The National Collegiate Athletic Association announced on Mar. 10 that University of Northern Iowa wrestlers Jared Simma and Nick Fox have received at-large bids to compete in the 2026 Division I Wrestling Championships.
Their selection brings the total number of UNI wrestlers qualified for this year’s national tournament to five. The Panthers previously secured three automatic qualifiers during the Big 12 Championships held in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Trever Anderson, who withdrew from the conference tournament due to injury, was named as an alternate at 125 pounds.
Simma, a redshirt senior from Shawnee, Kansas, will make his third appearance at the NCAA Championships in the 174-pound weight class after finishing the season with a record of 14-8. He recorded three wins over top-15 ranked opponents and finished second at the Cougar Clash in December. Last year, Simma reached the quarterfinals as an at-large selection and came one win short of All-American status.
Fox, a redshirt sophomore from Osage, Iowa, is set for his first NCAA Championship appearance at 184 pounds after posting a 12-4 record this season. Despite an early injury, he achieved an eight-match winning streak and secured three victories over top-ten opponents. Fox placed ninth at the Big 12 Championships with a notable win over No. 9 Brian Soldano of Oklahoma and was named Big 12 Wrestler of the Week on Feb. 3.
Northern Iowa finished tenth as a team at this year’s Big 12 Championships but has maintained a consistent presence at nationals under head coach Doug Schwab by qualifying at least five athletes every year since 2016. The program has sent five or more wrestlers to nationals in twelve out of Schwab’s fifteen seasons leading the team.
Seeding and brackets for this year’s NCAA Wrestling Championships in Cleveland will be revealed during Wednesday night’s tournament selection show on NCAA.com beginning at 7 p.m. Central Time.