Wrestling
Schwab, Doug
Doug Schwab
- Title:
- Head Coach
- Email:
- doug.schwab@uni.edu
- Phone:
- (319) 273-6323
Doug Schwab is the Panthers’ ninth head coach in the program’s illustrious history. He completed his 15th season at UNI in 2024-25 season. Fourteen UNI student-athletes have earned 22 All-America honors under his leadership, including 184-pounder Parker Keckeisen, a five-time all-American. Keckeisen, who earned the highest All-America honors by a redshirt freshman since the 1950s with a third-place finish in 2021 and 2022, a national runner-up finish in 2023 and 2025, and an NCAA title in 2024. Schwab has coached 11 teams to a top-20 NCAA championship finish, including a ninth place finish in 2025, the program's highest Division I finish since 1962. The Panthers are on a ten-tournament streak of having at least one All-American selection.
2024-25: UNI posted a season for the record books, going 14-1 in dual meets and 7-1 against Big 12 opponents. Schwab, the NWCA National Coach of the Year, Big 12 Coach of the Year and WIN Magazine Coach of the Year, coached the Panthers to a second place finish at the Big 12 Championships with Cael Happel (141 pounds), Parker Keckeisen (184 pounds) and Wyatt Voelker (197 pounds) all capturing conference titles. For the first time since the 1991-92 season, Northern Iowa qualified all ten wrestlers for the NCAA Championships in Philadelphia, with Keckeisen becoming the program's first five-time Division I All-American with a second place finish, as Happel earned his first All-American honor with a fifth place finish. As a team, the Panthers placed ninth in the team race, their first top-ten finish since 1992 and highest Division I finish since placing fifth in 1962. Northern Iowa also set records at home for attendance, setting a new McLeod Center all-time record with 7,348 fans packing the arena against Iowa State, with 6,030 fans in attendance when the Panthers hosted Oklahoma State.
2023-24: The Panthers sent seven total athletes (five automatic, two at-large selections) to Kansas City, Missouri for the NCAA Championships, with Big 12 Wrestler of the Year and Dan Hodge Trophy runner-up Parker Keckeisen (184 pounds) earning his program record four straight Big 12 title and UNI's 23rd Division I individual title. Keckeisen is Northern Iowa's first four-time Division I All-American and first undefeated national champion since Bill Dotson in 1963. 157-pounder Ryder Downey also topped the podium at the Big 12 Championships at 157 pounds to earn his first NCAA berth, while 174-pounder Jared Simma, seeded 28th in the 33-man field, reached the NCAA quarterfinals, one win shy of earning All-American status. The Panther Train ranked 12th nationally in home attendance with an average of 3,103 fans, as well as 14 athletes earning Academic All-Big 12 recognition.
2022-23: Northern Iowa sent seven qualifiers (five automatic, two at-large) to the NCAA Championships in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Parker Keckeisen, the top-seed in the 184-pound bracket and Big 12 champion, finished as national runner-up to earn his third All-American honor, becoming the 14th three-time All-American in program history. UNI as a team finished in a tie with Wisconsin for 16th place with 29 points. Schwab’s team also led the Big 12 with 20 All-Conference Academic selections, posted the fourth-best team grade-point average in the nation and ranked eighth in Division I in home attendance.
2021-22: UNI qualified eight wrestlers for the NCAA Championships while a ninth was named an alternate. It was the most since UNI also sent nine in 2008. Keckeisen led the Panthers last year, as UNI earned four top-15 seeds at the Division I NCAA Wrestling Championships. Keckeisen became a two-time all-American, taking bronze at 184 pounds.
2020-21: The Panthers wrestled an abbreviated schedule, finishing 4-4 on the year. Six Panthers qualified for the NCAA Championships, but Lance Runyon had to withdraw due to injury. Keckeisen led UNI with a third-place finish. The Panthers finished 20th overall.
2019-20: Lujan and Steiert capped dominant seasons with Big 12 titles, Lujan won the final 19 bouts of his career and Steiert earned the only fall in the Big 12 Championship round. Seven wrestlers qualified for the NCAA field before the tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Jay Schwarm earned the NCAA DI Fall title, recording 16 on the year. The Panthers also took care of things in the classroom. Schwarm, Steiert and Max Thomsen earned NWCA Scholar All-American honors. The Panthers also went 8-4 in duals, including a 6-2 record in Big 12 action.
2018-19: Drew Foster’s national championship, the first individual title for UNI since Tony Davis in 2000, paced the Panthers to a 13th-place finish at the NCAA Championships in St. Louis. Bryce Steiert earned All-American honors after finishing eighth at 164. Six Panthers qualified for the NCAA Championships. Foster repeated as the Big 12 champion and was named the Big-12 Wrestler of the Year. Taylor Lujan wrestled in the Big 12 championship and Josh Alber finished third to lead the Panther Train to a third-place finish.
2017-18: Jacob Holschlag earned his first All-America honor at 197 pounds. He was one of six Panthers to compete at the NCAA tournament. The team tied for 24th at the national championships. The Panthers joined the Big 12 and took second at the conference meet. Taylor Lujan (174 pounds) was the first Panther to earn Wrestler of the Week honors and a Big 12 title. Drew Foster also won a conference title at 184 pounds. Max Thomsen earned a spot in the Big 12 championship round, taking second at 149 pounds.
2016-17: UNI won the regular season Mid-American Conference title with an undefeated conference record in its final season in the league. Taylor Lujan earned a MAC title at 174 pounds. The Panthers qualified seven for the NCAA Championships and finished 18th at the national tournament. It was the highest finish since 2014. Redshirt freshman Max Thomsen was fifth at 149 pounds, and sophomore Drew Foster was seventh at 184 pounds. UNI was 10th among all Division I schools for attendance.
2015-16: Dylan Peters earned his second All-America honor, taking sixth at 125 pounds. Blaize Cabell became the eighth Panther to win a MAC title, and the first Panther to win a conference title at heavyweight since UNI joined the MAC in the 2012-13 season. Five Panthers qualified, but only four competed at the NCAA Championships. Illness prevented Cabell from competing at his third national meet. The team tied for 25th overall. Schwab started a true freshman for the first time since taking over at UNI. The last freshman to start was Joey Lazor in 2009-10. Bryce Steiert was among the five NCAA qualifiers at 157 pounds. He was the first freshman Panther since 2003 to qualify for the NCAAs. The Panthers were tenth in the nation among all Division I schools for attendance.
2014-15: Tough scheduling and Schwab’s energy boosted attendance numbers for UNI wrestling in 2014-15. The Panthers posted the eighth-highest attendance numbers in the nation, up from ninth the year before. Schwab sent four wrestlers to the NCAA Championships, including two-time MAC champion Cooper Moore at 165 pounds. The team finished 34th at the national championships.
2013-14: Schwab crowned three All-Americans and qualified seven wrestlers, the most UNI had sent to nationals since 2007-08 when nine qualified. Joe Colon took third at 133 pounds, the highest finish of any Panther since 2005. Dylan Peters (125 pounds) and Joey Lazor (141 pounds) placed sixth. UNI was the only Division I school to finish its dual season undefeated. It was the first time in history UNI won 13 consecutive duals in a single season to finish undefeated. The Panthers went 10-0 in 1956 and 11-0 in 1950. UNI’s opponents only scored 163 points in duals, the fewest allowed since 1974. The program saw its biggest jump in attendance in at least 14 seasons, posting the ninth highest numbers in the nation. Four home duals in the West Gym were sell-outs.
2012-13: Schwab crowned his first two All-Americans and led the Panthers to their highest finish at the NCAA Championships since 2005. Four wrestlers accounted for the team’s 15th-place finish. David Bonin took fourth at 157 pounds, and Ryan Loder was seventh at 184 pounds. Two more Panthers made the Round of 12, just missing out on the All-America spot.
2011-12: Schwab among 45 coaches who received full scholarships to join the fourth annual National Wrestling Coaches Association Leadership Academy in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in August 2012. Five Panthers qualified for the NCAA Championships and the team finished 34th.
2010-11: In his first season as head coach, Schwab led the Panthers to their first 12-win season since 2003 and helped UNI earn its fourth Western Wrestling Conference dual championship. Three Panthers qualified for the NCAA tournament, and the team tied for 46th place.
“My main job is to get the guys to buy into the lifestyle — that includes on the mat and in the classroom. I’m looking forward to putting an exciting product on the mat that fans in the Cedar Valley can rally behind and come out and watch,” Schwab said.
Schwab of Osage, Iowa, served as an assistant wrestling coach with University of Iowa. Prior to joining the Iowa staff, Schwab served two seasons (2005-07) as an assistant coach at Virgina Tech University under Tom Brands. During his tenure with the Hokies, the team won the 2005 regular season Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) title, set a school record for dual meet wins (16) and had a school-record five wrestlers qualify for the NCAA Championships. Virginia Tech also crowned five conference champions and two All-Americans, and senior heavyweight Mike Faust was named 2006 ACC Wrestler of the Year.
Schwab was a three-time All-American and Big Ten champion for the Hawkeyes from 1998-2001. He won the 1999 NCAA title at 141 pounds and finished his collegiate career with 130 wins.
Post-college wrestling accomplishments
Schwab earned a B.S. in communication studies from the University of Iowa in 2001. He and his wife, Allyson, a former Virginia Tech softball player, have two sons, Hayden and Hendrix, and two twin daughters, Jenna and Lennon.
*** 2020 championships were canceled due to COVID-19. The top-eight seeds were awarded All-American honors
^ UNI competed in the Western Wrestling Conference, with the NCAA West Regional serving as the conference championship event
2024-25: UNI posted a season for the record books, going 14-1 in dual meets and 7-1 against Big 12 opponents. Schwab, the NWCA National Coach of the Year, Big 12 Coach of the Year and WIN Magazine Coach of the Year, coached the Panthers to a second place finish at the Big 12 Championships with Cael Happel (141 pounds), Parker Keckeisen (184 pounds) and Wyatt Voelker (197 pounds) all capturing conference titles. For the first time since the 1991-92 season, Northern Iowa qualified all ten wrestlers for the NCAA Championships in Philadelphia, with Keckeisen becoming the program's first five-time Division I All-American with a second place finish, as Happel earned his first All-American honor with a fifth place finish. As a team, the Panthers placed ninth in the team race, their first top-ten finish since 1992 and highest Division I finish since placing fifth in 1962. Northern Iowa also set records at home for attendance, setting a new McLeod Center all-time record with 7,348 fans packing the arena against Iowa State, with 6,030 fans in attendance when the Panthers hosted Oklahoma State.
2023-24: The Panthers sent seven total athletes (five automatic, two at-large selections) to Kansas City, Missouri for the NCAA Championships, with Big 12 Wrestler of the Year and Dan Hodge Trophy runner-up Parker Keckeisen (184 pounds) earning his program record four straight Big 12 title and UNI's 23rd Division I individual title. Keckeisen is Northern Iowa's first four-time Division I All-American and first undefeated national champion since Bill Dotson in 1963. 157-pounder Ryder Downey also topped the podium at the Big 12 Championships at 157 pounds to earn his first NCAA berth, while 174-pounder Jared Simma, seeded 28th in the 33-man field, reached the NCAA quarterfinals, one win shy of earning All-American status. The Panther Train ranked 12th nationally in home attendance with an average of 3,103 fans, as well as 14 athletes earning Academic All-Big 12 recognition.
2022-23: Northern Iowa sent seven qualifiers (five automatic, two at-large) to the NCAA Championships in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Parker Keckeisen, the top-seed in the 184-pound bracket and Big 12 champion, finished as national runner-up to earn his third All-American honor, becoming the 14th three-time All-American in program history. UNI as a team finished in a tie with Wisconsin for 16th place with 29 points. Schwab’s team also led the Big 12 with 20 All-Conference Academic selections, posted the fourth-best team grade-point average in the nation and ranked eighth in Division I in home attendance.
2021-22: UNI qualified eight wrestlers for the NCAA Championships while a ninth was named an alternate. It was the most since UNI also sent nine in 2008. Keckeisen led the Panthers last year, as UNI earned four top-15 seeds at the Division I NCAA Wrestling Championships. Keckeisen became a two-time all-American, taking bronze at 184 pounds.
2020-21: The Panthers wrestled an abbreviated schedule, finishing 4-4 on the year. Six Panthers qualified for the NCAA Championships, but Lance Runyon had to withdraw due to injury. Keckeisen led UNI with a third-place finish. The Panthers finished 20th overall.
2019-20: Lujan and Steiert capped dominant seasons with Big 12 titles, Lujan won the final 19 bouts of his career and Steiert earned the only fall in the Big 12 Championship round. Seven wrestlers qualified for the NCAA field before the tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Jay Schwarm earned the NCAA DI Fall title, recording 16 on the year. The Panthers also took care of things in the classroom. Schwarm, Steiert and Max Thomsen earned NWCA Scholar All-American honors. The Panthers also went 8-4 in duals, including a 6-2 record in Big 12 action.
2018-19: Drew Foster’s national championship, the first individual title for UNI since Tony Davis in 2000, paced the Panthers to a 13th-place finish at the NCAA Championships in St. Louis. Bryce Steiert earned All-American honors after finishing eighth at 164. Six Panthers qualified for the NCAA Championships. Foster repeated as the Big 12 champion and was named the Big-12 Wrestler of the Year. Taylor Lujan wrestled in the Big 12 championship and Josh Alber finished third to lead the Panther Train to a third-place finish.
2017-18: Jacob Holschlag earned his first All-America honor at 197 pounds. He was one of six Panthers to compete at the NCAA tournament. The team tied for 24th at the national championships. The Panthers joined the Big 12 and took second at the conference meet. Taylor Lujan (174 pounds) was the first Panther to earn Wrestler of the Week honors and a Big 12 title. Drew Foster also won a conference title at 184 pounds. Max Thomsen earned a spot in the Big 12 championship round, taking second at 149 pounds.
2016-17: UNI won the regular season Mid-American Conference title with an undefeated conference record in its final season in the league. Taylor Lujan earned a MAC title at 174 pounds. The Panthers qualified seven for the NCAA Championships and finished 18th at the national tournament. It was the highest finish since 2014. Redshirt freshman Max Thomsen was fifth at 149 pounds, and sophomore Drew Foster was seventh at 184 pounds. UNI was 10th among all Division I schools for attendance.
2015-16: Dylan Peters earned his second All-America honor, taking sixth at 125 pounds. Blaize Cabell became the eighth Panther to win a MAC title, and the first Panther to win a conference title at heavyweight since UNI joined the MAC in the 2012-13 season. Five Panthers qualified, but only four competed at the NCAA Championships. Illness prevented Cabell from competing at his third national meet. The team tied for 25th overall. Schwab started a true freshman for the first time since taking over at UNI. The last freshman to start was Joey Lazor in 2009-10. Bryce Steiert was among the five NCAA qualifiers at 157 pounds. He was the first freshman Panther since 2003 to qualify for the NCAAs. The Panthers were tenth in the nation among all Division I schools for attendance.
2014-15: Tough scheduling and Schwab’s energy boosted attendance numbers for UNI wrestling in 2014-15. The Panthers posted the eighth-highest attendance numbers in the nation, up from ninth the year before. Schwab sent four wrestlers to the NCAA Championships, including two-time MAC champion Cooper Moore at 165 pounds. The team finished 34th at the national championships.
2013-14: Schwab crowned three All-Americans and qualified seven wrestlers, the most UNI had sent to nationals since 2007-08 when nine qualified. Joe Colon took third at 133 pounds, the highest finish of any Panther since 2005. Dylan Peters (125 pounds) and Joey Lazor (141 pounds) placed sixth. UNI was the only Division I school to finish its dual season undefeated. It was the first time in history UNI won 13 consecutive duals in a single season to finish undefeated. The Panthers went 10-0 in 1956 and 11-0 in 1950. UNI’s opponents only scored 163 points in duals, the fewest allowed since 1974. The program saw its biggest jump in attendance in at least 14 seasons, posting the ninth highest numbers in the nation. Four home duals in the West Gym were sell-outs.
2012-13: Schwab crowned his first two All-Americans and led the Panthers to their highest finish at the NCAA Championships since 2005. Four wrestlers accounted for the team’s 15th-place finish. David Bonin took fourth at 157 pounds, and Ryan Loder was seventh at 184 pounds. Two more Panthers made the Round of 12, just missing out on the All-America spot.
2011-12: Schwab among 45 coaches who received full scholarships to join the fourth annual National Wrestling Coaches Association Leadership Academy in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in August 2012. Five Panthers qualified for the NCAA Championships and the team finished 34th.
2010-11: In his first season as head coach, Schwab led the Panthers to their first 12-win season since 2003 and helped UNI earn its fourth Western Wrestling Conference dual championship. Three Panthers qualified for the NCAA tournament, and the team tied for 46th place.
“My main job is to get the guys to buy into the lifestyle — that includes on the mat and in the classroom. I’m looking forward to putting an exciting product on the mat that fans in the Cedar Valley can rally behind and come out and watch,” Schwab said.
Schwab of Osage, Iowa, served as an assistant wrestling coach with University of Iowa. Prior to joining the Iowa staff, Schwab served two seasons (2005-07) as an assistant coach at Virgina Tech University under Tom Brands. During his tenure with the Hokies, the team won the 2005 regular season Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) title, set a school record for dual meet wins (16) and had a school-record five wrestlers qualify for the NCAA Championships. Virginia Tech also crowned five conference champions and two All-Americans, and senior heavyweight Mike Faust was named 2006 ACC Wrestler of the Year.
Schwab was a three-time All-American and Big Ten champion for the Hawkeyes from 1998-2001. He won the 1999 NCAA title at 141 pounds and finished his collegiate career with 130 wins.
Post-college wrestling accomplishments
- Represented Team USA at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China, wrestling freestyle at 145.5 pounds (66 kg)
- Won titles at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials and U.S. Nationals
- Won the U.S. Senior Freestyle title in 2007
- Earned a bronze medal at the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Placed fifth at the 2007 World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan
- 145.5-pound title at the 2003 Sunkist Kids International Open and earning Outstanding Wrestler honors in the freestyle event
- 145-pound division of Real Pro Wrestling, earning Outstanding Wrestler honors as part of the champion Iowa Stalkers team in 2005
Schwab earned a B.S. in communication studies from the University of Iowa in 2001. He and his wife, Allyson, a former Virginia Tech softball player, have two sons, Hayden and Hendrix, and two twin daughters, Jenna and Lennon.
THE SCHWAB FILE
| YEAR | SCHOOL | RECORD | CONFERENCE | CONF. CHAMPIONSHIP FINISH | NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP FINISH |
| 2010-11 | UNI | 12-9 | 0-0 (WWC) | 2nd / 2 Champions ^ | T46th / 3 Qualifiers |
| 2011-12 | UNI | 8-7 | 5-1 (WWC) | 2nd / 3 Champions ^ | 34th / 5 Qualifiers |
| 2012-13 | UNI | 9-5 | 3-0 (MAC) | 3rd / 2 Champions | T15th / 4 Qualifiers / 2 All-Americans |
| 2013-14 | UNI | 13-0 | 8-0 (MAC) | 2nd / 4 Champions | 15th / 7 Qualifiers / 3 All-Americans |
| 2014-15 | UNI | 8-8 | 5-3 (MAC) | 6th / 1 Champion | 34th / 4 Qualifiers |
| 2015-16 | UNI | 4-10 | 3-5 (MAC) | 5th / 1 Champion | 25th / 5 Qualifiers / 1 All-American |
| 2016-17 | UNI | 11-3 | 8-0 (MAC) | 2nd / 1 Champion | 18th / 7 Qualifiers / 2 All-Americans |
| 2017-18 | UNI | 6-5 | 3-2 (Big 12) | 2nd / 2 Champions | T24th / 6 Qualifiers / 1 All-American |
| 2018-19 | UNI | 7-5 | 7-1 (Big 12) | 3rd / 1 Champion | T13th / 6 Qualifiers / 1 All-American / 1 Champion |
| 2019-20 | UNI | 8-4 | 6-2 (Big 12) | 3rd / 2 Champions | 7 Qualifiers / 5 All-Americans*** |
| 2020-21 | UNI | 4-4 | 3-2 (Big 12) | 5th / 2 Champions | 19th / 6 Qualifiers / 1 All-American |
| 2021-22 | UNI | 7-7 | 6-3 (Big 12) | 5th / 1 Champion | T20th / 8 Qualifiers / 1 All-American |
| 2022-23 | UNI | 7-5 | 5-3 (Big 12) | 7th / 1 Champion | T16th / 7 Qualifiers / 1 All-American |
| 2023-24 | UNI | 8-6 | 6-2 (Big 12) | 5th / 2 Champions | 14th / 7 Qualifiers / 1 All-American / 1 Champion |
| 2024-25 | UNI | 14-1 | 7-1 (Big 12) | 2nd / 3 Champions | 9th / 10 Qualifiers / 2 All-Americans |
| TOTAL | 127-79 | 75-25 5-1 (WCC) 27-8 (MAC) 43-16 (Big 12) |
28 Conference Champions 5 WCC Champions 9 MAC Champions 14 Big 12 Champions |
2 NCAA Champions 22 NCAA All-Americans 92 NCAA Qualifiers |
*** 2020 championships were canceled due to COVID-19. The top-eight seeds were awarded All-American honors
^ UNI competed in the Western Wrestling Conference, with the NCAA West Regional serving as the conference championship event
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