University of Northern Iowa Wrestling Coach Dives Into the Significance of “Adversaries” to Elevate Competition on Day One of Training

This year, the University of Northern Iowa is celebrating its 100th season on the wrestling mats. The Panther Train is set to face off against some of the most ferocious Big 12 challengers as they get ready to face the likes of Utah Valley, Columbia, West Virginia, Missouri, and Wisconsin. Whereas, last season, the Panthers put in some amazing performances which saw them win seven duals and now the University of Northern Iowa is also set to witness the return of 5 NCAA qualifiers from last season.

However, all this success is due to UNI’s wrestling head coach Doug Schwab, who has instilled a warrior mindset into his athletes. As the Panthers prepare for the upcoming season, a recent social media post of their 1st day of training highlighted the champion mindset that all wrestlers should strive for according to the former Olympian Doug Schwab.

Doug Schwab’s winning mantra

In his college days, Doug Schwab wrestled at the University of Northern Iowa, where he became a Big Ten Champion, and, later on, Schwab also won the 1999 NCAA championship. During the 2008 Summer Olympics, Schwab wrestled in the men’s freestyle, 66kg, and in 2010, the NCAA champion became the wrestling head coach at UNI. His consistency over the years eventually earned him multiple contract extensions with the UNI, and his current contract runs till the 2027-28 season. Schwab’s winning mindset was recently reflected in an X post that was uploaded by the official handle of the University of Northern Iowa.

The tweet is from the first day of the Panthers’ official training, who will kick off their 2023-24 season in March, and according to the tweet, Schwab states, “Worthy adversaries, I need those. A worthy adversary does not threaten me. Understand that. A worthy adversary inspires me, it makes me better.” Schwab further explains that all matches and training, however big or small, are equally important and they are always associated with utmost focus and preparation.

He also talks about a winning mindset with his players and emphasizes that if they go out on the mat with a burning desire, nothing can distract them from winning the ultimate prize. Given the success of UNI’s wrestling program, the university has also recently announced the largest fundraising drive in its 147-year history.

UNI set to raise $250 million for its wrestling program

The University of Northern Iowa announced a public fundraising campaign in October 2022, which will also help with new and improved facilities for the university’s wrestling program. This campaign, which is known as Our Tomorrow, has already raised $242 million of the $250 million goal, due to the help of over 27,000 donors. UNI has plans to revamp its wrestling facilities for the future by adding multiple mats, office space for wrestling staff, and proper rehabilitation space. Furthermore, a new weight and cardio training space, locker room, and training room are also in the plans that will help in upping the wrestling game of UNI.

Read more: University of North Iowa Wrestling Coach’s Partner Elated by His ‘Vulnerable’ Speech on World Mental Health Day

With head coach Doug Schwab’s expertise and an imminent infrastructural boost, the wrestling program of the University of Northern Iowa is only expected to improve further. As fans await the 2023-24 college wrestling season to kick off in March, Schwab and the Panthers will be training hard to replicate and improve their last season’s performance and win all trophies.

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