CEDAR FALLS – UNI wrestling beat Air Force 31-6, grabbing bonus points in four of the eight bouts the Panthers won.
UNI extended its win streak to five duals, improving to 6-5 overall and 5-2 in the Big 12. In January, UNI faced Air Force (3-5 / 1-5 Big 12) and claimed its first Big 12 win of the season, beating the Falcons 27-11.
Brody Teske jumped out to an early lead with a takedown, but slipped into trouble when Jared Van Vleet reversed Teske and put him to his back in the 125-pound match. Teske slipped out and notched a second takedown to keep the lead. Van Vleet would get a second reverse, but Teske went on to earn the 8-5 decision, giving the Panthers the 3-0 team lead. Teske is ranked No. 11 in NCAA and No. 13 by Intermat.
In the first matchup between two ranked opponents of the dual, Kyle Biscoglia (No. 29 NCAA / No. 19 Intermat) pinned AF’s Sidney Flores, nearly tying the fall in the same time he did in their last meeting. He shaved five seconds off tonight’s win to get the fall in 4, minutes 53 seconds. Biscoglia has won the last seven of his eight matches. He has earned bonus points in 12 of his 15 wins this season. His six falls lead UNI’s active starters. He has 16 career falls as a redshirt sophomore. Flores is ranked No. 32 in the NCAA. UNI extended its lead, 6-0.
No. 20 Cael Happel (No. 23 Intermat) recorded his fifth major decision of the season. His last three wins have come by major decision. He racked up more than two minutes of riding time and had five takedowns to beat Air Force’s Cody Phippen, 13-4. The back-to-back bonus points gave the Panthers a 10-0 lead.
At 149 pounds, Colin Realbuto (No. 31 NCAA / No. 33 Intermat) improved on the score slightly from his first meeting with 6-3 decision over Dylan Martinez of Air Force. Realbuto beat the Falcon, 6-4 in their last meeting. UNI led 13-0 headed into the fifth bout.
Derek Holschlag earned his third consecutive win, making it six out of his last seven matchups at 157 pounds. He recorded three takedowns to earn the 8-4 decision over the Falcons’ Giano Petrucelli. UNI led 19-0 heading into the intermission.
At 165 pounds, UNI’s Austin Yant stayed undefeated in Big 12 duals with a 6-0 decision over Iowa native Trey Brisker. Yant was named this week’s Big 12 Wrestler of the Week after knocking off No. 4 Travis Wittlake of Oklahoma State and No. 29 Joe Grello of Oklahoma. He now has seven consecutive wins. Ranked No. 17 in the nation by NCAA, he jumped up in the Intermat rankings at No. 9.
Air Force got its first win of the night at 165 pounds. UNI’s Pat Schoenfelder, ranked No. 29 in the NCAA coaches poll, was first to strike, taking down Falcons’ No. 30 Sam Wolf. However, Wolf countered with an escape and takedown of his own to lead after the first period. Schoenfelder trailed 6-2 before he got some of his offense going. A late attempt at a takedown was unsuccessful, giving Wolf the 10-8 decision. Team score still favored UNI, 22-3.
The 184-pound match was a one-sided offensive attack by UNI’s No. 4 Parker Keckeisen. He had majored Jake Thompson in their last meeting. This time, he earned a 20-5 tech fall in full regulation. He had seven takedowns and drew four stall calls on Thompson.
Keckeisen joined Yant as the only other Panthers undefeated in Big 12 duals and is on a seven-match win streak that includes five bonus-point wins.
UNI saw the debut of John Gunderson in the Panther lineup last week when head coach Doug Schwab pulled his redshirt to step in at 197 pounds. He opened his collegiate dual season weekend against a top-10 opponent. This week, Gunderson got his first dual win as a Panther in dominant fashion. Gunderson earned an 18-5 major decision over Kayne Hutchison, who led Air Force in tech falls last season.
Heavyweight Tyrell Gordon faced his ninth top-25 opponent of the season in No. 6 Wyatt Hendrickson, the most of any Panther in the active lineup. The two were tied after the first period, 4-4. Hendrickson grabbed two more takedowns and riding time to win the match, 10-5.
Hendrickson remains undefeated at 15-0, and 12 wins have included bonus points, including 10 by fall. UNI’s Gordon is the only wrestler who hasn’t forfeited bonus points to Hendrickson.
#22 UNI OVER AIR FORCE, 31-6
125: #11 / 13 Brody Teske (UNI) dec. Jared Van Vleet (AF) 8-5
133: #29 / 19 Kyle Biscoglia (UNI) pinned 32 / NR Sidney Flores (AF) 4:53 F
141: #20 / 23 Cael Happel (UNI) maj. dec. Cody Phippen (AF) 13-4
149: #31 / 33 Colin Realbuto (UNI) dec. Dylan Martinez (AF) 6-3
157: Derek Holschlag (UNI) dec. Giano Petrucelli (AF) 8-4
165: #17 / 9 Austin Yant (UNI) dec. Trey Brisker (AF) 6-0
174: #30 Sam Wolf (AF) dec. #29 / NR Pat Schonefelder (UNI) 10-8
184: #4 Parker Keckeisen (UNI) tech fall Jake Thompson (AF) 20-5 (7:00)
197: John Gunderson (UNI) maj. Dec. Kayne Hutchison (AF) 18-5
HWT: #6 Wyatt Hendrickson (AF) dec. Tyrell Gordon (UNI) 10-5
Official: Derek Lark
Attendance: 673
EXTRA MATCH
165: Jack Ganos (AF) pinned Cayd Lara (UNI) 1:31
UP NEXT
UNI will host West Virginia (5-6 0-4 Big 12), which is coming off a Big 12 dual loss to No. 5 Iowa State, 31-9. Tomorrow’s matchup will be the last dual of the 2022 season in the West Gym. Action will kick off at 7 p.m. Feb. 5.
The Mountaineers return eight starters from last year and are led by undefeated Killian Cardinale, who was seventh at last year’s NCAA championships. Cardinale entered the dual lineup midseason.
WVU’s other two ranked wrestlers are Michael Wolfgram, who was seventh at the Big 12 Championships in 2021, and Peyton Hall, who took fourth at the Big 12s as a true freshman and earned his first berth to the NCAA championships.
RANKED MATCHUPS / REMATCHES
125: Brody Teske (UNI) vs. Killian Cardinale (WV): Teske beat Killian Cardinale 6-4 at 133 pounds when Teske redshirted for Penn State and Cardinale competed for Old Dominion.
165: Austin Yant vs. Peyton Hall
