University of Northern Iowa Men's Wrestling

Schwab started a true freshman for the first time since taking over at UNI. The last freshman to start was Joey Lazor in 2009-10. Bryce Steiert was among the five NCAA qualifiers at 157 pounds. He was the first freshman Panther since 2003 to qualify for the NCAA. Tough scheduling and Schwabs energy boosted attendance numbers for UNI wrestling in 2014-15. The Panthers posted the eighth highest attendance numbers in the nation, up from ninth the year before. Schwab sent four wrestlers to the NCAA tourney, including two-time MAC champion Cooper Moore at 165 pounds. The team finished 34th at the national championships. Schwab crowned three All-Americans and qualified seven wrestlers, the most UNI had sent to nationals since 2007-08 when nine qualified. Joe Colon took third at 133 pounds, the highest finish of any Panther since 2005. Dylan Peters (125 pounds) and Joey Lazor (141 pounds) placed sixth.   UNI was the only Division I school to finish its dual season undefeated. It was the first time in history UNI won 13 consecutive duals in a single season to finish undefeated. The Panthers went 10-0 in 1956 and 11-0 in 1950. UNIs opponents only scored 163 points in duals, the fewest allowed since 1974. The program saw its biggest jump in attendance in at least 14 seasons, posting the ninth highest numbers in the nation. Four home duals in the West Gym were sell-outs. Schwab crowned his first two All-Americans and led the Panthers to their highest finish at the NCAA national tournament since 2005. Four wrestlers accounted for the teams 15th-place finish. David Bonin took fourth at 157 pounds and Ryan Loder was seventh at 184 pounds. Two more Panthers made the Round of 12, just missing out on the All-American spot.    He was among 45 coaches who received full scholarships to join the fourth annual National Wrestling Coaches Association Leadership Academy in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in August 2012. Five Panthers qualified for the NCAA tournament, and the team finished 34th. In his first season as head coach, Schwab led the Panthers to their first 12-win season since 2003 and helped UNI earn its fourth Western Wrestling Conference dual championship. Three Panthers qualified for the NCAA tournament, and the team tied for 46th place. My main job is to get the guys to buy into the lifestyle that includes on the mat and in the classroom. Im looking forward to putting an exciting product on the mat that fans in the Cedar Valley can rally behind and come out and watch, Schwab said. Schwab of Osage, Iowa, served as an assistant wrestling coach with University of Iowa. Prior to joining the Iowa staff, Schwab served two seasons (2005-07) as an assistant coach at Virgina Tech University under Tom Brands. During his tenure with the Hokies, the team won the 2005 regular season Atlantic Coast Conference title, set a school record for dual meet wins (16) and had a school-record five wrestlers qualify for the NCAA Championships. Virginia Tech also crowned five conference champions and two All-Americans, and senior heavyweight Mike Faust was named 2006 ACC Wrestler of the Year. Schwab was a three-time All-American and Big Ten champion for the Hawkeyes from 1998-2001. He won the 1999 NCAA title at 141 pounds and finished his collegiate career with 130 wins, which ranks 10th-best in school history. Schwab was born Aug. 3, 1977. He earned a B.S. in communication studies from the University of Iowa in 2001. He and his wife, Allyson, have two sons, Hayden and Hendrix. schwabwrestling 2015-16: 2014-15: 2013-14: 2012-13: 2011-12: 2010-11: Represented the United States at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China, wrestling freestyle at 145.5 pounds (66 kg) Won titles at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials and U.S. Nationals Won the U.S. Senior Freestyle title in 2007 Earned a bronze medal at the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Placed fifth at the 2007 World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan 145.5-pound title at the 2003 Sunkist Kids International Open and earning Outstanding Wrestler honors in the freestyle event 145-pound division of Real Pro Wrestling, earning Outstanding Wrestler honors as part of the champion Iowa Stalkers team in 2005

Pugh Assistant coach Randy Pugh will enter his 15th season as a UNI assistant in the 2015-16 season. Pugh joined the UNI wrestling staff following an outstanding athletic career at the University of Northern Iowa. Pugh, a former Panther All-American, helped develop All-Americans Ryan Loder (184), Jarion Beets (174), Eric Hauan (174), Kyle Hansen (184), Jason Payne (197), Sean Stender (197) and Paul Hynek (285). Pugh trained for international competition following his career on the mat for the Panthers. The Columbus Junction, Iowa, native finished in fourth place at the USA World Trials in June 2002 and competed in the Trials again in 2003. In 2002, he won the Sunkist International Open and garnered a third-place finish at the U.S. Open.In 2003, Pugh again achieved All-American status as he placed 8th at the U.S. Open. He also placed third at the Dave Schultz Open in 2003. As an athlete at UNI, Pugh finished fourth at the 2000 NCAA Tournament at 174 pounds, capping a senior season in which he compiled a 26-4 record. He was ranked as high as third nationally after upending top-rated Otto Olson at the Virginia Duals. Pugh was a state high school champion his senior year at Columbus Junction before enrolling at the U.S. Naval Academy, where he compiled a 16-8 record his first year. After transferring to UNI in 1998, he went 54-9 in two seasons for the Panthers, giving him a 70-17 career mark. For Pugh, the biggest change from competing on the mat to coaching his former teammates is motivating others. "When I was on the mat, I was doing what it took to make myself a better athlete," Pugh said. "But as a coach, I am more concerned with what others are doing and helping them improve." Pugh not only was a leader in the wrestling arena but also in the classroom. He graduated with a degree in Industrial Technology. Pugh's goal for the Panthers is for the athletes to improve every match out and continue to be good student-athletes. He and his wife, Krista, are the parents of two daughters, Hayden and Presley. Randy Pugh Assistant coach Randy Pugh will enter his 15th season as a UNI assistant in the 2015-16 season. Pugh joined the UNI wrestling staff following an outstanding athletic career at the University of Northern Iowa.

NCAA and two-time Big 12 champion Drew Foster finished his third season as a full-time assistant coach with UNI wrestling in 2025-26. A two-time All-American...

Former All-American Ian Parker joined the UNI wrestling coaching staff during the summer of 2025. A St. Johns, Michigan native, Parker joined the UNI staff a...

Schwab joined his brother, Doug, on the UNI coaching staff, serving as an assistant coach in 2010-11. Mark joins the Panthers after head coaching stints at NIACC and Buena Vista University. At Buena Vista, Schwab was named Iowa Conference Coach of the Year in 2007 and coached the first four-time NCAA All-American in the 30-year history of BVU wrestling in Jestin Hulegaard. Prior to BVU, Schwab spent nine years as assistant coach at the University of Minnesota, helping the program to seven top-three team finishes at the NCAA Championships and two NCAA team titles. Schwab also served as an assistant coach at Purdue from 1991-93. Prior to his coaching experience, Schwab was an All-American on the mat for the Panthers during the late 1980s. In his initial season as a Panther, Schwab posted a 49-9 record, the most wins by a true freshman in NCAA history, and placed fifth in the 1986 NCAA Division I Championships. In 1987, he won the bronze medal in what was called the World's Toughest Tournament in Tiblissi, Russia. During his redshirt season at UNI, Schwab trained for the 1988 U.S. Olympic team while also winning a bronze medal for the U.S. team at the World Cup event in Ulan Bator, Mongolia. A knee injury and a staph infection combined to keep Schwab off the mat for more than a year, but Schwab finished his career with the Panthers on a positive note as a senior, earning his second All-America honor. As a prep at Osage, Schwab was nearly flawless, winning 106 of 107 matches and capturing four state titles. Schwab also earned three Junior National Freestyle titles and a national championship in the Greco-Roman category. Schwab was inducted into the Iowa High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame, the Iowa Wrestling Hall of Fame and the Glen Brand Hall of Fame. Schwab earned his bachelor's degree in 1990 from the University of Northern Iowa and his master's degree from the University of Minnesota in 2003. Schwab returned to the University of Minnesota to get a second emphasis in sport psychology on his existing master's and completed that in 2010. Former Panther Mark Schwab joined his brother, Doug, on the UNI coaching staff, serving as an assistant coach in 2010-11. Mark joins the Panthers after head coaching stints at NIACC and Buena Vista University.

All-American Cael Happel joined the UNI wrestling staff as Director of Operations in July 2025. A five-year member of the Panther Train, Happel returns to UN...