UNI makes western road trip

The University of Northern Iowa heads west for a double-dual against Cal State-Bakersfield and Northern Colorado at Greeley, Colo., on Friday. The Panthers (8-9, 2-0 in the Western Wrestling Conference) opens with CS-Bakersfield at 4 p.m. with the Northern Colorado meet at 8 p.m. UNI then heads to Colorado Springs, Colo., for a dual against Air Force on Sunday at 2 p.m.

Below is the UNI press release:

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*THIS WEEK IN PANTHER WRESTLING*

*Feb. 11 vs. Cal State Bakersfield 4 p.m. (CST)*

* vs. Northern Colorado 8 p.m. (CST)*

*Feb. 13 at Air Force 2 p.m. (CST)*

The University of Northern Iowa wrestling team (8-9, 2-0 WWC) heads west for a trio of duals this weekend, facing Cal State Bakersfield and Northern Colorado Friday in Greeley, Colo. before heading to Colorado Springs, Colo. to take on Air Force Sunday at 2 p.m. Links to live video for all three of UNI's duals this weekend can be found by visiting the wrestling schedule page at www.unipanthers.com.

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*PANTHER POINTS...*

• UNI will look to remain perfect in Western Wrestling Conference action this weekend as they will face Northern Colorado and Air Force. UNI is currently 2-0 in WWC duals, topping North Dakota State and South Dakota State. Since the creation of the league five seasons ago, UNI has lost just two conference duals and holds an 18-2 overall record.

• The Panthers hold the advantage in the all-time series with each of the schools they will face this weekend, owning a 4-3 record against Cal State Bakersfield, 3-1 mark against Air Force and a perfect 5-0 record against Northern Colorado. The Panthers faced Northern Colorado and Air Force during the 2010 season with the Panthers coming out on top in both matches. UNI topped Northern Colorado 35-3 and Air Force 24-15. The last time UNI and Cal State Bakersfield met on the mat was during the 1999 season with the Roadrunners earning a 27-16 win.

• Ryan Loder extended his winning streak to nine with an 11-2 win over Iowa State's Cole Shafer. Loder has now won 14 of his last 16 matches, including five wins over ranked opponents. Loder is currently ranked No.

7 in the latest Intermat poll, making him the highest ranked Panther.

• David Bonin has put together a streak of his own, winning his last four dual matches. Included in that streak are two consecutive major decision victories. Bonin is currently 18-10 and 10-6 in dual matches with four of his dual losses coming to opponents ranked higher than him.

Bonin held steady in this week's Intermat rankings, coming in at No. 19.

• Terrance Young and Riley Banach each placed for the Panthers at the Duhawk Open last weekend with Young taking third place at 125 pounds and Banach placing fourth at 165 pounds.

• Blayne Beale jumped into the starting dual lineup for the first time in his career against Iowa State on Feb. 4. The sophomore fell just short on getting his first dual win, falling to Iowa State's Kyle Simonson 3-2.