David Harris
The University of Northern Iowa wrestling program is moving to the Big 12 Conference next season.
The Big 12 has announced it will add UNI and Fresno State to give the league a 12-team field in wrestling. Iowa State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and West Virginia are the only full Big 12 members to offer wrestling. The Panthers and Fresno State will join Air Force, Northern Colorado, North Dakota State, South Dakota State, Utah Valley and Wyoming as affiliate members in wrestling.
“We are extremely excited that our wrestling program has been accepted into the Big 12 Conference as an affiliate member,” said David Harris, UNI director of athletics. “The Big 12 is one of the best conferences in all of college athletics, and it contains some of the very best student-athletes and coaches within the sport of wrestling. We look forward to the challenge of competing in the Big 12 and expanding the brand of UNI wrestling.”
UNI has competed the past five years as an affiliate member of the Mid-American Conference.
“We are extremely excited that our wrestling program has been accepted into the Big 12 Conference as an affiliate member,” said David Harris, UNI director of athletics. “The Big 12 is one of the best conferences in all of college athletics, and it contains some of the very best student-athletes and coaches within the sport of wrestling. We look forward to the challenge of competing in the Big 12 and expanding the brand of UNI wrestling.”
The Panthers are coming off a regular-season MAC championship, where they went 8-0 in conference duals.