Perry senior Kaleb Olejniczak made it official Thursday. Though he had announced his decision last week, Olejniczak used a signing ceremony in the Brady Library at PHS to insure Panther fans he was not jesting — the Perry wrestling standout will grapple for the University of Northern Iowa.
Olejniczak was defeated by Penn State recruit and four-time state champion Brody Teske of Fort Dodge in the Class 3A 126-pound championship match last season. Perry returns to 2A this year, and Olejniczak — who will bump up to 138 pounds this season — is widely considered one of the finest grapplers in the state.
He was 48-6 as a junior to lift his career record to 133-19. He is well within range of Zach Thompson’s school-record 174 victories.
A stellar student, Olejniczak intends to major in Biology with an eye on medical school after his tenure at UNI.
The son of Jason and Tiffany and older brother of Lydia, he will be the second member of his immediate family to attend college in Cedar Falls as older sister Emma is a pitcher for the Panther softball team.
