The University of Northern Iowa (UNI) wrestling team, ranked 16th nationally, is set to resume competition after the holiday break with two major events this weekend. The Panthers will face sixth-ranked Nebraska in Lincoln and also compete at the Soldier Salute tournament in Coralville, Iowa.
The dual meet against Nebraska is scheduled for Saturday at 6 p.m. Central Time at the Devaney Center in Lincoln. The Soldier Salute begins earlier that day at Xtream Arena in Coralville, starting at 10 a.m., with Sunday’s matches commencing at 11 a.m. Both events will be available for live streaming on BTN+ and results can be followed via FloWrestling.
UNI leads the historical series against Nebraska with a record of 30-19-1. The Panthers last defeated the Cornhuskers in Cedar Falls, marking their first win over Nebraska under head coach Doug Schwab. However, UNI has not won in Lincoln since 1988.
In their most recent outing before the break, UNI fell to No. 16 North Carolina despite individual wins from Jared Simma (174 pounds), Julian Farber (133 pounds), Cory Land (141 pounds), and RJ Weston (157 pounds).
Eight Panther wrestlers are currently ranked by both InterMat and FloWrestling, including four who hold top-12 spots nationally. Cory Land (141 pounds) is ninth-ranked and enters the weekend on a nine-match winning streak. Jared Simma achieved a notable victory last month at the Cougar Clash. Wyatt Voelker (heavyweight) has started his season with seven wins out of eight matches, while Ryder Downey (165 pounds) has won eight of his last nine bouts.
The Soldier Salute tournament features teams from several universities including Iowa, Minnesota, Navy, North Carolina, Wyoming, Bellarmine, Missouri, Iowa State and South Dakota State.
Nebraska comes into Saturday’s matchup following a home loss to No. 5 Oklahoma State but has secured top-25 victories over Lehigh, Michigan, Missouri and North Carolina this season. Under head coach Mark Manning—who previously coached UNI—the Cornhuskers finished second in both the Big Ten and NCAA Championships last year.
Nebraska’s lineup includes six returning NCAA qualifiers such as reigning national champion Antrell Taylor (157 pounds) and runner-up Brock Hardy (141 pounds). Other key returnees are Jacob Van Dee (133 pounds), Christopher Minto (174 pounds), Silas Allred (184 pounds), Camden McDanel (197 pounds), along with new addition AJ Ferrari (heavyweight), a former national champion.
Projected matchups between UNI and Nebraska feature several highly ranked athletes on both sides across all weight classes.
Fans can follow UNI wrestling throughout the season on social media platforms including Facebook (“University of Northern Iowa Wrestling”), X (@UNI_wrestling), Instagram (@uni_panther_wrestling), or visit UNIpanthers.com for updates.