UNI Wrestling Preps for No. 12 Virginia Tech, Old Dominion

UNI Wrestling (2-4 overall / 1-2 MAC)
6 p.m. CT Jan. 15: at No. 12 Virginia Tech (7-2); Blacksburg, Virginia

Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre at the Moss Arts Center's Street and Davis Performance Hall (1,100)
FREE live stream

noon CT Jan. 17: at Old Dominion (4-5 overall / 0-0 MAC)

Ted Constant Center; Norfolk, Virginia
Live stream for a fee

CEDAR FALLS, IOWA – UNI wrestling faces its fourth top-20 team and its fourth MAC opponent this weekend in two separate duals.

UNI starts the weekend at No. 12 Virginia Tech Friday before heading to Old Dominion for a Sunday dual. Virginia Tech has moved the dual to its performing arts center, where wrestlers will compete on the stage of the Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre. The theater, located in the Moss Arts Center, seats 1,100.

Virginia Tech fell to No. 12 this week from No. 5 after a 16-14 loss to Iowa State at the Virginia Duals Jan. 9. The Hokies have eight wrestlers ranked in the top 20.

Old Dominion will open its official MAC season on Alumni Weekend when it hosts UNI Sunday. ODU dropped a dual to Kent State, 23-13, at the final day of the Virginia Duals last weekend. The Monarchs have four wrestlers ranked in the top 20.

There will only be two re-matches out of both duals. Josh Alber will be looking to avenge a loss to Emilio Saavedra of Old Dominion at 133 pounds. Saavedra beat Alber at the Midlands Championships. Blaize Cabell will see Ty Walz of Virginia Tech for the fourth time in his career. It will be the first match between Cabell and Walz this season. Cabell leads the series 3-0.

LAST YEAR DUALS

UNI got wins from Jarrett Jensen, Cooper Moore, Basil Minto and Blaize Cabell. However, it was the Hokies who would take the dual, 20-12.

JAN. 16: VIRGINIA TECH 20, UNI 12

125 - #4 Joey Dance (VT) dec. #6 Dylan Peters 5-3
133 - #18 Kevin Norstrem (VT) dec. Leighton Gaul 10-5
141 - #3 Devin Carter (VT) tech fall Jake Hodges 22-7 (4:47)
149 - #13 Sal Mastriani (VT) dec. Gunnar Wolfensperger 7-6
157 - Jarrett Jensen dec. Jake Spengler (VT) 5-0
165 - #12 Cooper Moore dec. Chad Strube (VT) 4-3
174 - #9 Zach Epperly (VT) dec. Curt Maas 6-2
184 - Austin Gabel (VT) dec. Cody Caldwell 10-3
197 - Basil Minto dec. Jared Haught (VT) 6-4 SV1
285 - #15 Blaize Cabell dec. #7 Ty Walz (VT) 5-3

UNI notched its first top-20 win of the season and closed out the dual season with a win over No. 21 Old Dominion. It came down to the final match, and Jarrett Jensen got a first-period fall to seal the Panther victory.

FEB. 20: UNI 18, OLD DOMINION 16

165 - #16 Tristan Warner (ODU) dec. #9 Cooper Moore 7-4
174 - Austin Coburn (ODU) dec. Curt Maas 3-1
184 - #3 Jack Dechow (ODU) dec. Kyle Lux 4-2
197 - Basil Minto dec. Kevin Beazley (ODU) 3-1
285 - #10 Blaize Cabell dec. Matt Tourdot (ODU) 11-4
125 - #5 Dylan Peters dec. Brandon Jeske (ODU) 8-3
133 - Leighton Gaul dec. Michael Hayes (ODU) 12-6
141 - #12 Chris Mecate (ODU) dec. Tyler Willers 9-2
149 - #12 Lenny Richardson (ODU) maj. dec. Tyler Patten 13-2
157 - #28 Jarrett Jensen pinned T.C. Warner (ODU) 2:14

THE LINEUPS (UNI / VT / ODU)

UNI	#12 Virginia Tech	Old Dominion
125 - Leighton Gaul Tied for 1st at BVU Open/2nd at UNI Open	#3 Joey Dance All-American in 2014/undefeated in duals	Brandon Jeske 2x NCAA qualifier/#4 in MAC
133 - #17 Josh Alber Beat #19 and #12 this year/2nd Midlands/5th Cliff Keen	Dennis Gustafson redshirted last year/ 2013 ACC champion/ NCAA qualifier	#14 Emilio Saavedra Midlands champ/#3 in MAC
141 - #19 Jake Koethe Beat #15 and #17 this year/BVU Open champ or Trevor Jauch Has fall over #15	#11 Solomon Chishko undefeated in duals/RS freshman	# 9 Chris Mecate 3x NCAA qualifier/6th in 2015/ #1 in MAC
149 - Jake Hodges Tied for first at BVU	Sal Mastriani NCAA qualifier	#8 Alexander Richardson 3x NCAA qualifier/7th in 2015/#1 MAC
157 - Bryce Steiert Beat #12, #17, #18 this year/6th at Cliff Keen/ first true freshman to start since 2010 / #4 MAC	#5 Nick Brascetta 2x two-time All-American/4th in 2015/ 8th in 2013/3x ACC champ Jake Spengler had redshirt pulled midseason in 2015	Devin Geoghegan 2nd at the NJCAA in 2013/competed for ICCC Austin Eads wrestled at 149,165 pounds
165 - #8 Cooper Moore 2x NCAA qualifier/2x MAC champ or Taylor Berger first dual losses were to top-15 wrestlers	#19 Dave McFadden true freshman/2x New Jersey champ at 145 poundsas prep	Seldon Wright Freshman/won 160-pound title at state as a prep in Virginia
174 - Drew Foster 2nd at Cobber Open or Kyle Lux Won Cobber Open	#4 Zach Epperly 7th at 2015 NCAA David Bergida has not wrestled a match yet this year	Brooks Climmons 2x Georgia state prep/spent a year at the Olympic Training Center upon high school graduation.
184 - Cody Caldwell 2014 NCAA qualifier	#14 Zack Zavatsky wrestled unattached last year	#6 Jack Dechow 4th 2015 NCAA/2x NCAA qualifier/ 2x MAC champ/#2 in MAC
197 - Jared Bartel 6th at 2014 MAC/has wrestled 5 top-15 opponents this year Cody Krumwiede Won UNI Open	#8 Jared Haught NCAA qualifier. Austin Gabel 2013/2014 NCAA qualifier at 174/ moved to 184 pounds in 2015	Austin Coburn wrestled 174 pounds last year
285 - #15 Blaize Cabell 2x NCAA qualifier	#3 Ty Walz 7th at 2015 NCAA/2x NCAA qualifier/undefeated this season Dan Garwood has not competed in a team dual yet	Andrew Snyder freshman with 2-10 record or Andrew Pacheco freshman with 5-9 record

125: Leighton Gaul (7-5)
After starting at 133 pounds last year, Gaul is back in the lineup at 125 pounds as a sophomore. He tied for first at the Buena Vista Open this year and took second at the UNI. He is looking for his

In 2014, No. 3 Joey Dance was an All-American at 125 pounds finishing fourth as a freshman. He was named ACC Freshman of the Year. Last year, he went 2-2 at the NCAA tournament, falling in the round of 12. His only loss is a 5-4 decision to Nathan Tomasello of Ohio State. He is undefeated in duals (5-0)
Junior Brandon Jeske (9-6) is a two-time NCAA qualifier ranked fourth in the MAC.

133: No. 18 Josh Alber (21-5)
Alber will get a rematch from the Midlands Championships, where he took second. The champion, Emilio Saavedra of Old Dominion, cracked the MAC rankings and bumped Alber out of the top four. He will have a chance to avenge the 4-2 loss that came in the second sudden victory.
The redshirt freshman has three top-20 wins with decisions over No. 12 Josh Martinez of Air Force and No. 20 Anthony Giraldo of Rutgers two times.

Dennis Gustafson redshirted last year after a successful season as a true freshman. He was the ACC Champion at 133 pounds in 2014, earning an automatic bid to the national tournament. He went 1-2 at the NCAAs. He will be making his season debut this weekend.
No. 14 Emilio Saavedra (15-4) became ODU's second wrestler to capture a Midlands title when he beat Alber in the second sudden victory, 4-2. He is ranked third in the MAC.

141: Trevor Jauch (12-6) or Jake Koethe (23-7)
Koethe is one of seven Panthers with wins over top-20 opponents. He cracked the national rankings this week after an 8-4 decision over No. 15 Steve Bleise of Northern Illinois. He beat No. 17 Anthony Abidin of Nebraska, 8-4, at Midlands in late December. He has won the Buena Vista Open two years in a row.
Jauch is one of four Panthers leading the team in falls. His biggest pin was against No. 15 Jamel Hudson of Hofstra. He notched three more en route to winning the Cobber Open and grabbed two more at the Midlands Championships.

No. 11 Solomon Chishko is undefeated in duals (5-0) and is 13-2 overall. He is a redshirt freshman.
No. 9 Chris Mecate (12-3) is a senior with three NCAA tournaments under his belt. He took sixth last year to earn his first All-American honor. He is the conference leader at 141 pounds.

149: Jake Hodges (11-8)
Hodges started for UNI at 141 pounds last year and has competed the early part of the season at the lighter weight. He tied for first at the Buena Vista Open. He made his dual debut last weekend against Eastern Michigan and Northern Illinois.

Sal Mastriani fell in the Round of 12 at his first NCAA tournament last year.
No. 8 Alexander Richardson (12-3) is a senior who has competed at the NCAA tournament three times. He was seventh last year. He holds the MAC's top ranking at 149 pounds.

157: No. 20 Bryce Steiert (13-6)
Steiert cracked the national rankings last week after another top-20 win. He beat No. 18 Tyler Berger of Nebraska at the Midlands Championships. Steiert has wins over No. 12 Dylan Cottrell of West Virginia and No. 17 Eleazar DeLuca of Northern Colorado.
Despite staying perfect in last week's duals, he dropped out of the rankings. He is now ranked fourth in the MAC.
He took sixth at the Cliff Keen Invite in early December.

No. 5 Nick Brascetta is a three-time ACC Champion and two-time All-American. He was fourth last year despite injuries. He redshirted his 2013-14 season after taking eighth as a sophomore in 2013. He is 1-1 overall this year and 1-1 in duals.
Jake Spengler wrestled part of last year unattached before his redshirt was pulled midseason. He is 0-5 overall and 0-3 in duals.
Senior Devin Geoghegan (9-7) has an Iowa connection. He took second at the NJCAA in 2013 while competing for Iowa Central Community College.
Austin Eads (11-9) has wrestled at 149 pounds and 165 pounds for the Monarchs. He is a sophomore.

165: Tyler Berger (4-5) or No. 8 Cooper Moore (7-4)
Moore is the reigning conference champion. He is a two-time national qualifier and took eighth at the Cliff Keen this year. Moore is ranked second in the MAC.
Berger started the year in the lineup at 165 pounds, going 1-2 at the Journeymen/Asics Northeast Duals. Both losses were to top-15 opponents.

No. 19 Dave McFadden is a true freshman. He won two consecutive state titles in New Jersey at 145 pounds. He is 10-3 overall and undefeated in duals (5-0)
Seldon Wright (13-9) is a freshman. He won the 160-pound title at state as a prep in Virginia.

174: Drew Foster (11-9) or Kyle Lux (4-2)
Foster was second at the Cobber Open this year and won the Joe Parisi Open last year. He is 11-9 on the season and looking for his first dual win. He and Lux have split time in the dual lineup.
Lux also has wrestled at 165 pounds and 184 pounds for the Panthers. He won this year's Finn Grinaker Cobber Open.

No. 4 Zach Epperly took seventh at last year's national tournament as a redshirt freshman. He was 24-8 overall. He starts this year 2-1 overall and 2-1 in duals.
David Bergida has not wrestled a match yet this year
Sophonore Brooks Climmons (6-8) won two state championships as a prep athlete in Georgia. He spent a year at the Olympic Training Center upon high school graduation.

184: Cody Caldwell (8-9)
Caldwell is a returning NCAA qualifier. The senior took fourth at the MAC tournament as a sophomore to earn an automatic bid to the national tournament at 174 pounds. He moved to the 184-pound weight class as a junior.

No. 14 Zack Zavatsky wrestled unattached last year. He is 11-4 overall and 3-2 in duals.
Junior No. 6 Jack Dechow (7-1) is a two-time NCAA qualifier. He was fourth at the NCAA tourney as a redshirt freshman in 2014. He has won the MAC Conference Championships two years in a row and is currently ranked second in the conference.

197: Jared Bartel (4-7) or Cody Krumwiede (8-6)
In 2013-14, Bartel represented the Panthers at the MAC tournament as a redshirt freshman after wrestling one dual. He lost 3-2 to Scott in sudden victory and took sixth. He competed in three duals as a sophomore the next year. He is 1-3 in duals this year, splitting time with Krumwiede. He has faced five opponents in the top 20 so far this year.
Krumwiede is coming off a recent win at the UNI Open. He lost his only dual for the Panthers this season. The senior moved down from heavyweight last season.

No. 8 Jared Haught is 10-5 overall and 4-1 in duals. He is a returning NCAA qualifier.
Austin Gabel qualified for the NCAA tournament at 174 pounds in 2013 and 2014 before moving up to 184 pounds in 2015. His season was cut short by a knee injury. He would be making his season debut if he wrestles Friday.
Senior Austin Coburn (5-11) moved up from wrestling 174 pounds last year. He was the starter at that weight. He went 8-10 in duals

285: No. 15 Blaize Cabell (11-5)
Cabell is the conference leader and two-time NCAA qualifier. He has a top-10 win over Billy Smith of Rutgers. His undefeated dual record last season made him eighth among all Panthers with the most dual wins in a single season. In his MAC dual opener, Cabell notched 12 takedowns against James Romero of Missouri.
Cabell is the MAC leader at this weight.
He is 3-0 against Ty Walz since their first matchup in 2013. The last match went into sudden victory at the NCAA tournament, where Cabell won 3-1.

No. 3 Ty Walz is a two-time NCAA qualifier. He took seventh last year for his first All-American honor. He is undefeated so far this season.
Dan Garwood is 3-1 this season and has not competed in a team dual yet.
ODU will have one of two freshmen at this weight with Andrew Snyder (2-10) or Andrew Pacheco (5-9).

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