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Northern Iowa wrestling projected lineup, outlook for 2023-24 season

eli mckown, des moines register
·7 min read

CEDAR FALLS − Year in and year out, the Northern Iowa wrestling program is a “dark horse” team mentioned as having the potential to make some noise nationally.The Panthers certainly have done that at times. Star 184-pounder Parker Keckeisen said during Thursday's media day that he is inspired by the lengthy list of names in the West Gym who have won national, conference and team titles for the Panthers.

Still, there’s a drive to do more. A seventh-place Big 12 finish and a 16th-place finish at the NCAA’s wasn’t good enough for coach Doug Schwab.

“We want to shrink all those numbers, and I absolutely believe we have a team that will shrink all those numbers,” Schwab said.

Here’s what the Panthers could look like for the 2023-24 campaign, and what the outlook for this program is in Schwab’s 14th year at the helm.

Projecting the 2023-24 UNI wrestling lineup

Projected starters in bold.

125 - Trever Anderson/Garrett Funk

133 - Cory Land/Julian Farber

141 - Cael Happel/Ethan Basile

149 - Adam Allard/Ethan Basile

157 - RJ Weston/Ryder Downey

165 - Christian Minto/Jack Thomsen

174 - Lance Runyon/Jared Simma

184 - Parker Keckeisen/Drew Fox

197 - Wyatt Voelker/Kalob Runyon

HVY - Tyrell Gordon

This is a really intriguing, high-potential lineup for the Panthers. Schwab at media day walked through his lineup and noted guys who had stood out to him, giving us a great insight on what we might see throughout the year.

Starting at 125, we won’t see Kyle Gollhofer after having knee surgery in the offseason. We’re listing Trever Anderson to be the man here, a two-time Iowa state champion at Ankeny before wrestling unattached for UNI last year. He’s got the most experience in the room with three true freshmen who will also battle for that spot. However, Schwab said Garrett Funk sliding down to 125 would also be a possibility.

133 is going to be up to Cory Land and his health. Coming off a torn ACL, the redshirt freshman from Moody, Alabama, was a perfect 203-0 in high school and finished last year 11-6 with seven falls, the most on the team. He’s got one of the higher ceilings on the roster, but Julian Farber will give him a run for his money, especially if Land is not fully healed.

“That guy (Farber), you're going to know his name at the end of the year,” Schwab said. “I'll leave it at that.”

Cael Happel is the guy at 141 pounds. Not only the starter, but someone who has emerged as a vocal leader alongside Parker Keckeisen. Schwab praised him for his work there and also quipped that Happel may be the most thrilled with the three-point takedown change.

“The rule change definitely helps my style,” Happel said. “I think for once I don't have to kind of make my own rules to win a game. For me, who's pretty offensive, I think it's going to be awesome. Hopefully I’ll get off the mat a little quicker.”

149 pounds is a question mark with Colin Realbuto taking a redshirt to train for an Olympic bid for Italy. Schwab said as of yet nobody has seized the opportunity at this weight, but mentioned Adam Allard and Ethan Basile as a couple of names to watch. With a couple of duals under his belt against Iowa State and Wisconsin last year, we’re giving Allard the nod, especially with Basile listed at 141 pounds currently.

At 157, RJ Weston seems to be the leader, but watch for Ryder Downey. Schwab grinned when mentioning how good Downey's offseason has been.

165 and 174 pounds is a bit of a mix with two-time NCAA qualifier Lance Runyon dealing with injury. If and when he gets healthy, he’ll be the starter at 174. For now, it appears Jared Simma bulked up to handle that spot, while Christian Minto and transfer Jack Thomsen battle it out for the starting spot at 165. Simma potentially could go back down once Runyon is healthy. In other words, these two weights are really dependent on how healthy Runyon can be this year.If Runyon does reach or get close to 100% healthy, Schwab loves his chances.

“We really haven't got to see that yet,” Schwab said. “He could do a whole hell of a lot of damage.”

Keckesien needs no introduction and is one of the finest wrestlers in the country. He has finished third, third and second at the NCAA Championships.

Wyatt Voelker and Kalob Runyon will fight for the spot at 197. Schwab said the class is still up for grabs, but we’re giving Voelker the nod with his lengthy list of success at national tournaments and a 14-4 record as a true freshman last season.

Sixth-year senior Tyrell Gordon is the lone heavyweight on the roster, placing an increased emphasis on his health. He’ll be looking to reach the podium at the NCAA Championships in Kansas City this spring for the first time in his career.

If Northern Iowa wrestler Lance Runyon can get healthy, "He could do a whole hell of a lot of damage,” UNI coach Doug Schwab said.
If Northern Iowa wrestler Lance Runyon can get healthy, "He could do a whole hell of a lot of damage,” UNI coach Doug Schwab said.

Duals to watch

Dec. 10 vs. Columbia

It’s a bit of an odd schedule for UNI, with this being the first dual of the year. Between now and this date, the Panthers will compete in four opens.That gives the coaching staff plenty of time to be able to evaluate guys leading into the year. Meaning, the first lineup sheet we get against Columbia is probably a bit closer to the “A team” that we can expect later in the year. The biggest takeaway from this dual will be who trots out onto the mat.

Dec. 18-19 at the Collegiate Duals

UNI has lofty goals with Schwab at the helm. Here, the Panthers will face Ohio State, North Carolina State and Lock Haven, all teams that are ranked nationally. This will be a litmus test of how far the Panthers have come over the offseason.

Feb. 11 at Iowa State

These two squaring off is always must-watch wrestling. Iowa State has taken the last four duals dating to Feb. 16, 2020, but never by more than seven team points. The last time the Panthers won was in 2019 in a rocking West Gym (22-13).Not only is it a great matchup and we will learn a lot, but it's also some of the best wrestling this state has to offer.

Northern Iowa wrestler Christian Minto is in the mix to start at 165 pounds.
Northern Iowa wrestler Christian Minto is in the mix to start at 165 pounds.

Season outlook for 2023-24

The team outlook comes down to one thing: Who is going to emerge alongside Keckeisen?

Land, Happel, Lance Runyon and Gordon are all guys who have the ability to reach All-American status this year. The last time UNI had multiple All-Americans was 2019, with Drew Foster winning a national title and Bryce Steiert finishing eighth.

If a couple of those guys can achieve that honor and UNI has seven to nine qualifiers like we've seen in the past, the Panthers can have one of their best postseason showings of the Schwab era. That’s the math of the situation.

Wrestling isn’t a sport of math and analytics, however. It’s about a strong work ethic, grit, determination and dedication to the craft. All of which are pillars of the culture Schwab has put into place going on 14 years in Cedar Falls.

The buy-in to Schwab’s culture seems to be as high as ever after the team banded together to move all the equipment and build a temporary home at USA Mat Club. They, quite literally, built the foundation of what’s to come for this season.

Will it be enough for the Panthers to cash in on their perennial “dark horse” status? Time will tell.

Eli McKown covers high school sports and wrestling for the Des Moines Register. Contact him at Emckown@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @EMcKown23.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Northern Iowa wrestling season outlook and projected starting lineup