Penrith, Grimm and Miller to go ‘On the Mat’ this week
November 3, 2009
College wrestling coaches Brad Penrith (UNI), Heath Grimm (Upper Iowa)
and Jim Miller (Wartburg) will be radio show guests Wednesday night.
Penrith is in his 10th year as the head wrestling coach at University
of Northern Iowa. The Panthers had their wrestle-offs last Saturday in
the West Gym on the UNI campus and will begin the regular season on
Saturday at the Loras College tournament in Dubuque, Iowa. Two of the
top returnees for UNI are sophomores Christian Brantley (285) and Trent
Washington (141), both NCAA qualifiers last season. Originally from
Windsor, New York, Penrith was a three-time NCAA finalist as a member
of the Iowa Hawkeyes, including winning the 1986 NCAA title at 126
pounds. He also won a silver medal at the 1991 World Championships.
Grimm begins his 10th season as the head wrestling coach at Upper Iowa
University and the Peacocks are the only NCAA Division II wrestling
team in the state of Iowa. Upper Iowa placed 10th in the nation last
year and looks to improve on that performance this season. The Peacocks
will be led by All-American seniors Travis Eggers (2nd, 157) and Mitch
Norton (5th, 174). Grimm hails from tradition rich Osage, Iowa and he
was a two-time NCAA Division III All-American for Luther College in the
early 1990s. Upper Iowa will open their season on Saturday at the NIACC
Open in Mason City, Iowa.
Miller’s Wartburg Knights won the NCAA Division III championship last
season, their seventh title in the last 14 years. Wartburg returns
three All-Americans from last year’s squad, junior Mark Kist (3rd,
125), junior Matt Kelly (3rd, 133) and junior John Helgerson (3rd,
285). Wartburg has captured the last 17 Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic
Conference championships, considered by many as the toughest league in
the nation for Division III wrestling. The Knights have also won their
last 132 conference dual meets, dating back to 1994. A Waterloo, Iowa
native, Miller was a two-time NCAA Division II Champion at 134 pounds
for UNI in the mid 1970s where he also placed second and fourth in the
NCAA Division I tournament. This is the 19th season Miller has been the
head coach at Wartburg.
“On the Mat" is a presentation of the Dan Gable International Wrestling
Institute and Museum and can be heard live on the internet at www.kcnzam.com or locally in Northeast Iowa each Wednesday from 5:00 - 6:00 PM Central time on AM 1650, The Fan. Feel free to e-mail radio@wrestlingmuseum.org with questions or comments about the show.
