LIVE OPTIONS
LIVE WEBCAST || LIVE STATS/RESULTS || KCRG 9.3
WEEKLY NOTES
UPPER IOWA || MSU MOORHEAD || NORTHERN SUN
TONIGHT IN PEACOCK WRESTLING… The Upper Iowa wrestling program returns to action in Dorman Gym for the first time since the Second Annual Mike Olson Duals on Nov. 5. The Peacocks are currently 9-1 overall in duals and 2-0 in the Northern Sun Conference with wins on the road at the University of Mary and Minot State University. UIU will welcome the Dragons of Minnesota State University Moorhead to Fayette in the team's NSIC home opener at 7 p.m. on Friday.
SCOUTING THE DRAGONS... MSU Moorhead will come to Fayette with a 4-3 record in duals and a 0-1 mark in the conference after a 29-18 loss at Minnesota State University, Mankato on Thursday night. The Dragons are receiving votes in the latest NWCA Top 20 Poll and are 7th in the latest region poll led by junior Blake Bosch, who is ranked #2 nationally at 133 pounds with a 20-5 record. Redshirt freshman Kristian Vazquez is 8-9 at 141 and is ranked fifth regionally, while junior Garret Hoffner is ranked fourth regionally at 157; Hoffner is 13-7 this season.
FANS OF THE HOOSIER STATE... The Peacocks have been receiving votes in the NWCA Top 20 Poll all season, but back-to-back solid efforts in Indiana have pushed the Peacocks into the eighth spot on both the
NCAA.com Division II Wrestling Power Rankings and the
NWCA Top 20 Poll. UIU placed third at the Midwest Classic in Indianapolis prior to the holidays led by
Jordan Rinken's championship at 157 pounds and
Jordan Roths' runner-up finish at 141 pounds. A total of six place winners led the team to 103 points, which tied the #7 Pittsburgh-Johnstown for third behind #1 Maryville (121.5) and the #6 Wisconsin-Parkside (119.5). The Peacocks returned to Fort Wayne for the NWCA National Duals last weekend and placed fifth with a 4-1 record. The four wins came over #14 Wheeling Jesuit, #18 Newberry, #12 Tiffin and #3 Nebraska-Kearney, while the lone loss was to #1 Maryville.
Zak Benitz (165) and
Colbey Vance (174) both posted 4-0 records with Benitz scoring a pair of major decisions and Vance getting a fall and a major decision.
Dalton Westerlund went 4-1 with a fall and a major, while Paulus, Roths, Penichet and Rinken all claimed three wins over the weekend.
SPIRIT OF '76... UIU Head Coach
Heath Grimm had pulled five starters from the first seven spots in the lineup against #3 Nebraska-Kearney to give some deserving wrestlers the opportunity to get on the mat in a big dual. Trailing by 17 points, the Peacocks pulled off a thrilling upset in just 76 seconds of action of the mat to rally for the win and place fifth. Westerlund (184) gave the team hope with a win by fall just 45 seconds into his match and after the Lopers forfeited the match at 197, the Peacocks trailed by only five points, 20-15, with the heavyweight match remaining.
Avery Jacobs, a true freshman, rose to the occasion and completed Upper Iowa's comeback with a win by fall just 31 seconds into the final match giving UIU the 21-20 victory.
ZAK ATTACK... Redshirt junior
Zak Benitz is currently ranked #6 nationally in the NWCA Polls. Benitz has a team-high 24 wins including six straight and 11 wins in his last 13 bouts. The Mosinee, Wis. product has earned 12 bonus-point wins with 5 falls, 2 tech falls and 5 majors. Last weekend at the National Duals, Benitz went 4-0 defeating his opponents by a combined score of 46-18.
