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    Northern Iowa signs five wrestlers

    CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- The University of Northern Iowa wrestling team has signed five wrestlers to National Letters-of-Intent, head coach Brad Penrith announced today. Inking to wrestle for the Panthers starting in 2009-2010 are Jake Demmon (Ottumwa, Iowa/Eddyville-Blakesburg HS), Joe Johnson (Swea City, Iowa/Algona HS/Iowa Central CC), Joey Lazor (McDonough, Ga./Union Grove HS), Ryan Loder (Granite Bay, Calif./Granite Bay HS), Brice Wolf (Greeley, Colo./Greeley Central HS).

    Demmon (125/133 lbs.) captured a state title in 2008 for Eddyville-Blakesburg High School as he pinned his way through the 119-pound weight class. Demmon's title capped a perfect junior season at 42-0. He was a freestyle regional runner-up and earned All-America honors with a seventh-place finish at Junior Nationals. In 2007, he placed third in the state tournament with a mark of 45-3 at 119 pounds. He was a sectional and regional champ in 2007. Demmon also captured the 2007 freestyle state championship. As a freshman, he qualified for state in the 112-pound weight class with a 36-5 record. Demmon is a three-time academic all-district and first-team all-district honoree. Demmon has compiled a three-year prep record of 123-8. Demmon is ranked fifth in the nation in his weight class in freestyle wrestling by W.I.N. Magazine.

    "We are extremely happy to have Jake sign with us," Penrith said. "He is one of the finest wrestlers in the state. He is very hard-nosed, wrestles hard and has a gas tank. He loves the sport."

    Johnson (184/197 lbs.) is ranked No. 2 in the nation at 184 pounds going into his sophomore season at Iowa Central Community College. Johnson placed fourth at last year's NJCAA national meet. Johnson was a three-time state placer at Algona High School. Johnson placed fourth in the state as a senior at 189 pounds after posting a 34-2 record. He placed fourth in the state as a junior at 171 pounds. He tallied a fifth-place finish at 171 pounds at the 2005 state tournament. Johnson posted a prep record of 121-23. He was a two-time first-team all-state linebacker in high school.

    "Joe is very discipline, motivated, and hasn't even come close to reaching his full potential," Penrith said. "He may be our diamond in the rough this year. I'm excited to add another quality Iowa high school wrestler to our program."

    Lazor (133/141 lbs.) recently placed third in the nation at the Super 32s. He won the 130-pound Class AAAAA state championship in Georgia as a junior with a perfect 45-0 record. Lazor has compiled a prep record of 163-8 heading into his senior season. He placed second in the state as a sophomore in the 119-pound weight class and also placed fourth in the state as a freshman at 103 pounds. Lazor placed third at the 2008 Brute Adidas Nationals. He is ranked as the 12th-best senior in the nation in his weight class by W.I.N. Magazine.

    "Joey puts a lot of high goals on himself," Penrith said. "He has a very positive attitude and strong work ethic both in the classroom and on the mat. He has a natural feel on the mat, comes out on top a lot."

    Loder (184 lbs.) is the 90th-ranked overall recruit in the nation by InterMat. He is ranked as the 6th-best senior recruit in his weight class by W.I.N. Magazine. He is ranked as the ninth-best senior recruit in his weight class by InterMat. Loder is a four-time high school All-American and he placed sixth in the state tournament as junior. Loder placed in the top-12 in the state of California as a sophomore. He placed third at Cadets in 2007 and sixth at Juniors in 2008. He has compiled a high school record of 124-19 heading into his senior season.

    "We feel Ryan will be an excellent all-around wrestler for us," Penrith said. "He is very focused, has a great attitude and we feel his potential is unlimited."

    Wolf (174 lbs.) is the 46th-ranked overall recruit in the nation by InterMat. Wolf placed fourth at the 2008 High School Nationals. Wolf is a three-time state placer in the state of Colorado and won the state title as a sophomore. He placed fifth in the state as a freshman and notched a third-place finish as a junior. He is a three-time all-conference honoree. Wolf has compiled a prep record of 116-13 heading into his senior season. Wolf is a two-time football letterwinner. He has earned the Academic Excellence Award and maintains a 3.57 grade point average. He was a Colorado High School Athletic Association Academic All-State honorable mention honoree. He wrestled for head coaches Eric Penfold and Joe Banas in high school. He plans to major in business and minor in art at UNI.

    "We're really excited to have Brice join our program," Penrith said. "He has a great work ethic and passion for the sport. He wrestles very hard. He is in a weigh class where we need some depth. He is our first kid from Colorado since Steve Ertl."

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