FAYETTE, Iowa - Peacock men's wrestling begins the 2026-27 campaign this Saturday at 10 a.m. at the Rochester Community and Technical College Yellowjacket Open in Rochester, Minnesota. 

The Peacocks host their first home event on Wednesday, Nov. 11, against Ellsworth Community College. UIU men's and women's wrestling will both compete vs. the Panthers starting at 6 p.m. 

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 scoring 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
Tickets for all Peacock home events can be purchased digitally at tickets.uiu.edu. Single game tickets are 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.

TICKET PRICES…
Upper Iowa Students … Free Admission after showing UIU Student ID

Upper Iowa Faculty/Staff … Free Admission after showing 26-27 Season Pass

General Admission Sales … Adults - $10, Youth (Grades K-12) - $5, Kids (Age 5 and under) - Free

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 stadium to scan with your cell phone's camera, which will link you directly to that game's specific digital gameday program.

MEET THE PEACOCKS: RETURNERS
Upper Iowa returns seven out of its 10 wrestlers from last season's NCAA Regional Championships. With all that experience returning, the Peacocks are aiming to use it to their advantage this season.

"We were really young last year," said Head Coach Heath Grimm. "We were probably the youngest we've been in my 27 years here. It's encouraging and comforting to know that we have that experience returning with guys who have seen and felt what it takes to wrestle at this level."

Upper Iowa's top returner is Lawson Losee at 174 pounds, who had his 2025-26 season cut short due to injury. Entering last season's Midwest Classic, Losee was the No. 2 wrestler in his weight class with a 12-0 record. He totaled 19 takedowns and 11 four-point nearfalls while adding first-place finishes at the Luther College Open and the Augsburg (Minn.) Auggie Invite. 

"That was a tough blow for us last year," Grimm said. "With such a young team, we were really looking at Lawson for his experience and to help some of the other guys grow. He's been rehabbing and looking better every day as we get ready for the season."

After redshirting and wrestling unattached last season, Geoffery Freeman is back for his final year of eligibility. Over the last two seasons, Freeman has a 37-14 record and was an All-GLVC Third Team selection in 2024-25. 

Another top returner for the Peacocks is Matthew Marcum, who filled in at 197 pounds last season but will be looking to move down and compete at 184 pounds this year. Marcum had the second-best placement of any Peacock at the regionals last season with a fourth-place finish. 

In the lower weights, the Peacocks return Jackson Heaston and Treyton Ackman, who are planning to compete at 125 pounds and 133 pounds, respectively. Ackman was an All-GLVC Third Team selection last season and posted a 20-7 record while taking fifth at regionals. Heaston was an All-GLVC Third Team selection in 2024-25. 

Tanner Arjes was the man at 141 pounds for the Peacocks last season, earning an All-GLVC Third Team accolade. Arjes continues to have competition in the room with fellow returners James Lovelady, Jonah Luensman and Kaden Kremer. 

At 157, Preston Klostermann and Kale Hansen are both back. Klostermann finished his freshman campaign with a 27-14 record and a team-high 85 takedowns. He also became the first true freshman in program history to earn All-GLVC honors with a third team selection.

"Preston's been picking up where he left off last year," Grimm said. "It was really impressive for him as a true freshman to lead our team in wins with 27. He's looked pretty darn good here throughout the preseason, and I'm excited to see what he can do after getting a year under his belt."

Junior Nick Mueller is back at 165 pounds after earning All-GLVC Second Team last season. Griffin Luke also returns after stepping in for Lawson Losee at 174 pounds last season. Braxten Westendorf is the team's returner from last season at the 184 spot after posting a 23-8 record last season. Jose Del Toro is back for his sophomore campaign at the heavyweight spot.

"We'll continue evaluating different combinations to put together our strongest possible lineup," Grimm said. "I anticipate making adjustments throughout the early part of the season leading up to the Midwest Classic in December." 

MEET THE PEACOCKS: NEWCOMERS
The top newcomer for Upper Iowa is Tyler Hannah, a transfer from Wisconsin-Platteville. Hannah enters the season ranked No. 12 at the heavyweight spot, but is currently competing against Freeman at 197. Hannah and Freeman may be interchangeable at the top of the weight order this year. 

The Peacocks also added six new freshmen to the lineup, including Brandon Salinas and Layne Kleppe at the heavyweight spot. Kleppe is a local talent out of North Fayette Valley High School. Dokken Biladeau at 165, Kameron Kremer at 141, Jeremiah Luke at 197 and Jaxson Lundgren at 149 are all new to the team this year. 

Upper Iowa also added two other transfers to the mix. Tucker Stangel comes to the Peacocks from Iowa State and is eligible to compete after the semester at 165 pounds. Cory Scanlan joins the team at 174 pounds from North Iowa Area Community College.

MEET THE PEACOCKS: COACHING STAFF
Grimm's 27th season with the team features a new assistant coach in Spencer Mooberry, who competed at the Division I level for Northern Illinois at 197 pounds. The Osage native was also a high school standout, winning an Iowa State Championship in 2021 at 182 pounds following a 51-4 record. 

"Spencer has a tremendous passion for wrestling and building relationships with our athletes," Grimm said. "The support he provides our student-athletes is impressive, and he continues to develop strong connections with each of them."

Carl Broghammer also returns after being named an Upper Iowa Hall of Famer this fall. All-American Colter Bye and two-time national qualifier Ryan Wehner continue to be a part of the staff, while two-time national qualifier Ethen Doty is back with the team in a student coaching role. 

NWCA PRESEASON POLL
The Peacocks had four wrestlers featured in the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) preseason rankings. Losee had the highest ranking of any Peacock, being tabbed at No. 6 at 174 pounds.

Klostermann came in at  No. 12 at 157 pounds, Hannah was ranked No. 12 at 285 pounds and Freeman is at No. 13 at 197 pounds. This was the second straight season that Losee and Freeman have been featured in the NWCA preseason rankings. 

In the team rankings, the Peacocks received the 28th-most votes in the poll with 14.5. McKendree (Ill.) is the highest-rated team in the GLVC at No. 8, followed by Grand Valley State (Mich.) at No. 9, Indianapolis at No. 10 and Quincy (Ill.) tied for No. 25.  

GLVC PRESEASON POLL
The Peacocks were picked fourth in the 2026-27 GLVC Preseason Coaches Poll. McKendree took first in the poll for the third straight season with 34 points and five first-place votes. Grand Valley State, which is new to the conference this year, finished second with 30 points and two first-place votes. UIndy came in third with 25 points. 

2026 GLVC MEN'S WRESTLING PRESEASON POLL

SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE
Before the Midwest Classic on Dec. 19-20 in Indianapolis, the Peacocks will compete in four open tournaments at the Yellowjacket Open on Nov. 7, the Luther Open on Nov. 14, the Auggie Open on Nov. 21 and the Buena Vista Open on Dec. 5. UIU will also face Ellsworth Community College, No. 6 Minnesota State and Hawkeye Community College in nonconference duals.

GLVC action starts on Dec. 6 against Maryville (Mo.). The Peacocks also host preseason GLVC No. 1 McKendree (Ill.) at home for senior night on Wednesday, Jan. 20. 

"We always want to bring our toughest opponents into Dorman Memorial Gymnasium," Grimm said. "We embrace those challenges and take pride in protecting our home mat. Having strong conference competition at home allows us to test ourselves and continue growing as a team."

The Peacocks also have three major events in the area, starting with the NWCA National Duals after Christmas break on Jan. 8-9. Upper Iowa also hosts the GLVC Championships in Dorman Memorial Gymnasium on Feb. 14. This year's Division II National Championships are also hosted by Upper Iowa in Cedar Rapids on March 12-13. 

"It's a great opportunity to showcase Division II wrestling to the state of Iowa, our campus and the local community," Grimm said. "We take pride in highlighting the talent at this level and appreciate the opportunity to bid on hosting the event every four years. It's something we enjoy doing and take pride in doing a good job with it."