It was a record-setting night for the fourth-ranked Northern Iowa wrestling team as they improved to 12-0 for the first time in program history during Saturdays meet with Purdue University. The fate of the match was up in the air going into the heavyweight match, but Blaize Cabell sealed the 21-12 victory over the Boilermakers with a decision over Alex White.
Our guys should be proud of what they have done so far, said head coach Doug Schwab. With the kind of history that this program has had, setting some history is a great thing. Its a tribute to our guys.
Not only did they earn their 12th victory of the season, but the Panthers were able to send their six seniors out with a bang at the last home meet of their careers.
There is a lot of emotions on a day like today, Schwab said. We wanted to send our seniors out victorious, but they still have a lot to accomplish.
In the only match consisting of two ranked wrestlers, top-ranked senior Joe Colon fought off a hard effort from 12th-ranked Cash? Quiroga, 8-6. Colon, currently 23-1, has now defeated seven of the top 15 wrestlers at 133 pounds.
Senior Joey Lazor lost his first dual match of the season to Danny Sabatello, 14-10. Lazor, who is still recovering from an elbow injury, fought back after falling behind 10-5. Lazor used a takedown to bring the score to 12-10 before Sabatello used a reversal at the end of the match to put it out of reach.
Its a sour taste for Lazor to lose on senior day, Schwab said. Sabatello came out firing, and he has to make adjustments, but he still has a lot to do.
Senior Ryan Loder improved to 10-0 after a win against Tanner Lynde. He used a takedown in the first period, a reversal in the third period and nearly 5 minutes of riding time to defeat Lynde, 5-0. Loder has defeated his opponents by a combined score of 75-8 with one fall this season.
Despite the day centering around the seniors, it was freshman Dylan Peters who once again stole the show.
At 125 pounds, Peters tallied his 16th fall of the season against Camden Eppert. Peters was trailing Eppert midway through the second period until he overpowered him, using a takedown and an eventual pin to earn the only bonus points of the day for either team.
The win is great, but our ultimate goal is the Mid-American Conference and NCAA Championships, Schwab said. We have five weeks left of being ultradisciplined to get ready.
