Reports point to conference move for UNI wrestling

Northern Iowa could be switching wrestling conferences again.

This time, the Panthers could be heading to a conference they tried to join previously.

According to reports from www.iawrestle.com, multiple sources have told the wrestling website that UNI will likely join the Big 12 Conference as an affiliate member for wrestling only. Former UNI Athletics Director Troy Dannen sent letters to the Big 12 asking to be added as an affiliate member as early as 2010.

The conference was not accepting affiliate members at the time. The Big 12 was down to just three programs — national power Oklahoma State, storied Bedlam Series rival Oklahoma and traditional power Iowa State — before West Virginia entered the conference.

Recently, the Big 12 added affiliate members while UNI competed in the Mid-American Conference. Air Force, North Dakota State, Northern Colorado, South Dakota State, Utah Valley University and Wyoming have joined the Big 12. They were past Western Wrestling Conference foes of UNI.

According to iawrestle.com, sources said the move is pending a vote by Big 12 ADs, but they are confident it will pass.

UNI has competed in the MAC since 2013, finishing second behind Missouri in the 2017 MAC Championships at the McLeod Center in Cedar Falls in March. Taylor Lujuan was the lone UNI conference champion last season, winning the 174-pound title.

The team performance matched the runner-up finish of 2014. UNI was third in 2013, fifth in 2016 and sixth in 2015. The Panthers posted unbeaten MAC dual seasons in 2014 — their first full MAC season — and in 2017.

A phone message to UNI Coach Doug Schwab was not immediately returned.

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