-ending injury to Ettelson in early January left Kittleson as the primary starter for the Panthers at 149 pounds. Ettelson recorded a 17-6 overall record including an eighth-place finish at the Midlands tournament and 149-pound titles at both the Loras Open and Kaufman Brand Open.
Kittleson secured his first trip the NCAA Championships with a second-place finish at the West Regional Championships. The St. Ansgar, Iowa, native posted a 1-2 mark at the NCAA Championships, including a 2-1 tiebreaker win over Chattanooga’s Daniel Waddell. Kittleson tied for second on the team with 27 wins.
157 The Panthers also boast a national qualifier at the 157-pound class with the return of Tyson Reiner. Reiner qualified for the NCAA Championships in 2008 after winning the West Regional title. Reiner just missed qualifying for the NCAA Championships in 2009, finishing second at the West Regional.
Brett Robbins will look to challenge Reiner for a spot in the line-up as he returns to the mat healthy for the 2009-10 season.
True freshmen Aidan Brock and Dan Mercedante add depth for the Panthers at 157 pounds. Brock captured 98 wins in his four years at Cedar Falls High School while Mercedante captured third place at the Illinois class 3A state tournament.
165 With the graduation of Moza Fay, the 165-pound slot looks to be filled by 2008 national qualifier Nick Pickerell. Pickerell won the 149 pound West Regional title in 2008 but suffered an injury prior to the start of the 2008-09 season and did not see action.
Redshirt freshman David Bonin will add depth to the 165-pound slot after posting an overall record of 21-7 last season in open tournaments. Bonin was awarded the team Redshirt Award last season.
174 Returning at 174 for the Panthers this season will be Jarion Beets and Scott Hazen. Beets posted key wins over Shane Onufer (Wyoming) and David Rella (Ohio State) before suffering a concussion that caused him to miss a majority of the spring. Hazen posted an overall record of 13-10, including a 6-3 mark in dual action after jumping into the starting line-up.
Also fighting for action in 2009-10 will be redshirt freshman John Simon and true freshmen Riley Banach and Brice Wolf. Simon took part in four open tournaments a season ago, posting a 6-6 record. Banach was a two-time state placewinner for Ames High School. Wolf captured two state titles as a prep at Greeley Central High School in Greeley, Colo., in addition to taking home a fourth-place finish at the junior nationals tournament
184 The return of 2008 national qualifier Andy O’Loughlin highlights the 184-pound class. O’Loughlin did not compete during the 2008-09 season, but captured the West Regional title at 184 pounds to earn his first trip the NCAA Championships in 2008.
True freshman Ryan Loder may also see action on the mat at 184 pounds. Loder placed as high as second at the national meet in high school as well as recording third and fourth place finishes.
197 Redshirt junior Dustin Bauman returns to the mat for the Panthers after spending much of last season recovering from a knee injury. Bauman helped the Panthers to a 21-17 win over North Dakota State in dual action with a 1-0 win over Tyler Hemmesch in the meet’s final match.
Community college transfers Brent Lambie and Joe Johnson will also fight for action this season as Lambie transferred from NIACC and Johnson from Iowa Central. At NIACC, Lambie helped his team to a second place finish at the NWCA National Duals a season ago. Johnson earned All-America honors twice at Iowa Central as well as helping his team to two consecutive national championships.
285 2009 national qualifier Christian Brantley returns to the mat for the Panthers this season in the heavyweight class and earned a No.11 preseason ranking by Amateur Wrestling News as well as a No. 12 ranking by Intermat. Brantley captured the West Regional title a year ago to advance to the NCAA Championships. Brantley recorded a record of 26-9 a season ago with all nine of his losses coming to ranked opponents.
Also vying for time on the mat at the heavyweight slot will be redshirt freshman Blayne Beale. Beale competed in six open tournaments a year ago, posting an overall record of 16-11, including 13 wins by fall.
WRESTLE-OFF RESULTS The University of Northern Iowa opened the 2009-10 wrestling season with the annual intra-squad wrestle-offs Saturday in the West Gym.
“We wrestled very well today,” UNI head coach Brad Penrith said. “This is our first time competing this year and I’m very happy with our guy’s performance. They were very aggressive and competitive. Our freshmen wrestled very well. They are a group of guys that compete. Those guys aren’t afraid to wrestle, and we definitely saw that today.”
Caleb Flores won a 13-6 decision over Grant Sutter at the 125-pound weight class.
“Caleb really performed well today,” Penrith said. “He was attacking late into the third period which I was very happy to see.”
Freshman Joey Lazor topped Jake Demmon 9-3 and then came back to pin sophomore Steven Fitzgerald in 6:41 at the 133-pound weight class.
Jamal Lawrence topped Aaron Senzee 8-2 and then returned to the mat to top Charlie Ettelson 15-13 in an action-packed match at the 149-pound class.
“Jamal also had a very good day,” Penrith said. “He kept wrestling and didn’t stop moving. Charlie came back at him and gave him a big challenge but he came out of it and then came out with the win.”
True freshman Brice Wolf topped senior Scott Hazen 9-5, but later fell to Jarion Beets 11-6 at 165 pounds.
Trent Washington scored an 11-5 decision over Alec Hoffman at 141 pounds.
“Trent scored 10 points in two periods,” Penrith said. “We need him to wrestle like that. He attacked and was very aggressive, which is what I like to see.”
Another true freshman, Ryan Loder, scored a big win over an upperclassman as Loder topped Andy O’Loughlin 7-2 at 184 pounds.
At the heavyweight slot, Christian Brantley topped Blayne Beale 9-5.
“Christian continued to attack throughout the match,” Penrith said. “That was good to see.”
“Overall I’m very pleased with our performance,” Penrith said. “We still need to work on some things and stay concentrated and keep doing the right things. We’re just excited to get rolling.”
UNI Intra-Squad Wrestle-Off Results 125 Sutter dec. Jauch, 7-0 133 Lazor dec. Demmon, 9-3 149 Ettelson dec. Zempel, 8-2 149 Lawrence dec. Senzee, 8-2 174 Wolf dec. Hazen, 9-5 174 Beets dec. Simon, 9-5 141 Washington dec. Hoffman, 11-5 157 Reiner dec. Robbins, 8-6 184 Loder dec. O’Loughlin, 7-2 285 Brantley dec. Beale, 9-5 125 Flores dec. Sutter, 13-6 133 Lazor pinned Fitzgerald, 6:41 149 Lawrence dec. Ettelson 15-13 165 Beets dec. Wolf 11-6
TICKETS CURRENTLY ON SALE FOR 2010 NATIONAL DUALS Tickets are on sale for the 2010 National Wrestling Coaches Association/Cliff Keen National Duals, which will take place Jan. 9-10, 2010, in the UNI-Dome. Top wrestlers from each collegiate athletic division (Divison I, II, III, NAIA, JUCO and Women’s) will compete for a national dual title. The NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals is one of the largest collegiate national sporting events in the country, with more than 1,400 wrestlers and 80 teams attending. UNI has served as the host for the event the past four years. The attendance figures have risen in each of the four seasons the event has taken place in the UNI-Dome. UNI drew 13,380 in 2006, 15,190 in 2007 and 15,818 in 2008. Fourteen teams from the state of Iowa will compete, including UNI (I), Iowa (I), Iowa State (I), Upper Iowa (II), Coe (III), Cornell (III), Dubuque (III), Luther (III), Wartburg (III), Grand View (NAIA), Northwestern (NAIA), Ellsworth (NJCAA), Iowa Central (NJCAA) and North Iowa Area (NJCAA). Tickets may be purchased by contacting the UNI-Dome box office at 877-216-DOME or 319-273-4849. 2010 National Duals Ticket Prices All Session Pass $45 All Session Pass (Senior/Student)* $35 All Session Group Tickets (10+)** $30 Individual Session $25 Individual Session (Senior/Student)* $20 Individual Session Group (8+)** $15 * Must be under 18 or have a valid University of College ID ** Group sales apply to pre-sold ticket purchases only, must be received by Jan. 2, 2009
PLEDGES FOR PINS An initiative by University of Northern Iowa wrestling fans could make the slap of the mat ring like a cash register for the Panther wrestling program. “Pledges for Pins” invites supporters to promise a donation for every pin the team scores in the 2009-10 regular season. Last year the Panthers tallied 102 pins. Sandy Stevens, UNI graduate and announcer at national and international wrestling events, has kicked off the campaign. “UNI has an unparalleled legacy of wrestling excellence,” she said. “This is our chance to help bring the program back into the top five nationally, and all Panther wrestling fans can be involved. UNI head coach Brad Penrith said “Pledges for Pins” is a great opportunity to give back to the UNI wrestling program. “The UNI wrestling program would like to thank Sandy Stevens for stepping up and encouraging others to financially help the Panthers,” Penrith said. “This is a great way to help support the program and assist us in getting UNI wrestling back to the top of collegiate wrestling.” Donors may specify a maximum number of pins for their contribution, Stevens said. Outright donations are also welcome. Contributors will be sent a statement at the end of the season. Pledges or donations may be sent to Send to: Pledges for Pins, UNI Accounting, 1221 W. 23rd St., Cedar Falls, IA 50614-0239. Please include name, address, phone number, signature and amount of pledge per pin. All contributions are tax-deductible. These funds will be used to make improvements to the University of Northern Iowa program and return UNI to its former stature as one of the top wrestling schools in the country.
|
 |
|||||
|
||||||
