Two-time champ Honnold joins Panther Train

Nodaway Valley senior Ashton Honnold officially decided to hop aboard the Panther train, signing with University of Northern Iowa wrestling during a Nov. 14 signing event.

The two-time state champion has another high school season ahead of him but is excited to have finalized his college choice — and to wrestle for someone he looks up to in UNI head coach Doug Schwab.

“This is really exciting, and I’m excited for the future. I’d like to see what it holds for me, and I can’t wait to get to that next level,” Honnold said. “It’s never easy deciding between one school and the next — you see the good in all the schools — and there’s usually not that many bad things in schools.”

Honnold said he knew early on that the Panthers were high on his list. Other programs he considered were Iowa State, Cal Baptist and Oklahoma.

UNI competes at the NCAA Division I level and is a wrestling-only member of the Big 12 Conference. The Panthers have won one Division I national title, two Division II titles and have had 42 individual NCAA champions. UNI was the conference tournament runner-up last year.

Honnold said he always had a goal of becoming a Division I wrestler. His father, Brad, wrestled at the University of Nebraska.

“The two biggest things that stood out to me were UNI’s culture and its coaching. The culture there is unlike any other place you go. Everybody there has each other’s backs — it’s a brotherhood,” Honnold said. “Doug Schwab makes anyone want to run through a brick wall for him. Being able to be under that coaching, and knowing I’ll get better under that coaching, that’s what made me want to go there. I know going there and being in that college room is going to help me a lot.”

Honnold has posted more than 45 wins each season of his high school career, placing eighth at 195 pounds as a freshman, then winning state championships at 215 pounds as a sophomore and junior.

He has also statistically led the team for much of his career. Last season, for example, he led the team with 175 takedowns and recorded 30 pins along with six technical falls.

“I’m probably most proud of being able to set my mind on something and achieving it,” Honnold said. “I told myself my freshman year that I at least wanted to be a state champion, but there was something in my mind that clicked to where I wanted to be a multi-time state champion and be able to do as well as I can.”

Honnold hopes to study kinesiology with a focus on strength and conditioning.