The University of Northern Iowa (UNI) wrestling team secured a 19-13 win over South Dakota State on Sunday at First Bank & Trust Arena in Brookings, South Dakota. This marks the Panthers’ second victory this season against the Jackrabbits.
In a repeat of last month’s NWCA National Duals Championship, UNI won six out of ten matches. Heavyweight Adam Ahrendsen played a key role by defeating SDSU’s top heavyweight for the second time this season, helping to clinch the overall win for his team. The result also means that UNI has now achieved ten or more dual wins in consecutive seasons for the first time since 2009-10 and 2010-11.
At 125 pounds, Brandon Paez lost to Daniel Guanajuato with a score of 5-0. Julian Farber then earned UNI’s first win of the day at 133 pounds by defeating Derrick Cardinal in a major decision, finishing with a score of 10-1 after building an early lead.
Connor Thorpe was defeated by Julian Tagg at 141 pounds in another major decision, while Caleb Rathjen responded for UNI at 149 pounds by beating Colin Dupill, 10-6.
Cael Rahnavardi was unable to overcome Cael Swensen at 157 pounds and lost 8-2. Ryder Downey added another win for UNI at 165 pounds with a controlled performance over Jacob Herm, ending with a score of 7-1.
Jared Simma narrowly defeated Marcus Espinoza-Owens at 174 pounds, winning 5-2. Nick Fox broke a tie late in his match against Brock Fettig at 184 pounds to secure a 4-1 victory.
Carson Babcock faced Bennett Berge at 197 pounds but lost after conceding points in the later periods and finishing behind by three points.
In the final bout, heavyweight Adam Ahrendsen took on Luke Rasmussen. After leading through two periods and responding to Rasmussen’s reversal with one of his own late in the match, Ahrendsen secured a decisive 5-3 victory.
The Panthers are scheduled to compete again on Saturday, February 14, when they host No.16 West Virginia at the McLeod Center. The event will begin at 7 p.m. CT and will be available live on FloWrestling and CFU Channel 15.
Tickets for upcoming UNI wrestling events can be purchased online through the university ticket office or by phone or email.
Fans can follow UNI wrestling throughout the season on Facebook (University of Northern Iowa Wrestling), X (@UNI_wrestling), Instagram (@uni_panther_wrestling), and on their official website UNIpanthers.com.