Julian Farber and Caleb Rathjen of the University of Northern Iowa wrestling team secured automatic NCAA Championship berths during the first day of the 2026 Big 12 Championships at BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Three other UNI wrestlers remain in contention for placement as competition continues.
Farber, competing at 133 pounds, won his opening match against Carter Schmidt from Oklahoma with an 8-3 decision. He then narrowly defeated Gunner Andrick of West Virginia 2-1 in the quarterfinals before falling to top-seeded Jax Forrest (Oklahoma State) by technical fall in the semifinals. Despite this loss, Farber’s performance guarantees him a top-eight finish and marks his third NCAA qualification.
At 149 pounds, Rathjen began with an 11-2 major decision over Bryce Shelton (Air Force). He followed up with a sudden victory win over David Evans (Utah Valley), finishing 4-1, and then upset Jacob Frost (Iowa State) with a close 4-3 decision. This run puts Rathjen into Saturday’s finals and gives him an automatic berth to his second career NCAA Championships.
Ryder Downey (165 pounds), Nick Fox (184 pounds), and Farber will continue their tournaments in the consolation brackets on Saturday. Downey advanced to the semifinals after a pin against Sasha Gavronsky (West Virginia) and a win over Sloan Swan (Wyoming), but was edged out by Nicco Ruiz (Arizona State) in a tight match that ended 6-5.
Other UNI wrestlers had mixed results on Friday. Maximus Brady picked up one win but was eliminated after losses to Carter Nogle (Air Force) and Jordan Titus (West Virginia). Cael Rahnavardi went winless at 157 pounds. Jared Simma earned a first-round pin at 174 pounds before being eliminated after two subsequent losses.
Nick Fox made his championship debut by defeating Mahonri Rushton (Northern Colorado), losing to Ian Bush (West Virginia), dropping another close bout to Caleb Uhlenhopp (Utah Valley), but bounced back with an overtime fall against David Alonso (California Baptist).
John Gunderson won one match at 197 pounds but was eliminated after defeats to DJ Parker (Oklahoma), Karson Tompkins (Air Force), and Rune Lawrence (West Virginia). Adam Ahrendsen lost both matches he competed in at heavyweight.
Trever Anderson opened with a major decision victory but exited the tournament due to injury during his second match.
After day one, UNI stands ninth overall among teams with 41 points. Oklahoma State leads with 154.5 points, followed by Iowa State at 122.5 points.
The championships resume Saturday, beginning at noon Central Time for consolation rounds, followed by championship matches starting at 7 p.m. Fans can follow live streams and results through UNI’s Big 12 Championship Hub.
For more updates throughout the season, UNI wrestling can be followed on Facebook, X (@UNI_wrestling), Instagram (@uni_panther_wrestling), or online at UNIpanthers.com.