Jordan Rinken earned a pair of wins by fall over the weekend as Upper Iowa posted two NSIC victories. Rinken fell behind in his match versus Beau Voegeli of Northern State, 4-2, but countered with an escape and a takedown near the end of the first period to secure a 5-4 lead heading into the second. He added an escape and a takedown to push his lead to 8-5 as the match went to the final period. The Peacock freshman worked hard in the third period and earned UIU’s third win by fall of the night (5:37). On Sunday, the freshman from Waverly-Shell Rock High School didn’t let U-Mary get a second win in a row thanks to a pin in the final seconds (6:54) of his match. With the match tied, 4-4, in the final period, Rinken found himself with an opportunity for the pin and he took advantage with just six seconds left to push Upper Iowa’s lead to 16-4. The two wins improve his record to 23-4 overall including eleven wins by fall, two technical falls and three major decisions.
The #3 Peacock wrestling team opened their Northern Sun Conference season this weekend with a pair of dominating duals against the Wolves of Northern State (41-4) and the Marauders of U-Mary (32-7) on the road. Upper Iowa moved to 6-1 overall and 2-0 in the NSIC with the impressive wins claiming seventeen of the twenty matches including five wins by fall and four major decisions. Eight UIU wrestlers won both of their matches including Kyle Pedretti (125, #1 NCAA), Trevor Franklin (133, #1 NCAA), Rinken (149), Winston Robbins (157), Blake Sorensen (165), Wade Gobin (174, #6 NCAA), Mitch Schultz (184, #4 NCAA) and Carl Broghammer (197, #4 NCAA).
The Peacocks will return to Dorman Gym this coming Sunday, Jan. 22, for a NSIC dual versus the Mustangs of Southwest Minnesota State. The action will begin at 2 p.m. Upper Iowa will also be celebrating their second annual Wrestling Alumni Day on the 22nd. The home dual marks the first of four straight home duals for Upper Iowa.
