Panther Wrestling Inks Six for 2011-12 Season*

Posted on | November 18, 2010 | No Comments

*CEDAR FALLS**, Iowa – *The University of Northern Iowa wrestling team inked six student-athletes for the 2011-12 season head coach Doug Schwab announced today. Joining the Panther wrestling squad will be Blaize Cabell (Independence, Iowa/Independence HS), Joe Colon (Clear Lake, Iowa/Clear Lake HS/Iowa Central), Tanner Hiatt (Kelley, Iowa/Ballard (Huxley) HS), Jarrett Jensen (Rapid City, SD/Stevens HS), Cody Krumwiede (Waverly, Iowa/Waverly-Shell Rock HS) and AJ McBroom (Runnells, Iowa/Southeast Polk HS).

“We worked really hard as a coaching staff recruiting this fall and
we’re very pleased with the six kids that have signed with us,” Schwab
said. “We are very excited to get these six kids on campus in 2011. This
class has some good depth and will really fit our needs. Five of the
signees are from the state of Iowa and the one is from South Dakota.
Because of that, each of them has a very strong work ethic and blue
collar work mentally. These six signees will fit very well into our
program right away. They believe in our program and we’re eager to
welcome them to UNI wrestling in 2011.”

*Blaize Cabell – Independence, Iowa/Independence HS*

Cabell is a three-time Iowa state qualifier placing sixth in 2009 at 171
pounds, finishing the season with a 40-4 record. In addition, he is a
USA Wrestling National Folkstyle Champion.

“Blaize may be a little raw, but he is a big, strong explosive kid,”
Schwab said. “In addition to wrestling he played football and baseball
and was very good at both of them. He is a very athletic kid and we’re
excited to see him concentrate on wrestling when he comes to UNI. He has a lot of untapped ability and we’re excited to see what we can do when he focuses just on wrestling. He’s also a great student and has a high priority for academics.”

*Joe Colon – Clear Lake, Iowa/Clear Lake HS/Iowa Central*

At Clear Lake, Colon finished his high school career with a 130-1
record, including perfect seasons in 2007 and 2009. Colon was a two-time state champion, taking the title at 103 pounds in 2007 and the 125-pound title in 2009. Colon also finished third at the 2008 state
championships. At Iowa Central, Colon was a 2010 National Junior College Champion at 125 pounds.

“Joe only lost once in high school and was junior college champion and
he is a very tough, hard-nosed kid,” Schwab said. “Obviously he is used
to winning and always wrestles hard. He really bought into the UNI
wrestling philosophy and we’re looking forward to working with him.”

*Tanner Hiatt – Kelley, Iowa/Ballard (Huxley) HS*

Hiatt captured the 2009 state title at 140 pounds capping a perfect 47-0 season. Hiatt earned runner-up honors at 130 pounds in 2008 while
finishing third at 140 pounds in 2010. In the past three seasons, Hiatt
has compiled an impressive 131-6 record while also helping Ballard
(Huxley) High School to three straight top-three team finishes,
including back-to-back state titles in 2008 and 2009.

“Tanner is a very tough competitor,” Schwab said. “He is very tough and
physical kid with a very strong determination to win. He has a very
strong desire to walk onto the mat and really beat his competitor.”

*Jarrett Jensen – Rapid City, S.D./Stevens HS*

Jensen is a four-time state qualifier in South Dakota, capturing titles
in 2008, 2009 and 2010. Jensen captured his first state title in 2008 at
145 pounds before claiming titles at 152 pounds in 2009 and 2010. Jensen also earned a third-place finish in 2007 at 135 pounds.

“We were very persistent with Jarrett,” Schwab said. “He won a lot in
South Dakota but seemed a little overlooked by some. I see a great deal
of potential in him. He is also a very good baseball player, so I’m
excited to see his improvement when he can focus on just wrestling.
Jarrett is also a very good student.”

*Cody Krumwiede – Waverly, Iowa/Waverly-Shell Rock HS*

Krumwiede comes into the 2010-11 season ranked as the top heavyweight in the country at 285 pounds by InterMat Wrestling. He is a three-time state qualifier, claiming back-to-back titles at the heavyweight slot.

He has posted two consecutive undefeated seasons while claiming state
titles in 2009 and 2010. In addition, Krumwiede helped Waverly-Shell
Rock High School to three-consecutive team titles.

“We feel he is one of the top heavyweights in the country,” Schwab said.

“But in addition to that, he really sold himself to me. I have been
really impressed by his work ethic and his toughness on the mat. He has
some very high goals and we want to continue that when he gets to UNI.

If he continues to progress at the rate he did in high school, we’ll
have a great heavyweight on our hands in a few years.”

*AJ McBroom – Runnells, Iowa/Southeast Polk HS*

McBroom is a two-time state qualifier, placing seventh at 160 pounds in
2009 and eighth at 171 pounds in 2010. McBroom helped Southeast Polk
High School to two top-10 finishes at the state tournament, taking
eighth in 2010 and fourth in 2009.

“AJ is a very hard working, tough kid and he’s always hungry for more,”
Schwab said. “He maybe doesn’t have the same accolades as some of the others, but he is very motivated and really wanted to be at UNI. I
almost feel like he has a chip on his shoulder and is really ready to
come prove himself when he gets here.”