The University of Northern Iowa (UNI) wrestling team advanced all five of its competitors to the second day of the 2026 NCAA Division I Men’s Wrestling Championships, according to a March 19 report. The event is being held at Rocket Arena in Cleveland.
This development keeps UNI’s hopes alive for further advancement in the national tournament, as each wrestler remains in contention through either the championship or consolation brackets.
Jared Simma (174 pounds) and Nick Fox (184 pounds) each secured two victories on Thursday. Simma defeated Grant O’Dell from Bellarmine in sudden victory with a score of 4-1, while Fox upset No.10 seed Isaac Dean from Iowa State by also winning 4-1 after a key takedown in the second period. Meanwhile, Julian Farber (133 pounds), Caleb Rathjen (149 pounds), and Ryder Downey (165 pounds) were moved to their respective consolation brackets after losses in their second-round matches.
Farber lost his match against No.4 Aaron Seidel from Virginia Tech at 133 pounds. Rathjen faced Cross Wasilewski from Penn, ranked ninth nationally, and was narrowly defeated 8-5 in sudden victory after tying the match at the end of regulation. Downey fell short against No.20 EJ Parco from Stanford with a final score of 4-3.
The third session of this year’s championships will begin Friday morning at 11 a.m. Central Time with quarterfinal and consolation matches scheduled. Fans can follow all matches on ESPN networks or through UNI’s NCAA Championship Hub online.
UNI encourages supporters to stay updated throughout the season via social media platforms including Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and Instagram, as well as through official news updates on UNIpanthers.com.