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    Upper Iowa University Sports Information •

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    Upper Iowa closes season with Legends Dinner

    The Upper Iowa wrestling program hosted their annual Legends Dinner and handed out their post-season awards. Tony Gehling was once again the team's leader in the classroom with a 3.71 GPA; he has earned the highest GPA on the team for the last four years. J.R. Baker claimed the most falls on the season with 13. Gehling and Baker tied for the most wins as each had their hand raised 29 times. The Most Improved Wrestler award also went to J.R. Baker, while Gehling was named the team's Most Inspirational Wrestler. Kyle Pedretti was named the team's Most Dedicated Wrestler, while Trevor Franklin earned the recognition as the team's Outstanding Freshman. The final award of the night, Outstanding Wrestler, was split between Upper Iowa's two NCAA All-Americans this year; Travis Eggers was the National Runner Up at 157 pounds and Mitch Norton finished 5th at 174 pounds at the Championships.

    Upper Iowa took six national qualifiers to the 2009 NCAA Division II Sports Festival and battled to a 10th place finish with three All-Americans to score 37 points. Travis Eggers (157 lbs) earned his second All-American honor with a second place finish. Mitch Norton (174 lbs) lost in the semifinals to the eventual champion. He fought back to claim his first All-American honor with a 5th place finish. Tony Gehling (184 lbs) made the most of his first trip to nationals by earning an 8th place finish and All-American recognition. Kyle Pedretti (125 lbs), Trevor Franklin (133 lbs), and JR Baker (141 lbs) each went 1-2 in the National Championships.

    The Peacocks finished 3rd in the team standings at the NCAA Division II Super Regional in Marshall, MN, fueled by their six National Qualifiers. Trevor Franklin (133 lbs) and Mitch Norton (174 lbs) each claimed their first regional titles; as they each earn First Team All-Conference honors. JR Baker (141 lbs) and Travis Eggers (157 lbs) wrestled to runner-up finishes giving them Second Team All-Conference honors. Kyle Pedretti (125 lbs) wrestled to a third place finish and Tony Gehling (184 lbs) wrestled back to a true fourth place match to punch his ticket to Houston. Derek Stolarzyk (149 lbs) and Brett Hakeman (165 lbs) both took fifth place respectively.

    The Upper Iowa wrestling team finished its dual season with a 13-4 record. Within the losses is Division I Edinboro which placed 6th in the team standings. Two of the defeats are from the NWCA National Duals in Cedar Falls where the Peacock wrestlers finished 7th with a 3-2 record. One of these losses was to Newberry in the quarterfinals; Newberry finished 2nd at this year's Championships. The other came to Western State College, who finished 7th at the Championships. The final loss came at Minnesota State University, Mankato in NSIC dual competition. The Mavericks finished 3rd in the NCAA Division II National Tournament. The Peacocks finished 2nd in the Northern Sun Conference race. In their first four years in the NSIC, the Peacocks have finished second twice and claimed conference titles in the second and third years.

    The Legends Dinner attendance reached a new high as the dining hall was filled with Upper Iowa wrestling alumni and family. The banquet awards sparked the attention of many wrestling alumni and demonstrated that the Peacocks Wrestlers best years in the NCAA Division II ranks are still yet to come.
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