Northern Oklahoma College wrestling will kick off the 2024 season with two duals, each with special events.The first dual of the season, the ‘Maverick Wrestling Monster Mash Showdown,’ is set for Oct. 31 in Foster-Piper Fieldhouse against Trinidad State (CO) and will honor former wrestling coach and National Junior College Hall of Famer Bob Zweiacher along with NOC wrestling alums.The dual is set to start at 5 p.m. with the recognition of Zweiacher and wrestling alumni following the women’s dual. Honored guests will be hosted at a reception in the Harrison Room in Foster-Piper Fieldhouse.Zweiacher started the wrestling program at Northern Oklahoma College in 1968 and was the only wrestling coach in school history.In NOC’s very first year, the team compiled a 10-1 record and finished eighth out of 64 teams in the National Junior College Athletic Association tournament. Between 1968 and 1983 when the program was dropped, his teams finished in the Top 10 of the NJCAA seven times, including four Top-Five finishes and compiled an overall record of 118-37-2.Five of his wrestlers won individual national titles, including Karl Lynes, a two-time junior college national champion who went on to become an All-American for Zweiacher’s alma mater, Oklahoma State.Zweiacher placed second at the NCAA Division I wrestling tournament at 167 pounds for the Cowboys in 1964. He was a Big Eight champion and a four-time letterman for the Cowboys.In 1972, he was named National Junior College Athletic Association Coach of the Year and inducted into the National Junior College Hall of Fame in 1983.For his contributions to the development a new wrestling program, he was honored with the Lifetime Service to Wrestling Award by the Oklahoma Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2013.The second event will be the “Battle of Oklahoma” against Carl Albert State College on Nov. 16 at 6 p.m.At the Nov. 16 dual, NOC will honor wrestling donors who helped re-establish the men’s program and establish the women’s program at NOC.The donor recognition will follow the women’s dual. Honored guests will be hosted at a reception in the Harrison Room in Foster-Piper Fieldhouse.
