Iowa Conference Duals on tap for Saturday

Top-ranked Wartburg is set to compete in the Iowa Conference Duals on Saturday. The Knights will head to Indianola for half of the dual competition hosted by Simpson. Wartburg will face Simpson, No. 5 Coe and 25th-ranked University of Dubuque.

The marquee dual between Wartburg (17-1, 5-0 IIAC) and Coe (12-4, 2-0) is set for noon.

Loras will host the remainder of the IIAC schools in Dubuque.

Below is a news release from Wartburg's Sports Information Department.

WRESTLING TO IIAC DUALS:Top-ranked Wartburg College faces three duals at the Simpson College section of the 2011 Iowa Conference Duals Saturday, Jan. 29.

Coach Jim Miller's Knights, sporting a 17-1 overall and 5-0 league record, seek to continue the program's remarkable run of 147 consecutive conference dual wins inside Cowles Fieldhouse on Simpson's campus in Indianola. Wartburg takes on the host Storm at 10 a.m., fifth-ranked Coe at 12 p.m. and No. 25-ranked University of Dubuque at 2 p.m.

Fans can follow the action via a live videocast through www.go-knights.net, the Internet home of Wartburg athletics. The videocast is available via the scrolling schedule section on the main home page.

KNIGHTS NOTES:The Orange and Black swept through its section of the event a year ago at home, but the clash with the Kohawks was a dandy. A victory at heavyweight sealed an 18-12 decision. … Wartburg kept its spot at the front of the Jan. 24 National Wrestling Coaches Association's Division III top 35. The Knights have eight weights listed. Junior 197-pounder Byron Tate of Clinton and senior heavyweight John Helgerson of West Union remain at No. 1, while senior 125-pounder Mark Kist of Eagle Grove is No. 3 along with senior 157-pounder Carrington Banks of Stockbridge, Ga., senior 141-pounder Matt Kelly of Dubuque and junior 184-pounder Dylan Azinger of DeWitt are both No. 5, junior 133-pounder Mike Kremer of Independence is sixth, and senior 149-pounder Jacob Groth of Marshalltown is 10th. … The Orange and Black are coming off two league dual wins last week. Wartburg rolled up a pair of shutouts, defeating Buena Vista 51-0 Jan. 19 and No. 13-ranked Cornell 41-0 Jan. 21. ... So far, through five conference duals, Wartburg has dropped just one individual match. … Along individual wrestler lines, Tate has won 39 of his last 40, while Helgerson has an 11-match win string, with the last three coming by fall, going into the IIAC duals. They've both moved over 30 wins this season. Banks has also been rolling along lately, taking wins in 18 of his last 19 matches. … Saturday's competition closes Wartburg's league dual schedule. The Knights resume the “Battle of the Burgs” series with Augsburg College Friday, Feb. 4, inside Si-Melby Hall on Augsburg's campus in Minneapolis, Minn., to wrap up the 2010-11 dual campaign.