CEDAR FALLS, Iowa - University of Northern Iowa senior wrestler Tyler Rhodes has been named the Western Wrestling Conference Wrestler of the Week as announced by league officials.

Rhodes (Mountain View, Wyo.) captured the heavyweight title Sunday at the UNI Open. Rhodes entered the tournament as the No. 5 seed and proceeded to go through the bracket with a 5-0 record. Rhodes tallied a fall in the first round over SDSU's Tom Strubel. Rhodes scored a 7-1 decision over William Penn's Chauncey Coleman in the second round. 
Rhodes notched a 4-0 victory over Illinois' Mike Schaub in the quarterfinals before upsetting No. 1 seed Brady Wilson (Minnesota State, Mankato) in the semifinals, 3-2. Wilson was ranked No. 8 in the nation in the preseason Division II rankings. Rhodes captured the title with an 8-5 decision over Buena Vista's Wade Hammen. Rhodes improved to 9-4 on the season.

The Western Wrestling Conference is comprised of seven schools including the Air Force Academy, North Dakota State, Northern Colorado, Northern Iowa, South Dakota State, Utah Valley State and Wyoming.

Other nominees: North Dakota State: Eric Sanders, Jr., 133 lbs., Wabasha, Minn. (Wabasha-Kellogg HS) Northern Colorado: Luke Salazar, Sr., 157, Thornton, Colo. (Boise State) South Dakota State: Tyler Sorenson, 184 lbs., Garretson, S.D. (Garretson HS) Wyoming: Cory VomBauer, 133 lbs., Vancouver, Wash.