UNI took on one of their toughest competitors last Friday in West Gym. Their first sold-out home meet of the season took place against Virginia Tech, who is ranked sixth in the nation.
The first match of the night came from the 197 bout, and started early with Basil Minto’s 2-0 takedown against Virginia Tech’s Jared Haught. After much give and take from both wrestlers, the match was tied up 4-4 in the third period and went into overtime. From there, Minto took Haught down for a 6-4 victory—and kicked off the night with a Panther 3-0 lead.
The biggest upset of the night came from UNI’s Blaize Cabell, who is ranked 15 in the heavyweight bout, against Virginia Tech’s Ty Walz, who is ranked seventh. Walz scored first with an escape at the start of the second period, but Cabell lit up the third with an escape and two takedowns. The final score was 5-3, taking the Panthers up to 6-0 for the night.
Four losses in the 125, 133, 141, and 149 bouts put the Panthers in a tight spot, as the Hokies took the lead with 14-6.
UNI’s Jarret Jensen went two scoreless periods against Virginia Tech’s Jake Spengler, but earned two minutes of riding time going into the third. An escape, stall point, and an extra minute of riding time gave Jensen a 5-0 victory.
In the 165 pound weight class, Cooper Moore came out gunning for a pin against Virginia Tech’s Chad Strube, despite Moore’s an injured elbow. Two scoreless periods left Moore in a tight spot after Strube gained riding time against him. An escape by Strube put him in the lead, but Moore met it with a takedown. With only two seconds left to spare, Moore gained a takedown and won the match 4-3.
“There’s some things I need to work on, getting momentum and figuring out my arm more than anything,” Cooper said. “But when the MAC comes, I’ll be ready for it.”
Although they fought hard in all their matches, UNI fell to the Hokies 20-12—ending their winning streak at home of 12 duals.
“We have 9 days right now, we’re going to get some really good training in and get these guys prepped and ready for Central Michigan,” said UNI Head Coach Doug Schwab.
The Panthers look to get back to their winning ways on Sunday when they travel to Mount Pleasant, Mich. to take on Central Michigan.
