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UNI wrestling signs two-time national champion from NIACC

CEDAR FALLS – NIACC’s two-time national champion Christian Minto will bring his 29-match collegiate winning streak to UNI wrestling for the 2023 team.

Minto, who was a perfect 29-0 in his last two seasons at NIACC at 165 pounds and compiled a record of 51-1, recently signed a national letter of intent to wrestle for Doug Schwab’s NCAA Division I Panthers. Minto was 16-0 in the 2021-22 season and 13-0 in the 2020-21 season.

“We are excited to have him part of the family,” said Schwab, who will begin his 13th season as coach of the Panthers in the 202-23 season.

UNI placed 20th at last season’s NCAA Division I national meet with 28.5 points. It was the sixth top-20 season for the Panthers since Schwab took over as head coach. Parker Keckeisen extended UNI’s six-year streak of having at least one all-American, which is the 14th longest streak in the nation.

Minto, who is from Cape Coral, Florida, claimed his two NJCAA national titles in the 2021 and 2022 seasons.

Minto became NIACC’s fourth two-time national champion and the first since 2015. Joe Hatchett, who also later wrestled for UNI, also claimed two junior college national titles in 1970-71.

In 2021, Minto topped Iowa Central’s Keaton Geerts 13-6 in the 165-pound national title bout. In 2022, Minto stopped Clackamas’ Steele Starren by major decision 14-5 in the 165-pound championship match.

Minto’s lone loss at NIACC came in the 2020 championship match when he dropped a 6-4 decision to Iowa Western’s Isaiah Crosby.

Minto’s brother, Basil, who is head NIACC women’s wrestling and men’s assistant coach, wrestled for two seasons (2013-2015) at the UNI. Basil, who was a two-time all-American at NIACC, was sixth at the MAC Championships in his senior season for the Panthers and qualified for the NCAA tournament.

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