The University of Northern Iowa (UNI) Panthers began their 2025-26 wrestling season at the inaugural National Duals Invitational, held at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. UNI was one of 16 teams invited to compete in this double-elimination event.
The Panthers faced a challenging lineup of Division I opponents. In their opening round, UNI lost to No. 7 North Carolina State with a score of 27-8. Despite the defeat, several wrestlers had close matches, including Trever Anderson at 125 pounds and Julian Farber at 133 pounds.
In the consolation bracket, UNI secured its first-ever win over No. 12 Cornell with a final score of 26-8. The team recorded several notable victories: Anderson defeated Marcello Milani at 125 pounds, Farber overcame Tyler Ferrera at 133 pounds, and Cory Land earned his first dual win of the season against Josh Saunders at 141 pounds.
UNI’s run ended after a narrow loss to No. 9 Minnesota by a score of 22-16. During this matchup, Farber achieved a major decision victory over Chris Cannon at 133 pounds and Land edged out Vance Vombaur at 141 pounds.
Reflecting on individual performances throughout the tournament:
– Wyatt Voelker made his heavyweight debut with a technical fall win against Everest Quellette from NC State.
– CJ Walrath won his first career dual appearance against Christian Hansen from Cornell.
– Ryder Downey moved up to compete at 174 pounds versus Minnesota’s Ethan Riddle and secured a technical fall victory.
The Panthers will return to competition on Sunday, November 23 for their home opener against North Dakota State in Big 12 dual action inside the McLeod Center. The meet is set for a 1 p.m. CT start and will be available via live stream on FloWrestling.
Tickets for upcoming UNI wrestling events can be purchased through the university’s ticket office by phone or email.
Fans can follow UNI wrestling updates throughout the season on social media platforms such as Facebook (University of Northern Iowa Wrestling), X (@UNI_wrestling), Instagram (@uni_panther_wrestling), and online at UNIpanthers.com.