University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
Cal Baptist
UNI wrestling square off with Cal Baptist on Friday, Visit West Virginia on Sunday
2/2/2023 9:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Panthers take on Big 12 newcomer in Cal Baptist at home before heading to Morgantown for Sunday dual
California Baptist (2-10 / 1-5 Big 12) vs. No. 14 UNI wrestling
- 7 p.m. Feb. 3
- McLeod Center (6,500) | Cedar Falls, Iowa
No. 14 UNI wrestling at RV West Virginia (7-3 / 1-3 West Virginia)
- 1 p.m. Feb. 5
- WVU Coliseum (14,000) | Morgantown, West Virginia
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- Doug Schwab will have the opportunity to become the third most winningest head coach in UNI wrestling history, and the Panthers moved up a spot in the NWCA rankings to No. 14 this week.
UNI will host California Baptist at 7 p.m. Friday in the McLeod Center and then will travel to West Virginia on Sunday. WVU is currently receiving votes in the coaches poll.
With 102 wins, Schwab is tied with former coach Dave McCuskey.
- Chuck Patten 1965-82 / 218 wins
- Don Briggs 1983-97 / 163 wins
- Dave McCuskey 1931-52 / 102 wins
- Doug Schwab 2011-pres. / 102 wins
CAL BAPTIST LANCERS
Friday's dual with CBU will be the first meeting between the Lancers and UNI Panthers. Cal Baptist is the newest school to join the Big 12 as an affiliate. The Lancer program was launched in 2009 and became a Division I competitor in 2020.
California Baptist opened this last weekend with its first ever Big 12 win, beating Wyoming 22-10 on Saturday.
Elijah Griffin is ranked No. 32 by Intermat and earned an honorable mention in the FloWrestling rankings, but he is not expected to compete this weekend at 125 pounds.
WEST VIRGINIA MOUNTAINEERS
UNI is undefeated against West Virginia (6-0, 3-0 under Schwab).
- 1982 | W, 30-12 at West Virginia
- 1986 | W, 23-16 at Virginia Duals
- 1991 | W, 23-16 at National Duals (Virginia)
- 2019 | W, 27-19 at West Virginia
- 2020 | W, 36-6 at UNI
- 2022 | W, 31-10 vs. West Virginia (neutral site)
Returning All-American Peyton Hall leads the rankings for WVU at 165 pounds. The junior is the third-highest wrestler out of the Big 12 Conference.
Redshirt junior Michael Wolfgram earned his first trip to nationals last year after going 20-9, including five wins over ranked opponents.
Redshirt freshman Jordan Titus (No. 28) at 141 pounds, junior Sam Hillegas (No. 25) at 149 pounds, redshirt senior Alex Hornfeck (No. 25) at 157 pounds, redshirt junior Anthony Carman (No. 25) at 184 pounds and redshirt sophomore Austin Cooley (No. 28) at 197 pounds.
Additionally, fifth year senior Killian Cardinale is currently 6-0 as a starter and will likely solidify a spot in the rankings at 125 pounds upon competing in West Virginia's duals with Oklahoma and No. 12 Oklahoma State, giving him the eight matches necessary for consideration.
The Mountaineers are led by fifth-year senior Killian Cardinale (125) and junior Peyton Hall (165). Hall is coming off a 2022 All-America campaign that saw him lead the team with a 28-6 overall record and secure an eighth-place finish at the NCAA Championships to become the 34th All-American in program history. He was second at the Big 12 Championships.
At 125 pounds, Cardinale is the reigning Big 12 champion. Heavyweight Michael Wolfgram had a 20-win season in 2022 to earn a debut at nationals in Detroit, Michigan.
Also ranked: Redshirt junior Anthony Carman at 184 pounds, and junior newcomer Sam Hillegas in the 149-pound weight class.
LAST MEETING
FEB. 5, 2022 - #22 UNI 31, WEST VIRGINIA 10
125 | #6 Killian Cardinale maj. dec. #11 Brody Teske (UNI) 12-4
133 | #29 Kyle Biscoglia (UNI) pinned Garett Lautzenheiser 2:08 F
141 | #20 Cael Happel (UNI) pinned Caleb Rea 5:28 F
149 | #31 Colin Realbuto (UNI) dec. Jeffrey Boyd 8-5
157 | Derek Holschlag (UNI) maj. dec. Alex Hornfeck 12-2
165 | #9 Peyton Hall dec. 17 / 9 Austin Yant (UNI) 4-2 SV1
174 | Lance Runyon (UNI) maj. dec. Dennis Robin 8-0
184 | #4 Parker Keckeisen (UNI) maj. dec. Anthony Carman 12-3
197 | John Gunderson (UNI) maj. dec. Jackson Moomau 8-0
285 | #21 Michael Wolfgram dec. Tyrell Gordon (UNI) 3-1 SV1
PROBABLE LINEUPS: #NCAA (Intermat / FloWrestling)
125 | Kyle Gollhofer
CBU - Devin Garcia (1-5 / 0-0 dual): The junior was 10-11 last year and won the Harold Cyclone Open.
WVU - (4/9) Killian Cardinale, redshirt senior: reigning Big 12 champ and 2021 All-American, finishing seventh. He is a three-time NCAA qualifier, earning his first trip to nationals competing for Old Dominion in 2020. He transferred to WVU for the 2021 season.
133 | #11 (11/18) Kyle Biscoglia
CBU - Antonio Saldate (6-4 / 1-1 dual): Saldate is a redshirt junior who went 3-5 last season.
WVU - Davin Rhoads, redshirt freshman: competed in one open last year, going 5-2.
141 | #7 (10/9) Cael Happel
CBU - Brady Hoshino (1-5 / 0-2 dual) or Christian Nunez (3-8 / 1-5): Hoshino is a redshirt freshman who went 4-11 wrestling unattached last year. Nunez was 5-12 overall in 2022.
WVU - #28 (NR/HM) Jordan Titus, redshirt freshman: was 20-7 in 2022 bouncing between 133 and 141 pounds.
149 | #11 (14/13) Colin Realbuto
CBU - Chaz Hallmark (3-11 / 1-7 dual): Hallmark is a redshirt sophomore who started in all of CBU's 2022 duals at 149 pounds, winning five of the 10.
WVU - #25 (25/21) Sam Hillegas or Jeffrey Boyd: Hillegas, a junior, transferred from Virginia Tech after competing his freshman and sophomore years there. He was 3-3 in dual action as a true freshman in 2021. He was 5-3 last year. Boyd, a junior, took eighth at last year's Big 12 Championships.
REMATCHES: Realbuto pinned CBU's Hallmark at the 2021 Harold Nichols Cyclone Open in 6 minutes, 46 seconds. Realbuto beat Jeffrey Boyd in last year's dual, 8-5.
157 | #20 (20/19) Derek Holschlag
CBU - Nolan MIller-Johnston (4-9 / 0-4 dual): The junior wrestled three seasons at Iowa Central Community College and took third at the 2022 NJCAA championships at 157 pounds.
WVU - #25 Alex Hornfeck, redshirt senior or Caleb Dowling, junior: Hornfeck was seventh at the 2022 Big 12 Championships and sixth in 2021. He started every dual last year.
REMATCH: Holschlag has topped Hornfeck two times: 6-1 decision at 2022 Big 12s and 12-2 major decision in last year's dual.
165 | #12 (13/23) Austin Yant
CBU - (UR/HM) Frank Almaguer (3-4): Almaguer is a redshirt sophomore who went 11-2 last season.
WVU - #8 (10/11) Peyton Hall, junior: A two-time NCAA qualifier who took eighth at the 2022 NCAA championships and was the Big 12 runner-up in 2022. He was also runner-up at the U23 Worlds Team Trials at 74 kg.
REMATCH: Hall (WVU) has topped Yant three times: 5-4 decision (2021 Big 12s); 4-2 SV1 decision (2022 dual); and in a 4-1 decision at the 2022 Big 12 Championships.
174 | (24/21) Lance Runyon or Carson Babcock
CBU - Louis Rojas, a redshirt sophomore, was 4-13 last year.
WVU - Scott Joll, senior: Finished sixth at the U23 World Team Trials at 87 kg.
184 | #1 (2) Parker Keckeisen
CBU - Peter Acciardi: Acciardi is a redshirt junior who transferred from Buffalo. He was seventh at the Mid-American Conference in 2022.
WVU - #25 (32/HM) Anthony Carman, redshirt junior: Finished eighth at the Big 12 championships the last two seasons.
REMATCH: Keckeisen beat Carman (WVU) by 12-3 major decision in last year's dual
197 | Noah Glaser
CBU - Caden Gerlach (4-13 / 4-6): Gerlach opened the 2023 season at 184 pounds in the dual lineup. He went 16-9 and was 7-3 in duals last season.
WVU - #28 (31/HM) Austin Cooley, redshirt sophomore, or Brian Finnerty, freshman or Ian Bush, freshman: Cooley transferred from Pittsburgh after the 2021 season. He was fifth at the U23 World Team Trials at 92 kg last year. Finnerty was 121-49 as a prep in Pennsylvania. Bush is a true freshman who has competed in two duals this season. He was a two-time state champion as a prep in West Virginia.
REMATCH: Glaser beat Lopez (CBU) at the 2021 Harold Nichols Open, 8-2
285 | #11 (15/12) Tyrell Gordon
CBU - Christopher Island: Island is a sophomore who went 7-10 last season.
WVU - (25/19) Michael Wolfgram, redshirt junior: Earned first trip to NCAA tourney in 2022 with a seventh-place finish at the Big 12 Championships. He was also seventh in 2021 at the Big 12s.
REMATCH: Wolfgram (WVU) won the 2022 dual, 3-1 in sudden victory
Players Mentioned
