University of Northern Iowa Athletics
Cooper Moore Earns MAC Wrestler of the Week
2/10/2016 11:15:00 AM | Wrestling
CLEVELAND, Ohio – UNI wrestler Cooper Moore was named the MAC Wrestler of the Week for a win over a top-10 opponent in front of a sold-out crowd at the West Gym.
Moore, a junior from Jackson Minnesota, avenged a loss from the Cliff Keen Invite with a decision in sudden victory over Iowa State's No. 8 Tanner Weatherman.
Weatherman pinned No. 19 Moore at the tournament in early December. Moore took eighth overall. However, the Panther was able to turn things around when the two faced a second time at UNI's home dual Feb. 5.
Moore led Weatherman of No. 16 Iowa State 1-0 to start the third, but he cut Weatherman loose to tie it up 1-1 and force overtime. Moore got the takedown after an officials review to go on to win 3-1 in sudden victory. Moore is the reigning MAC champion at 165 pounds. He improved to 11-5 overall and remains undefeated in the MAC at 4-0.
UNI is wrapping up its dual schedule with the final two meets on the road before the MAC Championships set for March 5-6. The Panthers take on the Bison of North Dakota State 7 p.m. Saturday and will finish at Buffalo Feb. 19.
Additional Nominees:
Justin Oliver, Central Michigan—R-Freshman, Davison, Mich. (Davison High School)
Central Michigan redshirt freshman Justin Oliver's star continued to rise last weekend, as he went 2-0 in MAC duals, upping his win streak to 10 consecutive. On Friday, Oliver, wrestling at 149 lbs., scored a 4-1 win over Eastern Michigan's Nicholas Barber. On Sunday, Oliver scored a 14-3 major decision over Buffalo's Colt Cotten. Oliver owns an impressive 23-4 overall record with a 4-0 mark in MAC duals. Oliver leads Central Michigan in two-point takedowns this season with 76 and is third on the team with 250 match points earned.
Cole Baxter, Kent State—Senior, Butler, Pa. (Butler High School)
Kent State senior Cole Baxter helped the Flashes pull away late in a pair of conference victories on the road this past weekend. In Kent State's 22-13 victory at Northern Iowa, Baxter's 7-5 overtime win over Drew Foster gave Kent State a 19-10 lead with two matches remaining. Baxter scored a takedown in the final 10 seconds of regulation to force a sudden victory period, where tallied a match-winning takedown. One night earlier, Baxter topped Northern Illinois' Quinton Rosser 8-3, giving the Flashes an 18-9 lead on their way to a 21-12 win over the Huskies. Baxter improved to 20-9 on the year and 10-5 in dual meets, while Kent State improved to 13-3 with its seventh straight victory.
Blaise Butler, Missouri—Senior, Belvidere, Ill. (Boylan Catholic High School)
Missouri senior Blaise Butler recorded his third fall of dual competition and fourth overall on the year in the Tigers 26-14 win over Northern Illinois. Butler finished off Trace Engelkes at 1:53 for Mizzou's first six points of the dual. The fall helped Mizzou defeat Northern Illinois and capture the MAC Regular Season Championship for the second consecutive season. Butler is now 14-3 on the season and 9-2 in dual competition, complying 39 points, fourth most on the team. The Virginia transfer is ranked as high as No. 6 (FloWrestling) in the individual rankings.
Austin Eicher, Northern Illinois—R-Freshman, Fenton, Mich. (Hartland High School)
Northern Illinois redshirt freshman Austin Eicher knocked off No. 10 Zach Synon of Missouri on Sunday as the NIU wrestling team put a scare in the No. 5 Tigers. The NIU redshirt freshman 133-pounder earned a 5-3 decision in the second sudden victory period with a powerful takedown on the edge of the mat. Eicher received recognition from Flowrestling as one of the "Top 10 Upsets of the Week" in the college wrestling for his performance, which helped the Huskies keep the dual in doubt until the end, and Eicher nearly had another top-10 upset two days earlier when he lost to No. 9 Mack McGuire by 4-3 decision at the end.
Cody Walters, Ohio—Senior, Macedonia, Ohio
Ohio senior Cody Walters dominated from the get go and scored points easily en route to picking up a disqualification win via excessive stalling, 13-0, over Tyrell Forbes of Old Dominion. Walters landed a quick takedown in the first period on a single leg takedown and chased Forbes out of bounds. Cody then earned a two-point near fall after the reset starting in the top position. After earning his first point due to stalling by Forbes, Walters led 5-0 after the first. In the second, Cody nearly landed a takedown off the start but landed out of bounds. On the neutral restart, Cody got another takedown on a single-leg and a trip and dominated the frame from the top taking a 7-0 lead into the third period.
In the third, Walters earned four more points on stalling calls and landed a reversal for two more points before earning the DQ win. Walters improved his season record to 20-3 and 11-2 in dual matches.
Moore, a junior from Jackson Minnesota, avenged a loss from the Cliff Keen Invite with a decision in sudden victory over Iowa State's No. 8 Tanner Weatherman.
Weatherman pinned No. 19 Moore at the tournament in early December. Moore took eighth overall. However, the Panther was able to turn things around when the two faced a second time at UNI's home dual Feb. 5.
Moore led Weatherman of No. 16 Iowa State 1-0 to start the third, but he cut Weatherman loose to tie it up 1-1 and force overtime. Moore got the takedown after an officials review to go on to win 3-1 in sudden victory. Moore is the reigning MAC champion at 165 pounds. He improved to 11-5 overall and remains undefeated in the MAC at 4-0.
UNI is wrapping up its dual schedule with the final two meets on the road before the MAC Championships set for March 5-6. The Panthers take on the Bison of North Dakota State 7 p.m. Saturday and will finish at Buffalo Feb. 19.
Additional Nominees:
Justin Oliver, Central Michigan—R-Freshman, Davison, Mich. (Davison High School)
Central Michigan redshirt freshman Justin Oliver's star continued to rise last weekend, as he went 2-0 in MAC duals, upping his win streak to 10 consecutive. On Friday, Oliver, wrestling at 149 lbs., scored a 4-1 win over Eastern Michigan's Nicholas Barber. On Sunday, Oliver scored a 14-3 major decision over Buffalo's Colt Cotten. Oliver owns an impressive 23-4 overall record with a 4-0 mark in MAC duals. Oliver leads Central Michigan in two-point takedowns this season with 76 and is third on the team with 250 match points earned.
Cole Baxter, Kent State—Senior, Butler, Pa. (Butler High School)
Kent State senior Cole Baxter helped the Flashes pull away late in a pair of conference victories on the road this past weekend. In Kent State's 22-13 victory at Northern Iowa, Baxter's 7-5 overtime win over Drew Foster gave Kent State a 19-10 lead with two matches remaining. Baxter scored a takedown in the final 10 seconds of regulation to force a sudden victory period, where tallied a match-winning takedown. One night earlier, Baxter topped Northern Illinois' Quinton Rosser 8-3, giving the Flashes an 18-9 lead on their way to a 21-12 win over the Huskies. Baxter improved to 20-9 on the year and 10-5 in dual meets, while Kent State improved to 13-3 with its seventh straight victory.
Blaise Butler, Missouri—Senior, Belvidere, Ill. (Boylan Catholic High School)
Missouri senior Blaise Butler recorded his third fall of dual competition and fourth overall on the year in the Tigers 26-14 win over Northern Illinois. Butler finished off Trace Engelkes at 1:53 for Mizzou's first six points of the dual. The fall helped Mizzou defeat Northern Illinois and capture the MAC Regular Season Championship for the second consecutive season. Butler is now 14-3 on the season and 9-2 in dual competition, complying 39 points, fourth most on the team. The Virginia transfer is ranked as high as No. 6 (FloWrestling) in the individual rankings.
Austin Eicher, Northern Illinois—R-Freshman, Fenton, Mich. (Hartland High School)
Northern Illinois redshirt freshman Austin Eicher knocked off No. 10 Zach Synon of Missouri on Sunday as the NIU wrestling team put a scare in the No. 5 Tigers. The NIU redshirt freshman 133-pounder earned a 5-3 decision in the second sudden victory period with a powerful takedown on the edge of the mat. Eicher received recognition from Flowrestling as one of the "Top 10 Upsets of the Week" in the college wrestling for his performance, which helped the Huskies keep the dual in doubt until the end, and Eicher nearly had another top-10 upset two days earlier when he lost to No. 9 Mack McGuire by 4-3 decision at the end.
Cody Walters, Ohio—Senior, Macedonia, Ohio
Ohio senior Cody Walters dominated from the get go and scored points easily en route to picking up a disqualification win via excessive stalling, 13-0, over Tyrell Forbes of Old Dominion. Walters landed a quick takedown in the first period on a single leg takedown and chased Forbes out of bounds. Cody then earned a two-point near fall after the reset starting in the top position. After earning his first point due to stalling by Forbes, Walters led 5-0 after the first. In the second, Cody nearly landed a takedown off the start but landed out of bounds. On the neutral restart, Cody got another takedown on a single-leg and a trip and dominated the frame from the top taking a 7-0 lead into the third period.
In the third, Walters earned four more points on stalling calls and landed a reversal for two more points before earning the DQ win. Walters improved his season record to 20-3 and 11-2 in dual matches.
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