The University of Northern Iowa (UNI) wrestling team, ranked No. 18, will conclude its 2025-26 dual season with a non-conference match against No. 16 Wisconsin on Sunday at the McLeod Center in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The event will serve as senior day for the Panthers.
Live coverage is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. CT and will be available on FloWrestling/CFU Channel 15, with Jeff Bradley providing play-by-play commentary and Jim Miller as analyst.
Before the match, UNI will honor its senior wrestlers: Jack Thomsen, Cael Rahnavardi, Julian Farber, Connor Thorpe, Adam Ahrensen, Ethan Basile, Garrett Funk, RJ Weston and Caleb Rathjen.
The all-time series between UNI and Wisconsin is closely contested; Wisconsin leads with a record of 27-25-2. However, UNI has won the last two meetings between the teams, including a 28-12 victory in Madison last February.
UNI enters the dual after recent losses to West Virginia and Iowa State in Big 12 competition. During their loss to West Virginia (23-13), Trever Anderson achieved an upset by defeating reigning Big 12 champion Jett Strickenberger at 125 pounds with an 8-5 decision. Jared Simma also secured a win over Brody Conley at 174 pounds. Against Iowa State—ranked fourth nationally—Downey earned a sudden victory over No. 12 Connor Euton at 165 pounds while Izzy Moreno moved up to defeat Manny Rojas at 184 pounds.
Current national rankings for UNI wrestlers include Trever Anderson (125) [30] #28/17; Julian Farber (133) [21] #22/19; Caleb Rathjen (149) #31/18; Ryder Downey (165) [6] #6/6; Jared Simma (174) [13] #13/14; Nick Fox (184) [18] #21/20; Adam Ahrendsen (HWT) [32] #32/28.
Wisconsin comes into the matchup following a narrow home win over No.10 Michigan and holds a season record of 12-4 overall and 4-4 in Big Ten matches. The Badgers are led by head coach Chris Bono in his eighth year. Last March they finished thirteenth at the Big Ten Championships with one medalist: Nicolar Rivera took fourth place at 125 pounds. The roster includes returning NCAA qualifiers Rivera along with All-American Zan Fugitt (133 pounds) and Cody Goebel (165 pounds).
Projected lineups feature several highly ranked competitors from both teams across weight classes ranging from 125 to heavyweight.
Fans can purchase tickets for Sunday’s event through the UNI Ticket Office online or by contacting them directly via phone or email.
Updates about UNI wrestling can be found throughout the season on social media platforms such as Facebook (“University of Northern Iowa Wrestling”), X (@UNI_wrestling), Instagram (@uni_panther_wrestling), and on their official website UNIpanthers.com.