CEDAR RAPIDS - A finish in the middle of the pack wasn't the elite level Upper Iowa was seeking.

The Peacocks finished out of the top 10 at the Division II Wrestling National Championships Saturday at Cedar Rapids' U.S. Cellular Center, but building blocks were put in place for future tournaments.

Upper Iowa will return two all-Americans and four national qualifiers in 2009. Still, head coach Heath Grimm was hoping for a better finish this weekend.

"Most definitely," said Grimm. "I'm very disappointed. We identified … things … we could've done different to have a different outcome."

UIU ended 14th, three points out of a second consecutive top-10 finish. Travis Eggers and Tyler Mumbulo finished fourth and sixth, respectively, after losing in the semifinals during Saturday's morning session. Both wrestlers will return next season, along with Mitch and Matt Norton at 165 and 197, respectively.

"We feel we've got four good kids with tournament experience to build a good nucleus on for next year," said Grimm.

In Mumbulo's semifinal, he dug himself in a hole for the second time in as many matches. However, this time he wasn't able to climb out. Mankato State's Nick Smith built a 9-2 lead in the opening three minutes, scoring a five-point headlock in a scramble situation with 1:06 left in the opening period.

But, like he did in his semifinal victory over Adams State's Aresenia Barksdale, Mumbulo slowly began picking away at Smith's lead by pushing the pace.

Mumbulo scored a takedown at the buzzer of the second period and then got an escape seven seconds into the final period. After Smith was hit with his third stalling warning with 1:08 to go, the deficit had been closed to 9-7.

That was as close as Mumbulo would get, as Smith countered a desperation shot in the closing seconds to hold on for a 12-9 victory.

Mumbulo lost twice more to finish sixth, two steps ahead of his eighth last year.

"It was a good tournament," said Mumbulo. "The first day was an excellent day. I thought today I wrestled hard, just the scrambles weren't going my way. That is what I felt like.

"I was happy to see Travis have an excellent day. He deserved it."

In the 157-pound semifinals, Eggers ran up against two-time defending national champion Antonio Guerra of Findlay. Guerra scored on an outside single with 33 seconds left in the first period and rode that to a 4-1 victory over the Peacock sophomore.

Guerra is a battle-tested wrestler, having won his first national title at 149 in 2006.

"I came out here for a reason, and that was to do my best and see what I can do," said Eggers. "I wrestled the best I could (in the semifinals), wrestled hard, but he was the better man today.

"Overally, I'm very happy with my finish."

Eggers and Mumbulo are ready to start working toward next year but not before a well-deserved break.

"Right now I'm going to rest," quipped Eggers. "I guess this is motivation for next year to do better."

Mumbulo added, "I was in the semis today and didn't win a match. That hurts.

"When I come back, come back next year, my goal is to be in the national finals … take another step."

Contact Jim Nelson at (319) 291-1521 or jim.nelson@wcfcourier.com

TEAM STANDINGS

1. Nebraska Kearney 108.5 ; 2. Minnesota State Mankato 108; 3. Nebraska-Omaha 93.5; 4. Pittsburgh Johnston 87; 5. Adams State 68.5; 6. Central Oklahoma 65; 7. Western State 64.5; 8. Newberry College 39.5; 9. tie, Mercyhurst and Chadron State 31; 11. Ashland 28.5; 12. St. Cloud State 27.5; 13. Findley 26.5; 14. Upper Iowa 25.5; 15. Limestone College 20.5; 16. Shippensburg 19; 17. tie, Augustana (SD) and West Liberty State 18.5; 19. Wis.-Parkside 17; 20. tie, Indianapolis and Truman State 18.5; 22. San Francisco State 15; 23. Mary 13; 24. Fort Hays State 10, 25. UNC Pembroke 8.5; 26. Gannon 8; 27. Minnesota State Moorhead 5.5; 28. New Mexico Highland 5; 29. tie, Central Missouri and Northern State 4.5; 31. Belmont Abbey 1.5

125 POUNDS

SEMIFINALS - Nick Smith (Minnesota-Mankato) dec. Tyler Mumbulo (Upper Iowa) 12-9; Cody Garcia (Nebraska-Omaha) pinned Devion Webb (Chadron State), 2:04.

CONSOLATION QUARTERFINALS - Curtis Schurkamp (San Francisco St.) dec. Chas Welch (Northern State) 7-2; Aresenia Barksdale (Adams State) dec. Eddie Lopez (Western State) 10-4.

CONSOLATION SEMIFINALS - Schurkamp dec. Mumbulo 9-6; Barksdale dec. Webb 11-1.

SEVENTH PLACE - Lopez dec. Welch 5-1.

FIFTH PLACE - Webb dec. Mumbulo 11-5.

THIRD PLACE - Schurkamp dec. Barksdale 9-8.

CHAMPIONSHIP - Garcia dec. Smith, 8-2

133 POUNDS

SEMIFINALS - Shane Perkey (Indianapolis) dec. Brandon Reasy (Pittsburg-Johnstown) 11-3; Brett Allgood (Nebraska-Kearney) dec. John Putman (Mankato) 3-1.

CONSOLATION QUARTERFINALS - Tim Elliott (Central Oklahoma) dec. Andrew Young (Newberry) 16-2; Raymond Dunning (Adams State) pinned Craig DeGreef (Wisconsin-Parkside), 3:55.

CONSOLATION SEMIFINALS - Reasy pinned Elliott, 1:09; Dunning dec. Putman 7-6.

SEVENTH PLACE - Young dec. DeGreef 5-3.

FIFTH PLACE - Elliott dec. Putnam 9-0.

THIRD PLACE - Dunning pinned Reasy, 4:01.

CHAMPIONSHIP - Allgood dec. Perkey, 5-3

141 POUNDS

SEMIFINALS - Steven Fittery (Shippensburg) dec. Shane Valko (Pitt-Johnstown) 6-1; Kyle Evans (C. Oklahoma) dec. Jeff Rutledge (Kearney) 4-1.

CONSOLATION QUARTERFINALS - Travis Elg (Mankato) dec. Doug Surra (West Liberty State) 16-5; James Annon (Fort Hays State) dec. Kyle Francis (Western State) 12-3.

CONSOLATION SEMIFINALS - Valko dec. Elg 3-1; Rutledge dec. Annon 10-3.

SEVENTH PLACE - Surra pinned Francis, 4:56

FIFTH PLACE - Annon dec. Elg 6-4.

THIRD PLACE - Rutledge dec. Valko 4-3.

CHAMPIONSHIP - Evans dec. Fittery, 3-2

149 POUNDS

SEMIFINALS - Camille DuPont (Western State) pinned Colby Robinson (C. Oklahoma), 2:59; Todd Meneely (Nebraska-Omaha) dec. Joseph Deaguero (Adams State) 9-7.

CONSOLATION QUARTERFINALS - Ryan Etherton (Kearney) pinned Mike Long (Augstana), :25; Tony Abbott (Mankato) dec. Zack McKendree (Gannon) 5-4.

CONSOLATION SEMIFINALS - Etherton pinned Robinson, 4:12; Deaguero pinned Abbott, :52.

SEVENTH PLACE - McKendree dec. Long 8-3.

FIFTH PLACE - Abbott dec. Robinson 6-1.

THIRD PLACE - Etherton dec. Deaguero 3-2.

CHAMPIONSHIP - Meneely dec. DuPont, 9-3

157 POUNDS

SEMIFINALS - Antonio Guerra (Findlay) dec. Travis Eggers (Upper Iowa) 4-1; Jason Rhoten (Mankato) dec. Muhammad Abdur-Rahman (Ashland) 6-2.

CONSOLATION QUARTERFINALS - Neil Samples (Western State) dec. John Sundgren (St. Cloud St.) 3-2; Joe Ellenberger (Kearney) dec. Noomis Jones (Adams State) 8-3.

CONSOLATION SEMIFINALS - Eggers dec. Samples 4-1; Ellenberger dec. Abdur-Rahman 10-8 OT.

SEVENTH PLACE - Jones dec. Sundgren 15-2.

FIFTH PLACE - Samples dec. Abdur-Rahman 8-0

THIRD PLACE - Ellenberger dec. Eggers 2-1 TB.

CHAMPIONSHIP - Rhoten dec. Guerra, 3-2

165 POUNDS

SEMIFINALS - Andy Pickar (Mankato) dec. Kyle Keane (Pitt-Johnstown) 8-3; Hudson Harrison (Mercyhurst) pinned J.J. Davis (UNC-Pembroke), 4:53.

CONSOLATION QUARTERFINALS - Kyle Becker (Wisconsin-Parkside) dec. Keenan McCurdy (Kearney) 10-4; Blake Peterson (Truman State) dec. Aaron Denson (Omaha) 11-4.

CONSOLATION SEMIFINALS - Keane pinned Becker, 2:55; Peterson pinned Davis, 1:08.

SEVENTH PLACE - Denson dec. McCurday 3-0

FIFTH PLACE - Becker pinned Davids, 6:27.

THIRD PLACE - Peterson dec. Keane 10-6.

CHAMPIONSHIP - Pickar dec. Harrison, 8-2

174 POUNDS

SEMIFINALS - Albert Miles (Pitt-Johnstown) dec. Kamarudeen Usman (Kearney) 5-2; Ross Taplin (Omaha) dec. Josh Shields (Mercyhurst) 4-3.

CONSOLATION QUARTERFINALS - Jesse Feinsod (New Mexico Highlands) dec. Bryan Blanton (Newberry) 11-3; Tyler Tubbs (Minnesota-Moorhead) dec. Derek Skala (St. Cloud St.), 8-4.

CONSOLATION SEMIFINALS - Usman dec. Gibbs 4-1; Shields dec. Ferguson 5-4.

SEVENTH PLACE - Tubbs dec. Feinsod 6-5.

FIFTH PLACE - Ferguson dec. Gibbs 7-4.

THIRD PLACE - Usman dec. Shields 3-2.

CHAMPIONSHIP - Miles dec. Taplin, 5-2

184 POUNDS

SEMIFINALS - Dan Scanlan (Limestone) dec. Heath Jolley (C. Oklahoma) 10-4; Mike Corcetti (Pitt-Johnstown) dec. Jared Deaguero (Adams State) 11-4.

CONSOLATION QUARTERFINALS - Brad Padgett (St. Cloud St) dec. Keeno Griffin (Newberry) 10-4; Hiram Smith (Findlay) dec. Jeremy Hudson (Central Missouri) 3-1 TB.

CONSOLATION SEMIFINALS - Padgett dec. Jolley 8-5; Deaguero dec. Smith 9-0.

SEVENTH PLACE - Griffin dec. Hudson 11-1.

FIFTH PLACE - Smith dec. Jolley 15-6.

THIRD PLACE - Deaguero dec. Padgett 4-3.

CHAMPIONSHIP - Scanlan dec. Corcetti, 5-2

197 POUNDS

SEMIFINALS - Donovan McMahill (Western State) dec. Ty Copsey (Augustana) 5-4; Josh Majerus (Chadron State) dec. Josh Ohl (Ashland) 11-2.

CONSOLATION QUARTERFINALS - Nicolas Wilkes (St. Cloud St.) dec. Kelly Anundson (Newberry) 9-8; Jacob Marrs (Omaha) dec. Derek Ross (Kearney) 10-1.

CONSOLATION SEMIFINALS - Copsey dec. Wilkes 3-3 TB 2; Marrs pinned Ohl, 4:21.

SEVENTH PLACE - Anundson dec. Ross 6-3

FIFTH PLACE - Ohl dec. Wilkes 6-4.

THIRD PLACE - Marrs dec. Copsey 5-2.

CHAMPIONSHIP - Majerus dec. McMahill, 8-3

HEAVYWEIGHT

SEMIFINALS - Tervel Dlagnev (Kearney) dec. Cy Wainwright (Newberry) 9-5; Dustin Finn (C. Oklahoma) dec. Brady Wilson (Mankato) 4-3 TB.

CONSOLATION QUARTERFINALS - Zach Majocha (Pitt-Johnstown) dec. William Moss (Limestone) 3-1 SV; Jesse Laber (Mary) dec. Tony Lewis (Omaha) 3-2.

CONSOLATION SEMIFINALS - Wainwright dec. Majocha 3-2; Wilson dec. Laber 3-1.

SEVENTH PLACE - Lewis dec. Moss 2-1.

FIFTH PLACE - Laber pinned Majocha.

THIRD PLACE - Wainwright dec. Wilson 4-3.

CHAMPIONSHIP - Dlagnev dec. Finn, 4-1.