Peacocks ranked third in preseason

The Upper Iowa University wrestling team is ranked third in the National Wrestling Coaches Association NCAA Division II preseason wrestling poll. It's the highest the Upper Iowa has been ranked since moving to Division II.

The Peacocks claimed their second straight trophy at the national tournament, placing fourth in March. They return six of seven national qualifiers from last year.

Below is the press release from Upper Iowa with complete rankings:

Peacock Wrestling Program Ranked #3 in NWCA Preseason Coaches Poll

10/27/2011 | Wrestling

Upper Iowa enters the 2011-12 season with high hopes of what they can achieve this year. The Peacocks have quickly become a national power in wrestling at the NCAA Division II level. Two years ago, UIU tied Nebraska-Kearney for third place at the NCAA Championships in Omaha, Nebraska, and last year the team brought home their second straight team trophy after a fourth place finish at the NCAA Championships in Kearney, Nebraska thanks to National Champion Trevor Franklin and four other NCAA All-Americans.

The National Wrestling Coaches Association, or NWCA, has released their preseason coaches' poll for both team and individuals and they have looked favorably on Upper Iowa. The Peacocks are ranked third in the preseason poll, the highest preseason ranking the team has had in the short NCAA Division II history. Six Peacocks are also listed among the top eight individuals nationally in each of the ten weight classes.

Six of last year's seven National Qualifiers return for Upper Iowa this season. Mark Mueller is the only graduate of the Magnificent Seven from a year ago. Franklin will return to the mat after the fall semester, while Kyle Pedretti, Carl Broghammer, Mitchell Schultz, Zach Rosol and Winston Robbins are all in the wrestling room right now. All six young men are recognized in the top eight of their respective weight classes nationally.

Pedretti leads the group off as he is moving back down to 125 pounds for his senior season and is currently ranked as the second best wrestler at that weight. Pedretti wrestled at 125 during his redshirt freshman season before spending the last two years at 133 and gaining NCAA All-American honors in both years with 3rd place and 6th place finishes respectively. Last year, the Monona, Iowa native went 29-11 overall and 14-6 against DII opponents recording one fall, three technical falls and seven major decisions.

Franklin, who will resume classes and training following this semester, is coming off a National Championship at 125 pounds last year. This season, he will go a weight to 133 pounds and the coaches have ranked him as the #1 wrestler at his new weight as well. Franklin went 27-2 overall last year and 21-1 against DII; the one loss was to Russell Weakley of UNC-Pembroke, but the New York native avenged that loss in the first round of last year's NCAA Championships. He won nine of his matches by fall, two by technical fall and five by major decision.

Robbins is ranked 8th in the preseason poll at 157 pounds following a 1-2 showing at the NCAA Championships, which included an upset of the nation's #1, George Ivanov, in the first round of the tournament. Robbins was 25-18 overall last year recording two wins by fall, four by technical fall and three by major decision.

Schultz earned his first NCAA All-American honor last year as a redshirt sophomore finishing 6th at the NCAA Championships. He is currently ranked as the #2 wrestler at 184 pounds. Schultz has posted a 44-19 record in his career with the Peacocks. Last year he recorded three falls, one technical fall and four major decisions in his victories.

Broghammer made a name for himself at the NCAA Championships last year after dropping his first round match and then winning five straight to place third as a redshirt freshman. He was named as the NSIC Newcomer of the Year and was tabbed as the top 197-pound rookie at all levels by the Amateur Wrestling News as part of their All-Rookie teams last year. Broghammer joins Franklin in the preseason poll as the #1 ranked wrestler in his weight class. The Manchester, Iowa native went 31-11 last year with a 20-7 mark against DII opponents posting eight wins by fall, two by technical fall and four by major decision.

Rosol returns as the Peacocks' heavyweight for his senior campaign after falling just short of NCAA All-American status last year. Rosol was 27-9 last year including a 13-7 mark against DII competition. The Nashua, Iowa native is currently ranked fifth in the preseason poll; he recorded twelve falls a season ago adding a technical fall and major decision win as well.

The Peacocks will also return varsity starters Wade Gobin, Bryce Lumzy, Victor Coronado, Blake Hilmer and Trevor Duke, who all figure to be vital to Upper Iowa's success this year.

UIU's newcomers have come to campus with quite a following after being named as the 10th best non-NCAA Division I recruiting class by Wrestling USA Magazine. The class of thirteen new Peacocks is led by Jordan Rinken and Blake Sorensen. Rinken led Waverly-Shell Rock High School to four straight Iowa Class 3A State Championships in the traditional tournament (2008-11) and three of the last four team dual tournaments (2008-10) while posting an impressive 162-15 record in his four-year career. Sorensen earned Iowa State Tournament Medalist honors four times while finishing his outstanding four-year career with 172-8 record. He led the Denver-Tripoli Titan team to a 6th place finish in 2007 and 2008 prior to placing second in 2009 and claiming the Iowa State Team Title in 2010. For more information on the recruiting class, click here.

Upper Iowa will begin their season at the Loras Open in Dubuque, Iowa on Nov. 5. The Peacocks will also compete in the Luther Open on Nov. 12 and the Brute Adidas Open on Nov. 19 before hosting the Warriors of Waldorf College in Dorman Gym for a 7 p.m. dual on Nov. 29.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The top 20 poll, with points and each team's finish in last year's national tournament following by the individual rankings at each weight, appears below:

Rank School (State) Points

1. St. Cloud State (Minn.) 153

2. Newberry (S.C.) 150

3. Upper Iowa 144

4. Nebraska-Kearney 132

5. Grand Canyon (Ariz.) 130

6. Augustana (S.D.) 124

7. Central Oklahoma 107

8. Pittsburgh-Johnstown (Pa.) 94

9. Wisconsin-Parkside 90

10. Ashland (Ohio) 74

11. Mercyhurst (Pa.) 70

12. Minnesota State 69

13. Adams State (Colo.) 63

14. Findlay (Ohio) 53

15. Maryville (Mo.) 47

16. Fort Hays State (Kan.) 44

17. Limestone (S.C.) 31

18. North Carolina-Pembroke 28

19. San Francisco State (Calif.) 23

20. Shippensburg (Pa.) 15

Others receiving votes: Central Missouri, Colorado School of Mines, East Stroudsburg (Pa.), Gannon (Pa.), King (Tenn.), Kutztown (Pa.), Mary (N.D.), Northern State (S.D.), Western State (Colo.).

125 Pounds

1. Connor McDonald, Newberry (S.C.)

2. Kyle Pedretti, Upper Iowa

3. Corey Ulmer, Minnesota State-Moorhead

4. Terrell McKinney, Maryville (Mo.)

5. Ben Sergent, Findlay (Ohio)

6. Jerry Huff, Adams State (Colo.)

7. Brandon Davis, Ashland (Ohio)

8. Shane Summerlin, Belmont Abbey (N.C.)

133 Pounds

1. Trevor Franklin, Upper Iowa

2. Jason Jeremiason, Augustana (S.D.)

3. Ryan Link, Pittsburgh-Johnstown (Pa.)

4. Trison Graham, Central Oklahoma

5. Matt Oliver, Newberry (S.C.)

6. Michael Magaha, Limestone (S.C.)

7. Dan Mandara, Ashland (Ohio)

8. Tyler Nelson, Colorado Mesa

141 Pounds

1. Dalton Jensen, Nebraska-Kearney

2. B.J. Young, Newberry (S.C.)

3. Jack Bachman, Pittsburgh-Johnstown (Pa.)

4. Dan Genetin, Ashland (Ohio)

5. Simon Rice, Shippensburg (Pa.)

6. Adam Hluschak, East Stroudsburg (Pa.)

7. Madison Gambrell, Grand Canyon (Ariz.)

8. Nick Wykoff, West Liberty (W. Va.)

149 Pounds

1. Nate Herda, Augustana (S.D.)

2. Mitchell Means, Fort Hays State (Kan.)

3. Tommy Abbott, Minnesota State

4. Josh Hensley, Adams State (Colo.)

5. Ethan Swope, Gannon (Pa.)

6. Deral Brown, Newberry (S.C.)

7. Nathan Link, Pittsburgh-Johnstown (Pa.)

8. Ryan Maus, Truman State (Mo.)

157 Pounds

1. Dillon Bera, Wisconsin-Parkside

2. T.J. Hepburn, Nebraska-Kearney

3. Jordan Shields, Mercyhurst (Pa.)

4. Teddy Bristol, Grand Canyon (Ariz.)

5. Cory Dauphin, Central Oklahoma

6. Marcus Edgington, Augustana (S.D.)

7. J.D. Horn, St. Cloud State (Minn.)

8. Winston Robbins, Upper Iowa

165 Pounds

1. Tad Merritt, St. Cloud State (Minn.)

2. Joey Wilson, Nebraska-Kearney

3. Mike Williams, North Carolina-Pembroke

4. Dylan Granard, Colorado Mesa

5. Sean Brynes, Newberry (S.C.)

6. Isaiah Jimenez, San Francisco State (Colo.)

7. Jordan Larsen, Colorado School of Mines

8. Ronald Tetreault, American International (Mass.)

174 Pounds

1. Michael Lybarger, Findlay (Ohio)

2. Luke Rynish, Wisconsin-Parkside

3. Victor Carazo, Grand Canyon (Ariz.)

4. Shamus O'Grady, St. Cloud State (Minn.)

5. Kelly Henderson, Central Oklahoma

6. Bryce Sopko, Limestone (S.C.)

7. Carl Serck, Augustana (S.D.)

8. Brendan Eichman, Minnesota State

184 Pounds

1. Ross Brunkhardt, Nebraska-Kearney

2. Mitch Schultz, Upper Iowa

3. Matt Gille, Wisconsin-Parkside

4. Derek Skala, St. Cloud State (Minn.)

5. Tanner Keck, Central Oklahoma

6. Brady Anderson, Mary (N.D.)

7. Brandon Tressler, King (Tenn.)

8. Londele Cox, Mercyhurst (Pa.)

197 Pounds

1. Carl Broghammer, Upper Iowa

2. Dan Scanlan, Limestone (S.C.

3. Luke McPeek, Adams State (Colo.)

4. Matt Baker, Maryville (Mo.)

5. Pat Mahan, Minnesota State

6. Frank Morgan, King (Tenn.)

7. Eddie Ebewo, East Stroudsburg (Pa.)

8. Karl Reed, Newberry (S.C.)

285 Pounds

1. Matt Meuleners, Northern State (S.D.)

2. Jacob Kahnke, St. Cloud State (Minn.)

3. Jacob Southwick, Ashland (Ohio)

4. Jake Elkins, Newberry (S.C.)

5. Zach Rosol, Upper Iowa

6. Fred Hale, Mercyhurst (Pa.)

7. J.D. Ramsey, West Liberty (W. Va.)

8. Cody Beck, Central Missouri