Despite being a redshirt, UNI’s Wyatt Voelker impressing as a freshman

CORALVILLE — His future appears bright, and it is still the word “future” when it comes to Wyatt Voelker. At least for now.

The former West Delaware prep and two-time state champion is redshirting as a freshman 197-pounder at the University of Northern Iowa. He is wrestling unattached Thursday and Friday in the Soldier Salute at Xtream Arena.

“Voelker is awesome,” said UNI Coach Doug Schwab. “Love what he brings and how eager he is to learn and get better, and just the direction he’s going.”

Voelker was one of the top prep recruits in the country at his weight class and had as many as a dozen Division I schools interested in him, including all three state schools. He hasn’t disappointed at all thus far, winning three prior open tournaments.

A 10-3 decision over Chase McCleish, another unattached competitor from South Dakota State, was his first Soldier Salute match Thursday. A 13-8 win over VMI’s Tyler Mousaw then moved his season record to 13-0 and advanced him to the tourney semifinals opposite four-time all-American Jacob Warner of Iowa.

UNI has gone with redshirt junior Noah Glaser in its lineup at 197 thus far. Glaser is not competing here.

“The top and bottom is much different (at the collegiate level),” Voelker said. “Learning how to ride, sealing off on bottom, being sticky on the bottom ... Then just some minor stuff on my hand fight. There’s a lot of minor stuff on that. Getting my attacks as much as I can.”

Voelker accumulated over three minutes of riding time against McCleish. He and Schwab reiterated the redshirt plan continues to be in place.

“As far as I know,” Voelker said. “Listen and apply and trust my coaches. Listen, apply and believe. I’m all right with whatever they’re all right with.”

“With some of the rules that they changed this year, you have some dates,” Schwab said. “He’s wrestling unattached here. You never know what could happen with guys, you never know with injuries and those things. We want to leave some opportunities potentially there for the second half of the season. I’ll never say never. We’ll see how this weekend goes, and you go from there.”

New NCAA rules say freshmen wrestlers can compete in as many as five dates and still redshirt.

“For him, it’s just eagerness to learn and get better,” Schwab said. “He just keeps trying to improve. These are opportunities to show all your work, right? I just think his eyes are wide open, and that’s a great thing. He’s learning, getting better. The guy is always smiling. His attitude, it rubs off.

“And he has competed very well.”

Very, very well.

Tournament Takedowns

— Navy has Iowa ties within its coaching staff. Former Iowa Hawkeye Mike Evans is an assistant coach for Cary Kolat, as is former UNI heavyweight Blaize Cabell. Both are in their second years with the Midshipmen.

Cabell is an Independence graduate. He trained for two years upon graduation at a regional training center at Fresno State before joining the staff as a volunteer assistant at Campbell.

“There are a lot of misconceptions about the academy,” Cabell said. “It’s nice that you don’t have to talk scholarship dollars and things like that. A kid (that goes there) is already different in and of himself because the commitment to service is already good. But, really, it’s like having a guaranteed job (upon graduation).

“If I can tell a kid, ‘Hey, you can go to school for free and I’ve got a job for you for (at least) five years somewhere cool in the country, on the beach in the water,’ that’s a no-brainer at that point.”

— Iowa State did not bring any competitors to the event, as was originally planned. Central Methodist also did not participate after planning to do so because of travel issues.

Fielding official men’s teams here are Iowa, Army, Navy, The Citadel, Virginia Military Institute, Columbia, Wyoming, South Dakota State, Northern Iowa and Bellarmine. On the women’s side, it’s Iowa Wesleyan, William Penn, Indiana Tech, Life University, Tiffin and Cornell College, with some Iowa wrestlers competing unattached.

That includes former South Winneshiek prep and U.S. national team member Felicity Taylor.

— Former Iowa wrestler Ned Shuck is in his second season as head coach at Bellarmine. Shuck (2000-05 as a Hawkeye) is trying to build a program at the Louisville, Ky., school that is just in its third season at the Division I level, as a member of the Southern Conference. Bellarmine previously was a D-II program.

— Former Hawkeye national champion Tony Ramos is coaching a couple of unattached wrestlers from the University of North Carolina, including 174-pounder Cade Tenold, a former Don Bosco prep. Ramos is an assistant for the Tar Heels.

Comments: (319)-398-8258, jeff.johnson@thegazette.com