This Weekend in Peacock Wrestling… Upper Iowa is back on the mat this weekend in Minneapolis, Minn. The Peacocks are competing in the Augsburg Invitational hosted by Augsburg University on Saturday, Nov. 19. The Peacocks will be competing alongside some of the best teams in the Midwest inside Si Melby Hall.
 
Live Options… Fans that can't make the trip to Minneapolis can follow along through live scoring and a pay-per-view Live Stream through the links above or at UIUPeacocks.com/Live.
 
Augsburg Invitational Format… This Saturday's format will once again feature two sets of brackets featuring action from 10 weight classes. The top bracket is the Gold bracket and will feature collegiate veterans. The Freshman bracket will be filled with freshman and redshirt freshman only to help make the transition into collegiate wrestling a bit smoother for the newest bunch of wrestlers on each team. No team scores will be kept at the invitational.
 
Checking the Rearview... The Peacock wrestling team opened their 2022-23 season with a short trip to Decorah, Iowa to compete in the Luther Open last Saturday. Upper Iowa earned two Elite bracket titles thanks to 4-0 days from Chase Luensman (165) and Tate Murty (141) to put an exclamation point on a great first day. Upper Iowa claimed wins in 76 of their 117 bouts on Saturday and earned 19 wins by fall including a pair each from Eric Faught (157), Scott Kellenberger (174) and Joe Ebaugh (Silver 174, unattached). Luensman scored his wins with one fall and three major decisions to secure the top spot at 165, while Murty picked up one fall as he claimed the 141-pound title.  Kaden Anderlik lost in the 133-pound finals to Cullen Schreiver of the University of Iowa, who was in the running for the Hawkeye's starting spot. Both Chance Throndson (157) and Donny Schmit (141) scored third-place finishes with just one loss on the day. Throndson had an impressive win over the Hawkeye's Joe Kelly that included over three-minutes of ride time. Other Peacocks to get through their day with just one loss included Jordan Baumler (285, , 5^th, 4-1), Faught (157, 6^th, 4-1), Zach Ryg (285, 4^th, 2-1), Cael Meyer (174, 3-1), Ethen Doty (149, 4^th, 2-1) and Ryan Steffen (165, 6^th, 5-1). 

In The Rankings… On the national scene, the Peacocks are receiving votes in the NWCA Division II Preseason Top 25 and both Murty, No. 8 at 141 pounds, and teammate Kaden Anderlik, No. 11 at 133 pounds, are ranked in the NWCA Division II Individual Preseason Rankings. Anderlik was 16-4 last season with four falls, a tech fall and a major in his favor and placed fourth at the NCAA Super Region V Championships.

On the Horizon... UIU will host Waldorf University in a dual at home on Nov. 23. The dual with the Warriors will be UIU's only home competition prior to the holidays. The action is currently scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. in Fayette.