TONIGHT IN PEACOCK WRESTLING… No. 5 Upper Iowa returns to Dorman Gymnasium for White Out Night. The Peacocks welcome the Beavers of Minot State University in the first Northern Sun Conference dual of the season. UIU comes into the dual with a 1-0 record thanks to a season-opening 55-0 victory over Truman State University, while MiSU entered the week with an 0-1 record after a 31-12 loss at the University of Mary. The Beavers took on the No. 1 Huskies of St. Cloud State University on Wednesday night.
 
IN THE RANKINGS… The NCAA Division II Wrestling Coaches Association Top 25 has the Peacocks as the No. 5 team in the country with five wrestlers boasting individual national rankings as well. Maleek Williams is ranked No. 1 in the nation at 125 pounds. The redshirt senior is 9-1 this season with four technical falls and two majors. Nick Baumler is ranked No. 3 in NCAA Division II at 197 pounds; the junior is 7-0 on the year with a pair of wins by fall and a tech fall. Dalton Hahn is ranked No. 5 in the country at 184 with a 14-2 mark with ten bonus-point wins including eight by fall and two by major decision. Hahn earned NSIC Wrestler of the Week honors early in November. Jordan Gundrum is ranked No. 12 in the country at 174 pounds and is 12-3 in the early going this season; the senior has posted ten bonus-point wins already with six wins by fall, three by tech fall and a major. Brock Benitz comes in at No. 12 in the nation at 157 pounds; the redshirt sophomore has not wrestled yet this season. He went 25-6 last season in his first varsity season for Upper Iowa.
 
LAST WEEKEND IN INDIANOLA… The Peacocks scored 151.5 points finishing behind Augsburg University (159), the No. 1 ranked team in NCAA Division III, and ahead of Grand View University (142.5), the No. 1 ranked team in NAIA, at the Luther L. Hill Invite at Simpson College. Upper Iowa sent 23 wrestlers to the invite including 8 unattached grapplers; the nearly two-dozen Peacocks claimed 14 spots in the top eight of their respective weight classes including two champions at 125 and 133. Maleek Williams (125, No. 1 NCAA DII) wrestled at 125 for the first time this season and won the title with a 4-0 record. Williams posted four bonus-point wins to score 20 points for the Peacocks thanks to a pair of tech falls and two major decisions. In the title match, Williams defeated Justin Portillo (No. 2 NAIA) of Grand View by a 13-4 score. The senior is now 9-1 on the year with six bonus-point wins. Justin Folley (133) also claimed a title with a 4-0 record thanks to a pair of falls and two decisions. Folley's wins included an 8-3 decision over Dante Tacchia of Grand View in the semifinals. Folley is now 11-2 in his first season with the Peacocks; the junior has five bonus-point wins including three by fall, a tech fall and a major. Tucker Black placed third at 157 pounds with a 3-1 mark including two wins by fall and a major decision. Black has made the move down from 165 a season ago. He is 9-3 on the year with all but one victory coming with bonus-points. The senior has three falls, two tech falls and a pair of majors. 

SCOUTING THE BEAVERS… The Beavers have competed in four open tournaments and one dual during the early part of the schedule. Oscar Nellis, Tanner Crissler, Shadi Mitwalli and Zach Berry have led the Beavers. Nellis tops the team with 14 wins, while Crissler and Mitwalli each have 12 victories on the season. Zach Berry also is in double figures in wins with 10. Crissler leads the team with five fall victories, while Nellis ranks second on the team with four fall wins. The probable lineup for Minot State is: 125: Dean Arevalo/Oscar Nellis | 133: Liam Hayden/Michael Rangel | 141: Liam Hayden/Michael Rangel | 149: Tanner Crissler/Shadi Mitwalli | 157: Max Miller/Zach Berry | 165: Nathan Baca/Tyler Sharron | 174: Parker Osterman/Anthony Raupp | 184: Keegan Berry/Matthew Rabe | 197: Je-Mario Jones/Andrew Helfrich | 285: Jordan Will/Jake Belland.

PEACOCK PROBABLE LINEUP… 

WT		YR	W	L	FALL	TF	MD	HOMETOWN
125	#1 Maleek Williams	R-Sr.	9	1	0	4	2	Miami, Fla.
133	Justin Folley	Jr.	11	2	3	1	1	Matteson, Ill.
141	Ryan Schmalen	R-Jr.	5	6	1	0	0	Clear Lake, Iowa
149	Ryan Steffen	Fr.	5	6	3	0	0	Cresco, Iowa
157	Tucker Black	Sr.	9	3	3	2	3	Batavia, Iowa
	Mac Spotts	R-So.	9	7	3	1	2	Nora Springs, Iowa
165	#12 Brock Benitz	R-So.	0	0	0	0	0	Mosinee, Wis.
174	#12 Jordan Gundrum	Sr.	12	3	6	3	1	West Bend, Wis.
184	#5 Dalton Hahn	So.	14	2	8	0	2	Loganville, Wis.
197	#3 Nick Baumler	Jr.	7	0	2	1	0	West Union, Iowa
HWT	Bodie Garnier	R-Fr.	4	2	3	0	0	Sumner, Iowa
	A.J. Maloy	R-Fr.	7	6	2	0	0	Charles City, Iowa

 
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