The U.N.I. wrestling team has a chance to even their dual record at 2-2 tonight, but they’ll have to beat the top-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes to do so. U.N.I. coach Doug Schwab wrestled for the Hawkeyes in college and spent four years as an assistant at Iowa.
Tonight’s meet will be his first visit to Carver-Hawkeye Arena as a visiting head coach, but he says there will be no mixed feelings. “I’m a Panther 100 percent and you can ask Tom Brands, he’s not gonna be conflicted at all, they’re coming out to put it on us, put it on us hard,” Schwab says.
Schwab says that Carver-Hawkeye Arena is a special place to wrestle, regardless of which team colors you’re wearing. “It is awesome, it is awesome when you compete there, it’s awesome when you are the opposite team because you have fans who enjoy wrestling, they get behind good wrestling and they’re passionate….and were are gonna get ready and we are gonna go out theer and we are gonna battle,” Schwab says.
According to Schwab, he’ll know the program has turned a corner when Iowa fans dislike U.N.I. Iowa has five wrestlers ranked in the top three of their weight class, but Schwab says that the Panthers can’t concern themselves with who is supposed to win.
Iowa shut the Panthers out in the West Gym last year, 39-0.
By Jesse Gavin, KCNZ, Cedar Falls