UNI's Bryce Steiert, Iowa's Edwin Cooper produce strong NCAA wrestling debuts

NEW YORK – Northern Iowa freshman Bryce Steiert would not be a welcome sight in traffic or the checkout lane of a store.

See, he doesn't subscribe to biding his time and waiting for his turn. Even before he stepped foot in UNI's practice room, he was ready to forgo his red-shirt season and budge his way into the Panthers' lineup.

Steiert proved lifting his red-shirt was a good move, winning his first two matches at the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships on Thursday at Madison Square Garden.

'I like to look at it like standing in line,' Steiert said. 'I could wait to accomplish my goals my senior year and wait it out. Or, I can cut the line and go right ahead. Just make it my time right away.'

Steiert was confident in his ability and determined to be in this position. Shortly after winning a 2015 state title for Waverly-Shell Rock, he entertained thoughts of competing and making a run in New York.

'I've been training for this,' Steiert said. 'I planned to be here. I trained to be here. I put in a lot of hours.'

Steiert opened with a 7-2 victory over Ohio's Spartak Chino and then followed with a 4-1 decision over Central Michigan's 11th-seed Luke Smith to reach the round of 16.

'I like how he's wrestling,' Schwab said. 'I said when he wasn't seeded I would not want to draw him first. I know there are some really good guys in that weight class but he's a really good guy in that weight class, too.'

Steiert and the rest of the Panthers gained perspective with the unfortunate situation with heavyweight Blaize Cabell, who was denied a third NCAA tournament appearance due to illness.

Even UNI assistant Mark Schwab shared his own tail of injuries limiting him after an All-American performance and record-setting season as a freshman.

'There is no guarantee that you will ever get back to the national tournament again,' Doug Schwab said. 'There isn't. No one can guarantee that, so why not take a deep breath, take it in and enjoy it? Go out and compete like you've trained to do.'

The emphasis was for all four remaining UNI qualifiers to take advantage of the opportunity. Steiert said he is becoming more comfortable with the environment.

'I'm having a lot of fun,' Steiert said. 'I'm not thinking about getting tired, winning or losing. It's just about having fun and enjoying the seven minutes in front of you.'

His two victories highlighted UNI's strong start, winning five of their first six matches. Dylan Peters, seeded ninth at 125, topped Ohio's Shakur Laney, 8-2. Josh Alber, No. 15 at 133, followed with a 10-6 win over Oklahoma State's Gary Wayne Harding. Cooper Moore went 1-1 in the first session.

'I don't think guys tried to back away from anything,' Schwab said. 'I think the guys went out to take it and they did.'

COOPER WINS AT ALL LEVELS

Iowa's Edwin Cooper Jr. is making his debut at the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, but it isn't his first trip to a national tournament in college.

Cooper was a NJCAA national champion for Iowa Central in 2012. He transferred to Upper Iowa, where he was an NCAA Division II national finalist in 2014. In his second season with the Hawkeyes, the senior 157-pounder produced the same first-round result.

Cooper, seeded 13th, started with an 8-3 victory over Nebraska's Tyler Berger.

'This is a great feeling,' Cooper said. 'This is where I want to be. That's where I'm at now, so I have to capitalize on this moment.'

Cooper said the approach is similar for each level of competition. He still focuses on a strenuous warmup to expand his lungs and focus on what is needed to compete. This event is much grander than the other two and competition is much tougher.

'It's definitely a bigger stage,' Cooper said. 'It's a thrill so you have to live up to the hype. It was good going out there and wrestling, moving and getting to my attacks, which I got.'

The win over Berger was more decisive than his one-point victory in the regular season. He has progressed throughout the year and has become more offensive, better defensively and a stronger rider.

'He's wrestling more confident in our room and certainly more confident on the mat lately,' Iowa Coach Tom Brands said. 'As long as that keeps carrying over, he's got a chance.'

Brands added, 'He's been winning a lot of matches his whole life on all levels.'

WEATHERSPOON STORMS SECOND SEED

Iowa State's Lelund Weatherspoon produced the biggest upset of a wild opening round of the 174-pound bracket Thursday.

Weatherspoon escaped and scored a late takedown for a 7-4 victory over Cornell's No. 2 Brian Realbuto. The two-time Big 12 champion improved to 25-10 this season.

The 174-pound class saw five upsets based on seeds, including the Nos. 2, 3 and 4 seeds falling in the first round. Iowa's 13th seed Alex Meyer lost by a point to Lehigh's Gordon Wolf, and Virginia Tech's No. 8 seed Zach Epperly also lost by a point.

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