Wrestlers swept on the road in Iowa

Lose at Big 12 Conference foes Northern Iowa and Iowa State, home this weekend

The North Dakota State Wrestling team was swept in Iowa this weekend suffering losses at Northern Iowa and Iowa State. On Saturday night, in Cedar Falls, Iowa, the Bison dropped a 29-13 decision to the Panthers. The Bison (6-2, 1-2 Big 12) started slow, as they lost the first four matches. Strong performances by Jared Franek, Owen Pentz and Brandon Metz were not enough to get the Bison the win.

Franek, the No. 7 ranked wrestler at 157 pounds, picked up the first Bison win of the night as he claimed his 11th straight victory and improved to 16-1 on the year with a 12-4 major decision victory over Derek Holschlag. Pentz, the Bison’s 23rd ranked 197 pounder, dominated Northern Iowa’s Noah Glaser 10-0 until Glaser had to retire due to an injury giving the Bison another win. Bison heavyweight Brandon Metz, ranked 21st, squeaked out a 3-2 win over the Panthers’ Tyrell Gordon.

No. 14 Luke Weber and No. 23 Austin Brenner both finished with tight defeats as the duo lost decisions by two points each. Weber fell to No. 19 Austin Yant 8-6 in the 165 match, while Brenner fell 5-3 to Lance Runyon in the 174 match.

On Sunday afternoon, in Ames, Iowa, the Bison fell to No. 10 Iowa State 26-9. Kellyn March picked up a pin and Luke Weber recorded a victory to lead the way for the Bison (6-3, 1-3 Big 12). Iowa State (9-1, 2-0 Big 12) had eight victories. They were led by their 157 pounder, David Carr, the No. 1 ranked wrestler at the class. Carr defeated NDSU’s Jared Franek 7-3 in a highly anticipated match among top-ten ranked wrestlers.

No. 22 March picked up a win at the 133-pound class in the second match of the afternoon, which gave the Bison an early 6-3 lead. March recorded a takedown early in the first period and then converted it into a pin of Ramazan Attasauov at 1:08. It was the fourth pin of the season for March and the fifth of his career. March improved to 12-6 on the season and recorded his 10th career dual victory.

No. 14 Weber grabbed the only other victory for NDSU, as he defeated Isaac Judge 2-1 in the 165-pound match. After a scoreless first, Weber picked up a quick escape on Judge and then secured a riding time point on Judge in the third, as Judge didn’t escape until the final 10 seconds. The Bison will return at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 22 and Sunday, Jan. 23 with the first home duals of 2022, welcoming in West Virginia and Air Force at the SHAC. Saturday’s dual vs West Virginia begins at 1 p.m. and the Bison wrestle Air Force at 11 a.m. on Sunday.

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