UNI Wrestlers Knock Of #4 Oklahoma

It was like déjà vu for the UNI wrestling team when they knocked off undefeated No. 4 Oklahoma, 19-17 on Sunday, January 19, 2014.

Just as it did last season in the West Gym at UNI, the team win came down to the final match of the dual. UNI didn’t come out with the victory in heavyweight, but they had built a lead that Oklahoma was unable to overcome.

“It was a good team win, and it was good for them to come together,” said head coach Doug Schwab. “You can see them growing from it. They are starting to believe they are a really good team. We just need to keep building.”

UNI got out front 12-0 and Dylan Peters and Joey Lazor beat two highly ranked opponents before the Sooners could get on the board.

“We started off strong against three All-Americans,” said Schwab. “It was big for us to get up 12-0 and earn bonus points at 141 pounds.”

UNI improves to 6-0 in duals. The Panthers are ranked second to Missouri in the Mid-American Conference.

“We feel good about the win, but there are some situations that we have to put our foot on their throats a little more. Our guys know that,” said Schwab.

RANKINGS

The Sooners are ranked fourth in the USA Today/NWCA/AWN Division I Coaches Poll. They are fifth in the latest InterMat poll.
UNI entered the dual ranked ninth in the USA Today/NWCA/AWN Division I Coaches Poll and seventh by InterMat.

MATCH BY MATCH:

Redshirt freshman Peters got UNI off to a strong start by knocking of No. 5 Jarrod Patterson in the 125-pound match. No. 7 Peters earned a reversal off injury time and earned riding time to win 4-1.
Joe Colon defended his top ranking in the 133-pound weight class and stayed perfect (6-0) in duals with a 7-5 win over No. 8 Cody Brewer.
Just when it looked as if the Panthers would lose its first match of the day, No. 15 Joey Lazor flipped off his back to earn his fastest fall of the season against No. 10 Nick Lester in 2 minutes, 6 seconds.
The Sooners’ Kendric Maple stopped the Panthers’ run. Tyler Patten couldn’t hold off No. 3 Maple in the final seconds, and Maple went on to get the final points needed for a major decision win, 10-1.
An early takedown put Jarrett Jensen in the lead at 157 pounds, and he continued to dominate until the third period. A series of takedowns by No. 19 Justin DeAngelis tied up the score, where a takedown in overtime sealed the 17-15 win for the Sooners.
At 165 pounds, Clark Glass held off No. 11 Cooper Moore early, but Moore took the match 6-2 to break the Sooners’ streak.
Andrew Howe proved why he was ranked first in the nation at 174 pounds with a 22-8 major decision win over No. 16 Cody Caldwell of UNI.
No. 5 Ryan Loder returned to the dual lineup to defend his perfect dual record and earn his second major decision of the season. He kept Danny Chaid scoreless, winning 13-0.
UNI led 19-11 with the final two matches to go. Basil Minto refused to give up bonus points to No. 3 Travis Rutt, keeping the Panthers in the lead. However, Rutt would go on to win the 198-pound match, 6-3.
It was up to Blaize Cabell to keep the Panthers in the lead. He kept the score close, but lost 5-4 to No. 18 Ross Larson.

CAT STATS

Four Panthers in today’s lineup remain undefeated in duals: Peters, Colon, Lazor, Loder.
Peters is two falls away from making the list of top 10 Panthers with most falls in a single season. He has 13 pins total, with eight of them coming against a Division I opponents. Those eight falls put him sixth in the nation for most wins by fall.
Colon is the Panthers’ first top-ranked wrestler since Dylan Long in 2003. Long went on to finish second at the Division I national championships in the 141-pound weight class. Colon is second in the nation for the most wins by technical fall. Colon hasn’t lost a dual since joining the Panthers in the 2011-12 season. His .952 winning percentage makes him third on the all-time list of highest winning percentages for a single season.
Lazor has the second most career wins on the team. His win today was No. 75. Loder leads the team with 103.
Loder has not lost a dual since the 2011-12 season. He has the fifth-highest career winning percentage (.817) of all Panthers with at least 50 wins.
Prior to this season, UNI had not been ranked in the top 10 since 2003.

NEXT UP: The Panthers return home to host the conference favorite, Missouri. The dual is set for 7 p.m. Jan. 24. Very few tickets remain. To order, go online at UNIPanthers.com or call (319) 273-4849.

FINAL RESULTS: UNI 19, OU 17