Upper Iowa, ranked No. 22 in the soon-to-be released NWCA Division II Top 25, returned to Fayette for a home dual for the first time since Dec. 6 and the Peacocks rewarded their fans with a 28-7 victory over the No. 20 Marauders of the University of Mary. UIU won seven of the nine matches wrestled and picked up a forfeit at 157 pounds to end the dual.
Brock Benitz (No. 10) got the Peacocks off on the right foot, but needed a furious close in the third period to rally and send the bout to overtime. Benitz trailed Austin Eichmann 8-5 with under 20 seconds to go in the match. The UIU 165-pounder scored an escape and a quick takedown with 13 seconds to go and then sealed the win 21 seconds into overtime for a 10-8 sudden victory.
Phillip Springsteen (No. 8) put together an impressive 14-2 major decision over UIU's
Jordan Gundrum at 174 pounds to push the Marauders ahead 4-3.
Dalton Hahn (No. 11) restored the Peacocks lead, 6-4, with a decision at 184 pounds over Lance Jarrett. Jarrett rode Hahn tough in the second period, but UIU's sophomore used his two first-period takedowns and a ride time point for a 5-1 win.
Nick Baumler (No. 10) was dominating in his match at 197 pounds. The Peacock junior scored 8 takedowns on his way to an 18-7 major decision. Baumler did not surrender an offensive point in the bout.
Triston Westerlund kept the momentum going for the Peacocks with a 6-4 win over Gerardo Jaime in the heavyweight match. Westerlund posted a pair of takedowns to fuel the victory and gave UIU a 13-4 lead.
Maleek Williams trailed 5-3 heading into the second period, but an early escape and a pair of takedowns in the second period had the senior Peacock in the lead, 8-6. Williams scored a takedown between two escapes from Nate Humann and pulled out the win 10-8 at 125 pounds.
In the featured match of the night, Tate Barnhardt (No. 3) and
Justin Folley (No. 6) toed the line for the 133 pound bout. Barnhardt took an early 6-2 lead thanks to three takedowns, but Folley found some success in the third period. The Peacock wrestler picked up a takedown in the final period and turned up the pace. Barnhardt stayed ahead with escapes and a ride time point to get the decision 9-4.
Ryan Schmalen scored a big win at 141 pounds for the Peacocks and
Ryan Steffen followed with a victory at 149 pounds. Schmalen scored three takedowns to win 7-3 over Josh Weisbrod and Steffen outlasted Max Bruss thanks to four takedowns and a reversal to win 11-8.
Tucker Black scored the final points of the night for Upper Iowa when UMary left their side of the mat empty.
Upper Iowa recorded a 27-8 advantage in takedowns on the night, while UMary scored the only three nearfalls of the match.
Prior to the match, the Peacocks recognized six seniors including
Tucker Black,
Zach Bruns,
Jordan Gundrum,
Cody Nelson,
Brock Sorensen and
Maleek Williams. Over the four years, this group has worn varsity singlets Upper Iowa has placed at all four NWCA National Duals and earned 4th place at the 2018 NCAA Division II Championships in Cedar Rapids. These six wrestlers have been a part of Upper Iowa's overall record of 39-16 and Northern Sun record of 21-8 over the last four seasons.
Upper Iowa will close out the regular season next week with a pair of home duals against St. Cloud State University on Thursday, Feb. 7 and Northern State University on Sunday, Feb. 10.
No. 22 Upper Iowa 28 – No. 20 UMary 7
165:
Brock Benitz (UIU) over Austin Eichmann (MARY) (SV-1 10-8)
174: Phillip Springsteen (MARY) over
Jordan Gundrum (UIU) (MD 14-2)
184:
Dalton Hahn (UIU) over Lance Jarrett (MARY) (Dec 5-1)
197:
Nick Baumler (UIU) over Gabe Anderson (MARY) (MD 18-7)
285:
Triston Westerlund (UIU) over Gerardo Jaime (MARY) (Dec 6-4)
125:
Maleek Williams (UIU) over Nate Humann (MARY) (Dec 10-8)
133: Tate Barnhardt (MARY) over
Justin Folley (UIU) (Dec 9-4)
141:
Ryan Schmalen (UIU) over Josh Weisbrod (MARY) (Dec 7-3)
149:
Ryan Steffen (UIU) over Max Bruss (MARY) (Dec 11-8)
157:
Tucker Black (UIU) over (MARY) (For.)
