The Mavericks of Minnesota State University, Mankato defeated the #24 Peacock wrestling team 25-13 on Thursday night at the Taylor Center in Mankato, Minn. The home team claimed six of the ten bouts including a pair of wins by fall. Upper Iowa's four victories included three decisions and a major decision by
Colbey Vance at 165 pounds. After the loss, UIU falls to 9-3 overall and 5-1 in the Northern Sun, while MSU Improves to 7-3 overall and 4-0 in the NSIC.
The Mavericks jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the dual with wins at 125 and 133 pounds. Andrew McFall defeated
Maleek Williams 11-5; a takedown and four nearfall points in the third period proved to be the difference in the opening match. At 133 pounds, Paul Selman controlled the third period over
Josh Walker picking up a pair of four-point nearfalls and a two-point nearfall on the way to a 16-4 major decision.
Jordan Roths got Upper Iowa in the win column in the 141-pound match. Roths trailed 4-0 early, but fought back with a reversal, two more takedowns and a ride time point to secure an 8-7 win over Louie Sanders.
Damian Penichet (#11), the reigning NSIC Wrestler of the Week, kept momentum on UIU's side with a 5-1 decision over Daniel Close. Penichet used a takedown, reversal and a ride time point to pull UIU within one, 7-6, on the scoreboard.
Zak Benitz was leading 6-2 heading into the final period of his match with Dylan Herman and chose the bottom position looking for an escape. Herman had other plans as he caught him exposed and pinned Benitz 30 seconds into the third. The result was a big swing in the dual as MSU pushed their lead back to seven, 13-6, instead of the Peacocks taking a 9-7 lead.
Colbey Vance (#10) pulled UIU back within three points, 13-10, with a major decision in the 165-pound match. Vance's 14-1 major was fueled by a takedown, two reversals, a four-point nearfall and a two-point nearfall over Max Bullock.
MSU's Adam Cooling (#3) and
Dalton Westerlund locked up in the 174-pound bout; Cooling took a 3-0 lead into the third period and added two third-period takedowns to win 8-2 and improve to 24-1 on the year. The home team kept pushing their lead with a 3-0 win at 184 pounds when Corey Abernathy outlasted
Nick Baumler. Minnesota State scored their final points and moved out to a 25-10 lead after the 197-pound match when Matt Blome pinned
Ryan Parmely (3:29) after taking a 6-2 lead over the Peacock grappler.
Logan Hopp (#5) was impressive again in the heavyweight match for Upper Iowa. Hopp scored 5 takedowns and an escape point to win 11-6. For the third time in the last eight days, Hopp did not surrender a point except when his opponent got an escape. He has now outscored his opponents 51-16 in the last three UIU duals.
The Peacocks will now have a week and a half off before they head west to Sioux Falls, S.D. to battle the Vikings of Augustana University on Sunday, Feb. 5 at 2 p.m.
