The University of Northern Iowa (UNI) wrestling team is set to begin its postseason at the 2026 Big 12 Championships in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The tournament will take place over two days, March 6 and 7, at the BOK Center.
Seven out of ten UNI wrestlers have received top-eight seeds for this competition. Ryder Downey leads as the second seed at 165 pounds. Downey previously won the Big 12 title at 157 pounds in 2024 and enters this year’s championships with an 18-3 record, including seven wins over ranked opponents. He will face West Virginia’s Sasha Gavronsky in his opening match.
Other seeded UNI wrestlers include Julian Farber (133 pounds), Jared Simma (174 pounds), and Nick Fox (184 pounds), all entering as fifth seeds in their respective brackets. Farber placed third last year at 133 pounds and will compete against Air Force’s Gavin Caprella after a regular season record of 14-8. Simma opens against Gunner Cramblett from Air Force following a conference duals record of 5-3. Fox, making his first appearance at the Big 12 Championship with a season record of 9-2, faces Mahonri Rushton from Northern Colorado.
Caleb Rathjen holds the sixth seed at 149 pounds and is set to debut in the Big 12 Championship against Bryce Shelton from Air Force. At heavyweight, Adam Ahrendsen makes his championship debut as the eighth seed and will compete against Rylan Kuhn from Air Force.
Three other Panthers—Maximus Brady (141 pounds), Cael Rahnavardi (157 pounds), and John Gunderson (197 pounds)—are also competing, with Brady facing Carter Nogle from Air Force and Rahnavardi matched up with Teague Travis from Missouri. Gunderson returns to the championships for the first time since 2022 to face DJ Parker from Oklahoma.
Trever Anderson rounds out UNI’s lineup at 125 pounds; he finished seventh last year and posted an overall record of 11-9 this season. Anderson faces Cooper Shore from Cal Baptist in his opening round.
Automatic berths to the NCAA Championships are on offer based on placement: top-eight finishers in three weight classes (133, 184, and 197) qualify automatically; top-seven athletes advance at both 141 and 174; top-six move forward at heavyweight; top-five qualify at weights of 125, 149, and 157; while four spots are available for those placing highest at165 pounds. Additional qualifying spots across all weight classes will be announced March10.
“Oklahoma State is the reigning Big12 champion after narrowly edging out second-place UNI last season,” according to event organizers. “The Cowboys lead the conference with19 team titles and are looking to go back-to-back for the first time since winning eight in a row(2013–20).”
Fans can follow live coverage on ESPN+ or check updates via social media channels associated with University of Northern Iowa Wrestling or visit UNIpanthers.com for further information.