MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University wrestling team embarks on its final Big 12 road trip of the season this weekend as the Mountaineers (3-9, 0-4 Big 12) travel to Iowa for a pair of ranked bouts.
 
The Mountaineers will begin the weekend with a match against No. 16 Northern Iowa on Friday, Feb. 14, in an  8 p.m. ET tilt at West Gym in Cedar Falls. The Mountaineers will then head to Ames to take on No. 19 Iowa State on Saturday, Feb. 15, beginning at 8 p.m. inside Hilton Coliseum.
 
Live stats for both duals will be provided on TrackWrestling. Both matches will also be live-streamed and are available to all fans with a FloWrestling subscription.
 
"We're excited to get a chance to compete against two national powers this weekend," WVU coach Tim Flynn said. "These matches are another opportunity for us to continue to grow as we get closer to the postseason."
 
Friday's match between the Mountaineers and Panthers marks the fifth meeting between the two schools, with UNI holding a 5-0 advantage in the series. The Mountaineers earned two pins in the last meeting but dropped the match 27-19 to the Panthers in the WVU Coliseum on Nov. 18, 2018.
 
Northern Iowa is 6-3 this season with a 5-1 mark in conference play after defeating Oklahoma 25-13 in its last match on Feb. 1 in Norman. Six Panthers are ranked in this week's NCAA Coaches Panel Rankings, led by redshirt senior Taylor Lujan, who sits at No. 4 at 184 pounds.
 
The Mountaineers and Cyclones will meet for the 21st time on Saturday. The Cyclones hold an 18-2 lead in the series that dates back to 1922, the second year of the program's existence. Nine Cyclones are ranked in the NCAA Coaches Panel, led by No. 3 David Carr, who enters the weekend with a 14-1 record at 157.
 
Of note, two wrestlers appear in the top 33 of their respective weight classes in the second of four coaches' panel rankings for the 2019-2020 season, released on Feb. 13. Redshirt sophomore Noah Adams ranks No. 2 at 197 pounds, while junior Nick Kiussis ranks No. 27 at 165 pounds. The final rankings will be used in determining qualifiers for the 2020 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, which will be held at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota, from March 19-21.
 
Looking ahead, WVU will return to the Mountain State next weekend as the squad closes the regular season with a pair of home matches. The Mountaineers will host Wyoming on Feb. 22 at University High School in Morgantown, West Virginia, at 5:30 p.m., before closing the season with a match against Utah Valley on Sunday, Feb. 23, at 1 p.m.
 
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUWrestling on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.