No. 15 UNI edges out North Carolina on criteria, 17-16

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – A pair of major decisions gave No. 15 UNI wrestling the boost it needed to edge out North Carolina, 17-16 on criteria.

"I would have liked to see (Taylor) Lujan pin him, but to be able to get bonus points was the difference in the meet tonight," said head coach Doug Schwab. "For us to get a couple of majors was the difference in the meet."

UNI improves to 2-1 overall and remains 1-0 in the Big 12. North Carolina falls to 2-3 and has yet to wrestle a dual in the ACC.
Jay Schwarm put the Panthers on the board right away. With over 4 minutes of riding time, he beat James Szymanski, 5-0.

UNC tied up the team score with a decision at 133 pounds, but UNI would push ahead earning bonus points at 141 pounds. Josh Alber got a major, beating A.C. Headlee, 12-4. Alber notched five takedowns and a point for riding time.

UNC would take the next two matches before Isaiah Patton tied up the team score 10-10 with a decision at 165 pounds.

"I thought Isaiah Patton wrestled a great match – very controlled and composed," said Schwab. "And that's what I want to see throughout the season. I want to see growth."

No. 6 Taylor Lujan is the only Panther in the starting lineup to stay perfect in duals. His 10-2 major decision at 174 pounds sparked a win at the next weight where Drew Foster beat UNC's Chip Ness for the second time this season.

UNC would take the final matches, but it wasn't enough to grab the team win.

"(Carter) Isley got back on the horse," said Schwab. "I can be OK with that. There's progress there, which is an important thing, but it wasn't a complete team performance."

Two Panthers made their dual debut with Rudy Yates at 133 pounds and Logan Ryan at 157 pounds.

UNI lost one team point for unsportsmanlike conduct. However, they earned it back when the tiebreaker came down to the third criteria. UNI has more total match points from decisions, major decisions and technical falls.

Next up, UNI will head to the Southern Scuffle in Chattanooga, Tennessee Jan. 1-2. The Panthers will not be back in the West Gym until Feb. 10 when they host Iowa State.

"There's going to be a lot of national champions who will be at this tournament," said Schwab. "We are taking 15 down there, and we want 15 competing at a really high level."

#15 UNI 17, UNC 16 (Trackwrestling rankings)

• 125: #11 Jay Schwarm (UNI) dec. James Szymanski (UNC), 5-0 (4:06 RT)
• 133: #21 Zach Sherman (UNC) dec. (UNI) Rudy Yates (UNI), 6-3 (1:25 RT)
• 141: #8 Josh Alber (UNI) maj. dec. A.C. Headlee (UNC), 12-4 (1:02 RT)
• 149: #4 Troy Heilmann (UNC) dec. #6 Max Thomsen (UNI), 3-2
• 157: Kennedy Monday (UNC) maj. dec. Logan Ryan (UNI), 13-5 (3:21 RT)
• 165: Isaiah Patton (UNI) dec. Clay Lautt (UNC), 6-1 (2:48 RT)
• 174: #6 Taylor Lujan (UNI) maj. dec. Adis Radoncic (UNC), 10-2 (1:08 RT)
• 184: #13 Drew Foster (UNI) dec. Chip Ness (UNC), 5-3
• 197: #25 Danny Chaid (UNC) dec. #12 Jacob Holschlag (UNI), 5-3
• 285: #21 Cory Daniel (UNC) dec. Carter Isley (UNI), 5-4 (1:12 RT)

-1 point for unsportsmanlike against UNI
+1 point for criteria