National Wrestling Coaches Association dual rankings: Iowa, UNI make slight jumps, Iowa State holds at No. 4

University of Iowa and University of Northern Iowa won duals Sunday.

Success produced an improvement in the national rankings for both.

UNI jumped four spots and Iowa made a mild climb to No. 7, while Iowa State remained at No. 4 in the latest National Wrestling Coaches Association NCAA Division I dual poll released Tuesday.

Iowa won all nine contested bouts in a 40-6 rout of Michigan State in East Lansing, Mich. The win came after a Friday loss at No. 2 Ohio State. The Hawkeyes moved up one spot from last week, coming in at 10-5 overall and 3-2 in the Big Ten Conference.

Iowa faces another ranked foe, hosting No. 10 Michigan for Senior Night on Friday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, beginning at 8 p.m. The Hawkeyes wrestle Purdue in West Lafayette, Ind., on Sunday at noon.

“We’ve got Michigan coming to town,” Iowa Coach Tom Brands said during the program’s weekly media availability. “We’ve got to wrestle with the energy that, not only are you presently doing your job on the mat, but you are sending a message to your future competition.”

The Hawkeyes released their probable lineup Tuesday. Kale Petersen is listed at 141 pounds and Gabe Arnold is at 184, instead of Angelo Ferrari. Arnold has wrestled the last four duals.

Nasir Bailey has been the regular at 141 but has not wrestled the last two duals.

“We’re day by day,” Brands said. “We’re just going to keep building him.”

Dean Peterson and Joey Cruz are included at 125, Ryder Block and freshman Kael Voinovich are at 149 and Brody Sampson and Harvey Ludington are probable at 197, which was forfeited against the Spartans.

Senior Victor Voinovich III and Jordan Williams are listed at 157. The older Voinovich won both of his matches last weekend.

“I was excited I got the opportunity to compete,” Victor said. “I hadn’t competed since the Soldier Salute, so it’s been a little over a month. I feel like I was able to start getting back into more of a groove how I wanted to wrestle. Obviously, in my second match (against Michigan State), those bloody noses kind of stopped me a little bit but for the most part I feel I handled that adversity pretty well. I feel like heading into these next few weeks I’ll keep the ball rolling a little more and get some more takedowns.”

UNI has bounced around the middle of the rankings all season and landed at No. 15, following a second dual win over South Dakota State in Brookings, S.D. The Panthers are 10-6 overall and 4-2 in the Big 12 Conference.

UNI hosts West Virginia at McLeod Center on Saturday night at 7. The Panthers take on the Cyclones Sunday at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, starting at 7 p.m. UNI won last year’s meeting, 26-10, at home, but Iowa State had won five straight, including the last three duals in Ames.

Iowa State (9-2, 5-1) was idle last week and host West Virginia Friday before the showdown with UNI.

Penn State (13-0, 7-0) remained at No. 1, beating Michigan, 38-3, last week. The Nittany Lions have won an NCAA record 84 straight duals, entering Friday night’s home clash with the Buckeyes.

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