The #1 Huskies of St. Cloud State scored three big wins by fall over the #19 Peacocks to win the Northern Sun Conference clash in Fayette on Thursday night.  Upper Iowa claimed four wins in the dual by decision, while St. Cloud State got 6 wins including three that went down to the wire and provided a twelve-point swing to the visitors. For the Huskies, the win marked the 50th straight victory in NSIC competition dating back to the 2011 season. SCSU is now 15-1 on the year and 6-0 in the conference, while UIU is 9-5 overall and 5-3 in the conference.
 
Brett Velasquez (#5) used a pair of takedowns in the 125-pound bout to post a 6-3 decision over Maleek Williams (#12) and give the Huskies a 3-0 lead. Josh Walker toed the line at 133 pounds and provided the Peacocks with a 6-3 win of their own over Mike Rhone thanks to a pair of takedowns.
 
Jordan Roths kept the momentum rolling in UIU's direction as he outlasted Travis Swanson in the 141-pound match. Roths got an early takedown and added an escape in the second period. The New Hampton native came up big in the third period with a takedown and then added a ride time point to win 6-5.
 
In a second battle of nationally-ranked wrestlers, Damian Penichet (#5) and James Pleski (#9) met in the circle at 149 pounds. After a scoreless first period, Swanson got the only point of the second period with an escape. Penichet answered with an escape in the third period, but was taken down by Pleski; UIU's sophomore from Miami quickly escaped and then got a last second, four to be exact, takedown at the edge of the circle to win 4-3 and give the home team a 9-3 lead.
 
In the 157-pound match, Zak Benitz looked to be in control late in the third period leading 4-2, but a takedown by Larry Bomstad (#9) with ten seconds to go and a pin at the buzzer shifted the momentum toward the Huskies in a hurry. The win by fall tied the score at 9-9 when the Peacocks had nearly taken a 12-3 lead.
 
Colbey Vance trailed 4-2 heading into the third period of the 165-pound match against Gabe Fogarty. Vance controlled the third period from the top position and rode out Fogarty and earned a point after two stalling calls on the Husky wrestler. The Peacock senior ran out of time before he could finish off his rally and lost 4-3.
 
Dalton Westerlund pulled off the upset at 174 pounds when he defeated Clayton Jennisen (#4) in the first tiebreaker period. The match moved through regulation with each wrestler scoring a point on an escape. After a scoreless sudden victory period, Jennisen was the first to score an escape in his turn of the tiebreaker. When it was Westerlund's turn, the senior was able to score a reversal and two nearfall points to earn a 5-3 win. The victory tied the dual at 12-12.
 
The 184-pound match ended much differently than it started. Uthman Rabiu (#6) led 6-2 over Nick Baumler thanks to three first-period takedowns.  Baumler scored the only points of the second quarter with an escape to pull within three, 6-3. Baumler got a takedown early in the third period and nearly got a match-tying takedown as time expired but couldn't quite get his right ankle loose from Rabiu's grasp as he lost 8-6.

Vince Dietz (#5, 197) and Austin Goergen (#1, 285) put the dual away with a pair of wins by fall. Dietz and Ryan Parmely were tied a 2-2 when the UIU wrestler chose the bottom position for the start of the third period. Dietz found an opening for a cradle and finished the match off at the 5:49 mark. Goergen scored four nearfall points in the second period on Logan Hopp (#5) and then finished the contest at 4:13.
 
The Peacocks will now head back to training for the next two weeks in preparation for the NCAA Division II Super Region 3 Tournament on Feb. 24-25 in Moorhead, Minn. Minnesota State University Moorhead will serve as the host for the regional tournament.
 
#1 St. Cloud State 27 - #19 Upper Iowa 12
125: Brett Velasquez (SCSU) over Maleek Williams (UIU) (Dec 6-3)
133: Josh Walker (UIU) over Mike Rhone (SCSU) (Dec 6-3)
141: Jordan Roths (UIU) over Travis Swanson (SCSU) (Dec 6-5)
149: Damian Penichet (UIU) over James Pleski (SCSU) (Dec 4-3)
157: Larry Bomstad (SCSU) over Zak Benitz (UIU) (Fall 6:59)
165: Gabe Fogarty (SCSU) over Colbey Vance (UIU) (Dec 4-3)
174: Dalton Westerlund (UIU) over Clayton Jennissen (SCSU) (TB-1 5-3)
184: Uthman Rabiu (SCSU) over Nick Baumler (UIU) (Dec 8-6)
197: Vince Dietz (SCSU) over Ryan Parmely (UIU) (Fall 5:49)
285: Austin Goergen (SCSU) over Logan Hopp (UIU) (Fall 4:13)