FORT DODGE -- Brody Teske wanted it all when he committed to Penn State University -- the championship culture, the national exposure, the elite brand.
It took a little time, a lot of distance and the right perspective for Fort Dodge's four-time state wrestling champion to realize that his wants weren't his needs, and those needs were much closer to home than State College, Pa.
Teske officially announced on Tuesday that he will be enrolling at the University of Northern Iowa to join head coach Doug Schwab's wrestling program in Cedar Falls. The decision comes less than a week after Teske confirmed he had left Happy Valley midway through his redshirt freshman season, and was transferring to a different program.
"I was an 18-year-old kid being recruited by every school in the country (in 2017)," Teske told the Fort Dodge Messenger. "When (PSU head coach and Iowa State legend) Cael Sanderson offers you a scholarship ... I was convinced I needed that. How do you say no? I needed the big name. I needed Coach Cael. Penn State was the top of the mountain.
People are also reading…
"I began to realize, though, that I was I chasing something that wasn't me. On and off the mat, so much added up and made me understand what is truly important. And I feel like UNI aligns more with my values. Who I am not just as a wrestler, but as a person."
Teske went 6-2 in open tournaments as an unattached competitor during his redshirt campaign a year ago, and was 5-2 with the Nittany Lions in the 125-pound slot this season through Christmas break.
Teske was 177-1 at Fort Dodge High and was the 2017 and '18 Dan Gable Mr. Iowa Wrestler of the Year.
Teske will be eligible to compete for Northern Iowa next season. The Panthers, a member of the Big 12 Conference, are currently ranked in the Top-20 nationally.
Photos: NCAA wrestling
PHOTOS: NCAA wrestling
032619kw-drew-foster-02
UNI's NCAA Champion wrestler Drew Foster speaks with Syd Layton as he signs autographs and takes pictures with fans at Mulligan's in Cedar Falls on Tuesday evening.
SHARING A LAUGH WITH THE CHAMP
University of Northern Iowa national champion wrestler Drew Foster laughs with David Sims, 12, as Sims almost walks away with Foster's NCAA trophy as he meets with fans at Mulligan's in Cedar Falls on Tuesday evening. Foster won the 184-pound national title Saturday night to become UNI's first national champ since Tony Davis won in 2000.
032319ho-foster-wins
UNI s Drew Foster jumps into the arms of assistant coach Randy Pugh after winning the 184-pound NCAA championship Saturday night in Pittsburgh, Pa.
032319ho-foster-celebrates
Northern Iowa's Drew Foster celebrates with Panther fans after winning the 184-pound national title Saturday at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pa.Â
032319ho-ncaa-schwab-cheers
Northern Iowa's Doug Schwab cheers on Drew Foster during his 184-pound national championship match last March at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pa.
032319ho-ncaa-foster-finals
Northern Iowa's Drew Foster controls Cornell's Max Dean en route to winning the 184-pound national championship Saturday at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pa.
032319ho-ncaa-foster-wins
Northern Iowa's Drew Foster raises his hands in the air after winning the 184-pound national championship Saturday night in Pittsburgh, Pa.
032319ho-ncaa-lee
Iowa's Spencer Lee lifts the leg of Oklahoma State's Nick Piccininni during the 125-pound semifinals Friday at the NCAA wrestling championships.
032219-ncaa-foster-schwab
UNI head coach Doug Schwab encourages Drew Foster from the sidelines during a 184-pound semifinal at the 2019 NCAA Championships.
032219ho-ncaa-foster-ness
Northern Iowa's Drew Foster and North Carolina's Chip Ness scramble during their 184-pound semifinal Friday at the NCAA wrestling championships in Pittsburgh.
032219ho-ncaa-foster-wins
Northern Iowa's Drew Foster gets his hand raised after winning in the 184-pound semifinals Friday at the NCAA wrestling championships.Â
032219ho-ncaa-foster
Northern Iowa's Drew Foster scores on Virginia Tech's Zach Zavatsky en route to a 5-2 win in the 184-pound quarterfinals Friday at the NCAA wrestling championships in Pittsburgh, Pa.Â
032219ho-ncaa-foster-2
Drew Foster celebrates his 184-pound quarterfinal win over Virginia Tech's Zach Zavatsky.Â
032219ho-ncaa-lee
Iowa's Spencer Lee lifts Minnesota's Sean Russell during the 125-pound quarterfinals at the 2019 NCAA Championships in Pittsburgh, Pa.
032219ho-ncaa-young
Iowa's Kaleb Young scores the winning take down in sudden victory to beat Northwestern's Ryan Deakin in the 157-pound quarterfinals Friday.
032119ho-ncaa-foster
Northern Iowa's Drew Foster works to get out from under Binghamton's Lou Deprez en route to a 7-1 in the second round at 184 Thursday at the NCAA wrestling championships.Â
032119ho-ncaa-steiert
Northern Iowa's Bryce Steiert fends off Michigan's Logan Massa in a second round match Thursday. Steiert upset the sixth seed, 2-1.Â
032119ho-ncaa-degen
Iowa State's Jarrett Degen tries to hold on against Justin Oliver of North Carolina State during the 2019 NCAA wrestling championships in Pittsburgh, Pa.Â
032119ho-voting-clipart
032119ho-ncaa-thomsen
Northern Iowa's Max Thomsen battles Navy's Jared Prince during a 149-pound first round match Thursday at the NCAA wrestling championships in Pittsburgh, Pa. Thomsen won the match, 9-8.Â
032119ho-ncaa-steiert-2
Northern Iowa's Bryce Steiert tries to gain control of Indiana's Bryce Martin during their 165-pound match Thursday in the first round of the NCAA wrestling championships in Pittsburgh. Steiert won by fall.Â
032119ho-ncaa-DeSanto
Iowa's Austin DeSanto scores against Penn State's Roman Bravo-Young en route to a 7-2 win in the second round Thursday at the NCAA wrestling championships.Â
032119ho-ncaa-young
Iowa's Kaleb Young escapes the grasp of North Carolina State's Thomas Bullard en route to a 12-4 major decision in the second round Thursday at the NCAA wrestling championships.Â
