While the UNI campus was on winter break the men’s wrestling team was working overtime. The team has not only held a 5-2 overall season record this year, they remain undefeated in the Mid-American Conference (MAC), gripping a 3-0 record.

Over winter vacation, the Panthers competed in Madison, WI against the University of Wisconsin; Chattanooga, TN in the Southern Scuffle; Dubuque, IA in the Pat Flanagan Open; Mount Pleasant, MI against Central Michigan University and here at home against Northern Illinois University.

Redshirt sophomore Josh Alber, redshirt freshman Max Thomsen and sophomore Bryce Steiert all took third in the Southern Scuffle, with Panthers defeating opponents from NCAA ranked No. 8, 16, 24 and 24 schools.

Of the many achievements earned over the last few weeks, one that stands out amongst the rest is the five champions of the Pat Flanagan Open on Jan. 7. Redshirt freshman Tanner Rohweder, freshman Rudy Yates, redshirt freshman Dan Kelly, junior Tyler Hoffman and freshman Carter Isley all took top-notches in the meet, with two additional second-place finishes and another third from the team.

The UNI wrestling team improved 4-2 overall and 2-0 in the MAC as they took on Northern Illinois on Jan. 8. After starting from 0-8 as a team, Thomsen took a 2-1 victory over Steve Bleise to get the ball rolling. Steiert earned bonus points for the team by notching seven takedowns throughout his dual. Taylor Lujan pinned his opponent in 4:41, balancing out the match score at 13-14.

A major decision from Taylor Lujan gave the team a 17-14 lead, which was only improved through JJ Everard’s 6-2 decision to bring the Panthers up to 20-17. Dylan Peters’ victory secured the team’s triumph at 23-17 after he earned a 7-2 decision against his opponent.

Taking on the NCAA No. 13 ranked Central Michigan, the Panther wrestlers earned their victory through every individual point. Steiert evened up the board at 4-4 after a 14-6 major decision, and was followed up with Lujan’s 6-3 decision for a 7-4 UNI lead early in the match.

Foster, ranked 15 in the NCAA, took on No. 14 Jordan Ellingwood, and in a tight bout earned a takedown in the last 10 seconds for a 3-1 decision over Ellingwood. Everard defeated the NCAA’s No. 4 heavyweight in a 5-2 decision to pull the team up to a 13-7 lead.

Up next was Josh Alber’s 6-2 decision for the last team victory, with a final score of 16-16. Being that the five matches were won by both teams, the officials reviewed the point differential of every individual match. After assessing the results, the Panthers were awarded a final point to secure a 17-16 victory against Central Michigan.

Tomorrow the Panthers will head to Iowa State University to take on long-time rival Cyclones at 7 p.m.