The University of Northern Iowa (UNI) wrestling team, ranked 15th nationally, is set to compete in two Big 12 Conference dual meets this weekend. On Saturday, UNI will host No. 18 West Virginia at the McLeod Center in Cedar Falls, with the match starting at 7 p.m. Central Time. The following evening, the Panthers will travel to Ames to face No. 4 Iowa State at Hilton Coliseum, also beginning at 7 p.m.
Saturday’s home event will include a pre-dual ceremony retiring the jersey of Bill Smith, a two-time NCAA champion and Olympic gold medalist. The first 500 fans attending will receive a UNI wrestling themed wearable blanket, and students present can enter for a chance to win a $1,000 scholarship.
UNI enters the weekend with a 10-6 overall record and is 4-2 in Big 12 competition. The Panthers recently secured a narrow victory over No. 14 South Dakota State, marking their second win against that opponent this season and achieving back-to-back seasons with double-digit dual wins for the first time since the early 2010s.
Northern Iowa holds an all-time record of eight wins and no losses against West Virginia after defeating them last February. Against Iowa State, UNI trails historically but won their last encounter in Cedar Falls.
West Virginia arrives with a record of 9-4 overall and matches UNI’s conference mark at 4-2. Led by head coach Tim Flynn, now in his eighth year, the Mountaineers bring back three NCAA qualifiers from last season: Jett Strickenberger (125 pounds), Jordan Titus (141 pounds), and Ian Bush (197 pounds). The team placed sixth at last year’s Big 12 Championships and tied for eighteenth at the NCAA Championships.
Iowa State comes into Sunday’s meet with a strong lineup under ninth-year head coach Kevin Dresser. The Cyclones are currently ranked fourth nationally with nine wins and two losses overall and are led by top-ranked heavyweight Younger Bastida as well as Stevo Poulin at 125 pounds.
Tickets for UNI wrestling home meets are available online through the university ticket office or by phone or email.
Fans can follow live coverage of Saturday’s match on FloWrestling/CFU Channel 15 with Jeff Bradley providing play-by-play commentary alongside analyst Jim Miller. Sunday’s matchup at Iowa State will be broadcast on ESPN+ with Tom Kroschell on play-by-play and Kyven Gadson as analyst.
Updates on UNI wrestling are available throughout the season via social media channels including Facebook (University of Northern Iowa Wrestling), X (@UNI_wrestling), Instagram (@uni_panther_wrestling), and on the official website UNIpanthers.com.