Cory Land has the pedigree to start right now for the UNI Panthers, he’s got a U17 Greco World silver medal, and he won Fargo this year in freestyle and made the finals in Greco. Whether Land will actually punch a ticket on the PantherTrain this season still remains to be seen, but the staff knows that they have a lightweight to fill the hole left by Brody Teske in the future. 

The Tech Side Of Things

All those accolades above don’t come without a solid structure of skills. Before his time in Cedar Falls spent most of his time training with one of the best young club coaches in the country, Jake Elkins, in Birmingham, Alabama. Land's greatest asset in the neutral position is the fact that his technique is on point on in so many different positions. Check out the video above to see Cory make a Pick Double against Kyler Larking look easy. 

Competition Wish List

Land is listed as a 133-pounder for the Panthers, and his schedule could include some of the nation's best. The Cliff Keen Las Vegas invitational should include at least eight ranked wrestlers including four of the top ten. Later in December, Land could see former UNI Panther Brody Teske at the Soldier Salute Open alongside more tough competition.

Three dual opponents that would be great opportunities for Land are against #2 Daton Fix, #20 Ramazan Atasauov, and #12 Taylor LaMont. The UNI staff will have plenty of chances to evaluate Cory Land's level of preparedness throughout the season. 

Dec 2-3 Cliff Keen Invite (#3 Vito Arujau, #4 Michael McGee, #6 Dylan Ragusin, #7 Chris Cannon, #10 Sam Latona, #13 Kai Orine, #23 Aaron Nagao, #24 Wyatt Henson)

Dec 29-30 Soldier Salute Open (#15 Brody Teske)

Jan 28 vs #2 Daton Fix, Oklahoma State

Feb 10 vs #20 Ramazan Attasauov, Iowa State

Feb 16 vs #12 Taylor LaMont, Wisconsin

Previous Freshman Wish-Lists

Ryan Crookham | Casey Swiderski