FAYETTE, Iowa - No. 21 Upper Iowa men's wrestling (1-0) rings in the new year with a matchup against Minnesota State (5-1) on Saturday at 2 p.m. in Dorman Memorial Gymnasium.
LIVE OPTIONS
Fans unable to attend the games this weekend can stay connected with a pair of live options available at UIUPeacocks.com/Live, featuring access to live stats and a pay-per-view webcast through GLVCSN. Fans can also refer to the links attached to this story for all live options.
In addition to GLVCSN.com, viewers can catch the Peacocks on the GLVCSN iOS and Android mobile app, as well as the GLVCSN app on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and Android TV.
TICKET INFORMATION
New this year, tickets for all Peacock home events can be purchased digitally at tickets.uiu.edu. Single game tickets are now available online and at the ticket booth on gameday. If you want to pay in person, both Harms-Eischeid Stadium and Dorman Memorial Gymnasium are now accepting all major credit cards, checks and cash.
DIGITAL GAMEDAY PROGRAMS
Fans can access the interactive and digital gameday program any time at UIUPeacocks.com/Programs. The digital programs are available to fans at our games and to those watching at home. QR Codes will be located around the gym to scan with your cell phone's camera, which will link you directly to that game's specific digital gameday program.
LAST TIME OUT
The Peacocks ended 2025 competing at the 46th annual Midwest Classic on Dec. 13-14. Redshirt senior Ethen Doty (149) took sixth at the event while all 10 Peacock wrestlers won a match over the weekend.
Upper Iowa had five wrestlers advance to the second day in Doty, Dawson Schmit (133), Preston Klostermann (157), Lawson Losee (174) and Braxten Westendorf (184). Doty picked up four wins on the weekend with one win via tech fall, one win via major decision and two wins by fall.
UIU finished 17th out of 46 teams at the event, scoring 54.5 team points. No. 3 Wisconsin Parkside won the event with 150 points. No. 8 McKendree (Ill.) was the top GLVC finisher in sixth place with 99 points.
THE OPEN MAT RANKINGS
The Peacocks have four wrestlers featured in the latest Open Mat rankings. Doty is ranked the highest at No. 7 at 149 pounds. Losee now ranks ninth at 174 pounds. Klostermann and Matthew Marcum rank 16th at 157 pounds and 197 pounds, respectively.
As a team, Upper Iowa ranks 24th in the team tournament rankings. The Peacocks are 19th in the team dual rankings.
NWCA POLL
Upper Iowa is tied for No. 21 as a team in the Dec. 18 edition of the NWCA poll. UIU received 16 points, tying Colorado Mines and Frostburg State (Md.). In the GLVC, McKendree (Ill.) is ranked No., and UIndy entered the rankings at No. 20. Central Oklahoma is No. 1 in the nation, receiving 96 points.
Doty and Losee are the two ranked wrestlers for the Peacocks in the NWCA rankings. Doty came in at No. 5 at 149 pounds, while Losee ranks No. 8 at 174 pounds.
ABOUT THE MAVERICKS
Minnesota State has a 5-1 dual record this season with wins over Sioux Falls (S.D.), No. 3 Wisconsin-Parkside, Belmont Abbey (N.C.), No. 17 Central Missouri and No. 21 Colorado Mines. The Mavericks' lone loss came on Dec. 6 against No. 13 Augustana, 23-14.
Minnesota State dropped out of the NWCA rankings into the receiving votes category with 5.5. The Mavericks are ranked No. 14 in The Open Mat team dual rankings.
MSU's four ranked wrestlers in the NWCA poll are No. 12 Walker Bents (149), No. 13 Caleb Meunier (157), No. 15 Paolo Salminen (165) and No. 13 Drake Hayward (174). All four of those wrestlers are ranked in The Open Mat rankings. At 133 pounds, Chase Beckett is No. 20 in The Open Mat rankings.
Hayward and Losee have already met up once this season at the Luther College Open. Losee defeated Hayward in the finals by a 5-1 decision to take first place.
Minnesota State is led by head coach Jim Makovsky in his 33rd season with the Mavericks. He has a 318-145-3 record at Minnesota State.
LAST SEASON'S MATCHUP VS. MINNESOTA STATE
The Peacocks picked up a 29-9 win in Mankato, Minnesota, last season before the Midwest Classic. This marked the fourth-straight win for the Peacocks over Minnesota State.
Upper Iowa won the first seven matches of the event to take a 25-0 lead. Doty won over Bents in a 10-6 decision, and Schmit beat Beckett in a 5-3 decision. Losee concluded the dual with a 14-6 major decision victory over Hayward.
