Sat., March 8 at NCAA West Regional (Fargo, N.D. - 10 a.m.)
The University of Northern Iowa Panthers' wrestling team will travel to Fargo, N.D., for the 2008 NCAA West Regional on Sat., March 8.
The 20 individual qualifiers will advance to St. Louis, Mo., and the Scottrade Center for the 2008 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships March 20-22.
UNI PANTHERS (7-5-1)
Wt. Name Year Hometown 07-08 Record
125 Caleb Flores R-Fr. Rosemead, Calif. 6-13
133 Josh Baldridge Jr. Haysville, Kan. 5-5
141 C.J. Ettelson Sr. Hudson, Iowa 12-8
149 Nick Pickerell R-Fr. Albia, Iowa 18-7
157 Tyson Reiner So. Mitchell, S.D. 3-6
165 Moza Fay Jr. Anamosa, Iowa 18-6
174 Alex Dolly Sr. Mishawaka, Ind. 14-9
184 Andy O'Loughlin R-Fr. Independence, Iowa 10-14
197 Andrew Anderson Jr. Sioux City, Iowa 17-9
285 Dustin Bauman R-Fr. Stratford, Wis. 11-12
PANTHER POINTS
NCAA WEST REGIONAL INFORMATION
The NCAA has allocated 20 individual qualifying spots for the 2008 West Regional. The Panthers will join the host school North Dakota State along with Air Force, Northern Colorado, South Dakota State and Wyoming at the NCAA West Regional.
Round one action will begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday in the Bison Sports Arena. The semifinals will begin at 11:30 a.m., followed by the consolation semifinals at 2 p.m. The finals and consolation finals will begin at 4 p.m. The "True Second" matches will take place following the finals, if necessary.
Immediately following the final wrestling action of the evening the coaches will take part in the Wild Card Meeting to determine all 20 qualifiers for the NCAA Championships.
Ticket prices for the NCAA West Regional are $12 for adults and $6
for 17-under. Children 2-under are free with paid adult admission. To order tickets call the NDSU ticket office at (888) 231-NDSU or order online at GoBison.com/tickets.
PANTHERS AIMING FOR 23RD STRAIGHT REGIONAL TITLE
The Panthers will be looking for their 23rd straight West Regional championship on March 8. UNI has won the past 22 regional team titles it has entered. The last time UNI did not win the regional title came in 1985 when Louisiana State secured the team title.
UNI'S NATIONAL QUALIFIERS UNDER PENRITH
Head coach Brad Penrith and the Panthers' goal each year is to qualify all 10 wrestlers for the NCAA Championships. UNI qualified as many as nine under Penrith's tutelage at the 2003 West Regional.
In 1986, UNI qualified all 10 of its wrestlers to the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. It is the only time in the Division I era that UNI has qualified all 10 wrestlers to the national meet. According to wrestling records kept by Jay Hammond, 66 teams have qualified 10 individuals in a single season to the national meet since 1973, including all 10 last season by Iowa State University.
Year-by-Year Qualifiers to NCAAs under Penrith
2001 - 8 qualifiers
2002 - 8 qualifiers
2003 - 9 qualifiers
2004 - 7 qualifiers
2005 - 7 qualifiers
2006 - 8 qualifiers
2007 - 6 qualifiers
Caleb Flores - 125 lbs.
Redshirt freshman Caleb Flores (Rosemead, Calif.) will be making his first appearance at the NCAA West Regional.
Flores went 2-2 against his regional opponents in 2007-08. He tallied six wins on the season, including four in dual competition.
Josh Baldridge - 133 lbs.
Junior Josh Baldridge (Haysville, Kan.) will be making his regional debut after transferring to UNI from Labette Community College at the beginning of the spring semester. Bahe has posted an overall mark of 5-5 since joining the Panthers.
Baldridge is a perfect 4-0 against West Regional opponents this season with wins over Wyoming's Cory VomBaur (4-1), UNC's Blayze Bahe (5-2), SDSU's Nick Kulseth (9-1) and NDSU's Eric Sanders (14-5.
C.J. Ettelson - 141 lbs.
Senior C.J. Ettelson (Hudson, Iowa) is a three-time national qualifer and a two-time West Regional champion. Ettelson is 12-8 this season and has not lost to a West Regional opponent this season in four matches.
Ettelson scored wins over Wyoming's Brandon Gifford (16-0), UNC's Richard Lohr (Fall, 0:54), SDSU's Jeff Cooley (5-0) and NDSU's Geoff Martin (Fall, 5:17).
Ettelson owns victories this season over then No. 1-ranked Kellen Russell (Michigan), 9-3. Russell is currently ranked No. 6 in the nation at 141 pounds.
Ettelson also tallied a 6-0 victory over No. 12-ranked Cody Cleveland (Chattanooga).
Nick Pickerell - 149 lbs.
Redshirt freshman Nick Pickerell (Albia, Iowa) will be making his NCAA West Regional debut as well. Pickerell is 18-7 overall this season, which includes a 3-2 mark in dual competition.
Pickerell is 2-0 against West Regional opponents this season with wins over UNC's Daniel Prater (16-7) and NDSU's Ryan Adams (15-0).
Pickerell picked up first-place honors in the 149-pound weight class at the Jim Fox Open on Dec. 8 and the Flash Flanagan Open on Jan. 5.
Tyson Reiner - 157 lbs.
Sophomore Tyson Reiner (Mitchell, S.D.) had been limited by injuries early in the season and posted three wins in his last five bouts this season.
Reiner is 2-0 vs. NCAA West Regional opponents with victories over Wyoming's Dane Fuhrman (8-1) and NDSU's Adam Aho (6-4).
Moza Fay - 165 lbs.
Junior Moza Fay (Anamosa, Iowa) will be looking to qualify to the national tournament for the second consecutive season. Fay captured the 157-pound regional title in 2007.
Fay reached the Round of 12 at last year's NCAA Championships in the 157-pound weight class. Fay is ranked No. 10 in the nation in the latest InterMat rankings.
Fay is 18-7 this season including a perfect 4-0 against NCAA West Regional opponents. Fay has wins over Wyoming's Eric Coxbill (11-3), UNC's Devan Lewis (17-5), Air Force's Stephen Crozier (13-2) and NDSU's Vince Salminen (Fall, 1:33).
Fay has split two matches this season with No. 7-ranked Jon Reader (Iowa State). Fay scored a 9-6 win on Dec. 16, while Reader tallied a 13-5 win on Jan. 12.
Fay won the 165-pound title at the Loras Open on Nov. 10 and placed second at the Kaufman-Brand Open on Nov. 17.
Alex Dolly - 174 lbs.
Senior Alex Dolly (Mishawaka, Ind.) will attempt to earn his third trip to the NCAA Championships. Dolly won the 184-pound title at the 2005 West Regional. He then placed second at the 2007 West Regional and earned a wild card into the NCAA Championships.
Dolly has posted a mark of 14-9 this season, which includes seven dual wins. Dolly is also 4-0 against West Regional opponents this season with wins over Wyoming's Kyle Morrow (2-1), UNC's Ryan Johnson (20-10), SDSU's Justin Retallic (Fall, 5:24) and NDSU's Shannon Fettig (Fall, 2:17).
Dolly placed first at the Loras Open on Nov. 10 and placed second at the Kaufman-Brand Open on Nov. 17.
Andy O'Loughlin - 184 lbs.
Redshirt freshman Andy O'Loughlin (Independence, Iowa) will be making his first appearance at the NCAA West Regional.
O'Loughlin has 10 victories on the season, including four in dual action.
O'Loughlin posted a 2-1 mark against West Regional opponents with wins over Wyoming's Mikel Hoopes (11-9) and SDSU's Matt Wetterling (17-6).
Andrew Anderson - 197 lbs.
Junior Andrew Anderson (Sioux City, Iowa) will be looking for his third trip to the national tournament in as many years. Anderson has been a wild card selection in each of the two previous years.
Anderson has posted an overall record of 17-9 this season, including an 8-5 mark in dual action. Anderson finished the regular season strong with six wins in his last seven matches.
The 197-pounder is 4-0 against West Regional competition this season with wins over Wyoming's Dan Barrone (Fall, 6:49), UNC's Patrick Carey (Fall, 1:22) and NDSU's Jacob Bryce (Fall, 1:40). Anderson also received a forfeit dual win against South Dakota State.
Anderson tallied wins over Wisconsin's No. 8-ranked Dallas Herbst (4-3) and Chattanooga's No. 17-ranked Matt Koz (6-1).
He placed sixth at the Midlands tournament on Dec. 30, marking the third time in as many years he has placed in the top six at one of the nation's most prestigious open tournaments. Anderson also tallied first-place honors at the Loras Open on Nov. 10 and placed second at the Kaufman-Brand Open on Nov. 17.
Dustin Bauman - 285 lbs.
Redshirt freshman Dustin Bauman (Stratford, Wis.) will be making his NCAA West Regional debut after posting 11 wins this season at heavyweight for the Panthers. Bauman also notched seven dual wins.
Bauman is 2-1 against West Regional opponents this season with victories over SDSU's Jeremy Swier (15-0) and NDSU's Tyler Hemmesch (10-0).
WEST REGIONAL ON THE RADIO
UNI Panther wrestling fans can follow the NCAA West Regional in the Cedar Valley by tuning in to 99.3-FM (KWAY) for all the action. Benjamin Hupke (play-by-play) and Benji Dolly (analyst) will have the call.
UNI WINS SECOND STRAIGHT WWC REGULAR SEASON TITLE
The Panthers secured its second straight Western Wrestling Conference regular season title with a 44-6 dual victory over North Dakota State on Feb. 24. UNI finished the 2007-08 conference dual season with a perfect 4-0 mark.
UNI won the 2006-07 WWC title with an identical 4-0 league record.
UNI DOMINATES WWC DUALS
Not only did the UNI wrestling team capture its second straight Western Wrestling Conference title, the Panthers did so in dominating fashion.
UNI outscored its WWC opponents by the count of 162-15. The Panthers lost only four bouts in league action this season.
ANDERSON NAMED WWC WRESTLER OF THE WEEK
University of Northern Iowa 197-pound junior Andrew Anderson has been named the Western Wrestling Conference's Wrestler of the Week as announced by league officials.
Anderson (Sioux City, Iowa/East HS) posted a perfect 2-0 mark this past week to improve to 17-9 on the season. Anderson scored a 6-5 victory over Jacob Marrs (Nebraska-Omaha), who is ranked No. 2 in NCAA Division II at 197 pounds. Anderson then added a first-period fall at the 1:40 mark of his match with NDSU's Jacob Bryce, who was a national qualifier in 2007. Anderson has won four matches in a row to end the dual portion of the season.
It marks the second time this season that Anderson has earned the league's top weekly honor (Jan. 23 & Feb. 27). UNI's Moza Fay has also been named the WWC Wrestler of the Week twice this season (Nov. 21 & Jan. 8).
PANTHERS BLAST BISON, 44-6
The University of Northern Iowa wrestling team clinched its second straight Western Wrestling Conference regular season title championship with a 44-6 victory over the North Dakota State University Bison on Feb. 24 in the McLeod Center.
The Panthers won nine of the 10 matches contested. UNI also tallied four falls and won the takedown battle, 21-5.
"It's probably the best we've wrestled to date," UNI head coach Brad Penrith said. "We are a good team and we proved that today. NDSU is a good team too, but we controlled all facets of the game today. We just took them out of their game plan. We have two weeks to get ready for regionals. We are all on the same page now."
PANTHERS TOPPLE D-II POWER NEBRASKA-OMAHA
The University of Northern Iowa wrestling team secured a 22-15 dual win over Nebraska-Omaha, the nation's top-ranked NCAA Division II team.
UNI won six of the 10 bouts against UNO on Thursday night in the Sapp Fieldhouse. UNI improved to 6-5-1 on the season, while Nebraska-Omaha dropped to 8-3 on the year.
"I thought we wrestled pretty solid," UNI head coach Brad Penrith said. "We made a mistake at 149, when we were in control of the match, but other than that we put up a strong effort. Now we are gearing up for North Dakota State on Sunday."
The Panthers now hold a 14-4 all-time series lead against the UNO Mavericks.
THREE PANTHERS ON THE DEAN'S LIST
Student-athletes at the University of Northern Iowa posted a 2.98 grade point average for the fall 2007 semester. In addition, the more than 400 student-athletes competing at UNI hold a cumulative GPA of 2.96.
Of the 96 student-athletes named to the Dean's List were three members of the UNI wrestling team. Junior Andrew Anderson (Sioux City, Iowa), sophomore Charlie Ettelson (Hudson, Iowa) and sophomore Scott Hazen (Underwood, Iowa) were the three Panther wrestlers named to the Dean's List.
"Our student-athletes' performance in the classroom equals their success on the field, court and pool," assistant athletics director for compliance Steve Schofield said. "They truly are students first and athletes second, and deserve a ton of credit for their hard work in the classroom. In addition, our coaching staffs have done a great job recruiting quality students to UNI, and emphasizing academics with their respective squads. Jennie Sell, athletics academic advisor, should also be recognized for the countless hours she works to help us achieve this level of success."
A total of 96 student-athletes made the dean's list this past fall (GPA 3.5 or better), or nearly 25 percent. These student-athletes, listed below, have majors spread across all disciplines, in five separate colleges: Business Administration, Education, Humanities and Fine Arts, Natural Sciences and Social and Behavioral Sciences.
Perhaps even more impressively, more than 50 percent of UNI's student-athletes recorded a grade point average of at least 3.0. UNI's student-athletes also had the same cumulative GPA (2.98) for the fall 2007 semester as UNI's general student population.
MOZA PINS TO WIN
Junior 165-pounder Moza Fay (Anamosa, Iowa) leads the squad this season with seven falls.
Fay tallied his team-leading seventh fall of the season with a first-period fall over North Dakota State's Vincent Salminen at the 1:33 mark. Fay's fall helped UNI to a 44-6 dual win over NDSU.
Fay reached the Round of 12 at last year's NCAA Championship and will be looking to make his second trip to nationals this season.
C.J. JOINS TOP-20 WIN LIST
Senior 141-pounder C.J. Ettelson upped is career win total to 92 with a pin win over NDSU's Geoff Martin.
Ettelson is tied with Efonda Sproles (1979-82) for the No. 20 spot on the Panthers' all-time win list. Kirk Myers (1978-82) and Rich Powers (1988-92) are tied at the top of the list with 134 wins apiece.
Ettelson is 92-45 overall in his career and 29-19 in duals.
ETTELSON MOVES TO #7 ON UNI'S ALL-TIME FALLS LIST
Ettelson moved to No. 7 on the Panthers' all-time pin list. He is tied with Joel Greenlee (1985-89) with 29 falls apiece.
With one more fall, Ettelson would move into a tie for fifth with Dion Cobb (1979-84) and Dan Kjeldgaard (1993-97).
Kirk Myers (1978-82) holds the Panthers' record for career pins with 61.
KITTLESON LEADS TEAM IN WINS
Redshirt freshman 149-pounder Trevor Kittleson (St. Ansgar, Iowa) leads the Panthers in wins this season with 21.
Kittleson has posted a mark of 21-9 this season, including an impressive 5-1 record in matches ending in a major decision. Kittleson won his first-ever collegiate dual match with a hard fought 2-0 decision over SDSU's Weston Blasius.
Kittleson has placed in the top six in five tournaments, including a championship in the Duhawk Open on Feb. 2.
PLEDGES FOR PINS
The 2007-08 wrestling season is well underway, but it's still not too late to participate in our second "Pledges for Pins" drive.
Let's look at what is being accomplished with pledges for last year's team total of 48 pins that brought in nearly $25,000.
A complete makeover of both sides of the West gym's north hallway, including action shots of all UNI national champions. (View the plans at www.thesignpeople.net; click on "Artwork," then enter "wrestling" as the "magic word.")
Coach Brad Penrith's former office now serves as a wrestlers' study and video room and contains a desk for assistant Tolly Thompson. The room's new doors now open into the assistant coaches' office.
A former athletic trainer's room was updated for the first time in about 30 years to become Brad's office.
Exposed plumbing was covered in a tiny custodial office now used for wrestling supplies.
Why is a Pledges for Pins drive necessary? Panther wrestlers compete in the first-rate McLeod center but sorely lack updated facilities in the West gym, which remains their home. This site pales in comparison to that of nearly every other Division I university, a definite recruiting disadvantage for the Panthers.
In recent years, rising costs and lower state funds have combined to severely limit help from the university itself, so those of us who care about returning the UNI program to its stature as one of the top in the nation are lending our support.
Any pledge amount, from $1 up, is welcome. Donors may specify a maximum number of pins for their contribution; for example, $20 for a maximum 50 pins ($1,000). Outright donations are also welcome, but PLEASE specify to the UNI Foundation that these are for the Pledges for Pins project. Contributors will be sent a statement at the end of the season, and all contributions are tax-deductible.
Pledges and donations should be sent to Pledges for Pins, UNI Foundation Accounting, 1221 W. 23rd St, Cedar Falls, IA 50614 -0239.
Last year, Panther wrestlers built an elementary school playground, moved a hospital daycare center's playground equipment, donated money for Christmas gifts for a classroom of low-income children (and sang them carols), read to children at area schools, and served as Safe Date escorts during Homecoming Week. And they did all this while posting the fifth-highest GPA in the nation, behind Duke, Stanford, Brown and Princeton! Now we can show them our spirit and concern.
NCAA DIVISION I WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPS IN ST. LOUIS
The 78th Annual NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships take place March 20-22, 2008, at Scottrade Center in St. Louis.
The Gateway City will once again host the tournament for two years as it heads back to the Arch in March.
For tickets to the 2008 championships, visit Ticketmaster.com or charge by phone at 314/ 421-1888 or 866/ 646-8849 (toll free).
For more information about the 2008 Wrestling Championships visit www.NCAAsports.com or www.stlsports.org/wrestling.
Good seats are still available for the 2008 NCAA Wrestling Championships. Fans can order tickets by calling 866/ 646-8849 or logging on to Ticketmaster.com. Tickets start as low as $60.
Groups of fifteen or more can call 314/ 206-7388 for great ticket discounts and special packages.
THE Brad Penrith SHOW
The Brad Penrith Show will be broadcast each Wednesday on KWAY (99.3-FM) from 7 p.m. - 8 p.m. Benjamin Hupke will serve as the show's host.
BOOSTER CLUB MEETINGS
The UNI wrestling Booster Club meetings are held the first Wednesday of every month at Biemann's Chuck Wagon on 2627 Center Street in North Cedar Falls (old 218).
WEEKLY PRESS LUNCHEONS
The UNI head coach Brad Penrith or a member of his coaching staff will be available at the weekly Press Luncheons held each Monday beginning at 12 noon in the back room of Pepper's Grill and Sports Pub located at 620 East 18th Street in Cedar Falls.
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