Loder tabbed UNI's Most Valuable Wrestler

University of Northern Iowa held its end of the year awards banquet last Sunday. The Panthers handed out their season awards and red-shirt freshman Ryan Loder was named the Most Valuable Wrestler and earned rookie of the year honors. Loder compiled a 30-11 record, leading UNI in wins, and was one of three qualifiers for the NCAA Championships in March. Loder won the Western Wrestling Conference title at 184 pounds.

Former Cedar Rapids Kennedy prep and 2010 All-American Jarion Beets received The Lyle E. Schwarzenbach Award. The award is presented to an individual, exhibiting the best standards in citizenship, academics, practice and dedication. Beets missed most of the season due to injury, but stepped in at 197 pounds in a pair of dual matches.

Below is the press release from UNI:

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – The University of Northern Iowa wrestling team wrapped up the 2010-11 season with its annual awards banquet Sunday, April 17 in the McLeod Center's Alumni Suite.

The Panthers finished the season with a 12-9 record, including a 5-0 mark in Western Wrestling Conference action. UNI claimed the WWC regular-season dual title while finishing second at the NCAA West Regional. UNI sent three qualifiers to the NCAA Championships.

Redshirt freshman Ryan Loder earned the Most Valuable Wrestler award and the team's Rookie Award after finishing the season with a 30-11 record, leading the Panthers in wins. The Granite Bay, Calif. native claimed the West Regional title at 184 pounds to advance to the NCAA Championships. Loder won 23 of his last 28 matches, including a string of 12 straight wins that included victories over six ranked opponents. Loder was also named WWC Freshman of the Year.

Trevor Kittleson earned the GPA award, posting the highest GPA on the team.

The Coaches' Appreciation Award was given to Brent Lambie, Riley Banach and Kittleson.

Blayne Beale earned the McCready/Steffensmeier Award for leadership. Beale stepped into the Panthers dual lineup for four matches, posting a 3-1 record, including two wins by fall. The sophomore finished the season with a 22-10 record overall.

The Lyle E. Schwarzenbach Award was given to Jarion Beets. The award recognizes an individual who exhibits the highest standards in citizenship, academics, practice and dedication. After earning All-America honors a season ago, Beets saw limited action during the 2010-11 season while recovering from injury, but stepped in at 197 pounds in a pair of dual matches.

Senior Brett Robbins earned the Chuck Patton Award, which is based on leadership. Robbins battled injuries a majority of his career at UNI, forcing him to see limited action on the mat. After earning his sixth

year of eligibility from the NCAA in January, Robbins posted a record of 11-4, including a 5-0 mark in WWC duals. The senior just missed advancing to the NCAA Championships, earning a second-place finish at the West Regional.

David Bonin earned the team's Most Improved Award. Bonin earned his first trip to the NCAA Championships after finishing second at the West Regional Championships. Bonin posted a record of 26-13 and was ranked as high as No. 18 in the Intermat rankings.

The Ascherl Courageous Award was given to Caleb Flores, Joey Lazor and Nick Pickerell after battling adversity and injuries during the season.

Levi Wolfensperger earned the Most Falls Award after posting 13 wins by fall in open tournaments. Wolfensperger's quickest pin came in 0:31.