MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University wrestling team (5-5, 0-3 Big 12) hits the road for the second consecutive weekend to compete in back-to-back Big 12 duals from Feb. 4-5. WVU clashes with No.5 Iowa State on Friday, before colliding with No. 22 Northern Iowa on Saturday. Both duals go live at 8 p.m. ET.

Friday's matchup will be live streamed on Big 12 Now on ESPN+, while fans can catch all of Sunday's action through FloWrestling. Live stats are available at Trackwrestling throughout each contest.

"We expect a stiff test," fourth-year coach Tim Flynn said. "We need to really wrestle well and have more consistency with our effort."

West Virginia's weekend gets started in Ames, Iowa, against No. 5 Iowa State (11-1, 4-0 Big 12) for the 21st time in program history. ISU holds a 18-2 advantage over WVU entering Friday's dual.

The Mountaineers' last win over the Cyclones came in 2017, where WVU sealed five of the final seven bouts to escape with a two-point win (22-20) after falling behind, 9-0, out of the gate.

Most recently, ISU registered a 34-6 victory during the 2019-20 season. Redshirt junior Alex Hornfeck broke a 4-4 tie in a sudden victory period to clinch the 6-4 decision over Grant Stotts. He was one of two WVU wrestlers to come away with a win.

Following its clash with ISU, WVU travels to Cedar Falls, Iowa, to compete against Northern Iowa (5-5, 4-2 Big 12). The squad searches for its first victory over the Panthers in six meetings. The two teams met for the first time in 1982 and went on to square off periodically in 1986 and 1991. Twenty-eight years later, the two reconvened for back-to-back contests (2018-19 & 2019-2020). In the last meeting, then-No. 16 UNI claimed a 36-6 dual over WVU in Cedar Falls during the 2019-20 season. Hornfeck once again scored one of two victories for WVU, as he defeated Paden Moore, 7-3, to close out the first half of the contest. One-year prior, senior Caleb Rea (141) pinned Jacob Schipper in 6:43 in the team's third meeting as part of the 2018-19 season; UNI scored 27 points to WVU's 19 in Morgantown.

What's more, the Cyclones and Panthers are both coming off a weekend where they swept No. 3 Oklahoma State and No. 21 Oklahoma. ISU is riding a nine-dual win streak since losing to state-rival No. 1 Iowa back in December, while UNI looks to extend its four-dual win streak after falling at South Dakota State by 14 on Jan. 9.

Of note, WVU is searching for its first win over a ranked opponent this season. The Mountaineers took down then-No. 17 Northern Colorado at the midway point of the 2021 campaign, where they defeated the Bears, 25-11, after securing seven of the last eight matches. In addition, this weekend will be the final opportunity for WVU to gain a victory over a ranked opponent during the regular season based on its upcoming opponents.

In the polls, three Mountaineers remain steady in the national rankings provided by FloWrestling and InterMat. Redshirt senior Killian Cardinale (8-0) comes in at No. 5 on InterMat's ranking and No. 10 by FloWrestling at 125 pounds. Sophomore Peyton Hall (18-2) stands No. 16 and No. 17 at 165 pounds, while redshirt sophomore Michael Wolfgram (15-6) is slotted at No. 23 in both polls at heavyweight. All three currently have a spot among the top 33 of their respective weight classes heading towards the 2022 NCAA Wrestling Championships in Detroit, Michigan.
 
As a team, WVU checks in at No. 27 in the latest tournament rankings by WIN Magazine, while it is slotted in a tie for No. 39 in FloWrestling's poll.
 
Four Big 12 programs join ISU and UNI in this week's NWCA Division I Wrestling Coaches Poll, including No. 10 Oklahoma State, No.12 Missouri, No. 23 South Dakota State, and No. 25 Oklahoma.
 
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUWrestling on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.