UNI wrestling: Moreno moves on to Soldier Salute semifinals

CORALVILLE, Iowa --- Freshman Izzy Moreno picked up his first win over a ranked opponent, punching his ticket to the 165-pound semifinals at the Soldier Salute on Friday at Xtream Arena. Of the 12 UNI athletes competing, five advanced in competition, including four Panthers in the consolation brackets.

After wins over Mason Collins (Navy) and Grant O'Dell (Bellarmine), Moreno scored a 6-5 decision victory over #19/18 Andrew Cerniglia (Navy) with a takedown in the final three seconds of the match to finish 3-0 on the opening day of the tournament. Moreno will take on Patrick Kennedy (Iowa) in Saturday's semifinal bout.

Garret Rinken opened his day in the 125-pound bracket by pinning Tyler Evans (Bellarmine). After dropping his second match, Rinken would bounce back with three more wins, setting up a bout with Brady Roark (South Dakota State) tomorrow.

At 165 pounds, RJ Weston grabbed three victories, including a pair of major decisions ahead of tomorrow's consolation competition. Nick Fox meanwhile posted a 2-1 record in the 174-pound field.

Adam Ahrendsen (197 pounds) bounced back after an opening round loss with a three minutes, 42 second pin against Brett Mower (Oregon State) in the first of three consecutive wins on Friday. Ahrendsen will face off with Jack Wehmeyer (Columbia) in Saturday's opening session in the consolation bracket.

CJ Walrath also put his opponents on notice at 184 pounds, scoring a 5-3 decision over #19/18 Gavin Kane (North Carolina) for his first career win over a ranked opponent. Walrath finished the day with a 2-1 record.

UP NEXT
The third session of the Soldier Salute will kick off at 11 a.m. CT on Saturday morning, followed by the final session at 5 p.m. CT. Live coverage of the tournament can be found on BTN+ with a subscription, with live results accessible through SmoothComp.

UNI RESULTS (Intermat/FloWrestling rankings listed)

125 | Garret Rinken (4-1)

W - Tyler Evans (Bellarmine), Fall
L - #14/17 Drake Ayala (Iowa), 19-4 TF
W - Blake Gioimo (Iowa State), 10-0 MD
W - Marco Tocci (North Carolina), 6-5
W - Brandon Paez (UNI), MFF

125 | Brandon Paez (1-1)

W - Anthony Burke (VMI), 15-0 TF
L - #7/7 Jore Volk (Wyoming), 12-0 MD
L - Garret Rinken (UNI), MFF

141 | Connor Thorpe (1-2)

W - Lorenzo Frezza (Columbia), 9-6
L - #5/5 Lachlan Mcneil (North Carolina), 15-4 MD
L - Zeke Seltzer (Missouri), 7-3

149 | Ethan Basile (1-2)

W - Aiden Noonan (Wyoming), 14-4 MD
L - Nick Vafiadis (Navy), 7-1
L - Joel Jesuroga (Iowa), 7-3

149 | Cael Rahnavardi (2-2)

L - Warren Carr (Wyoming), 7-3
W - Luke Lucerne (Navy), Fall 4:01
W - Theo Cha (Minnesota), 5-4
L - Kaemen Smith (Navy), 12-11

165 | RJ Weston (3-1)

L - Michael Caliendo (Iowa), 17-5 MD
W - Isaias Estrada (North Carolina), 11-2 MD
W - Cole Nance (Bellarmine), 4-3
W - Andrew Cerniglia (Navy), 10-2 MD

165 | Izzy Moreno (3-0)

W - Mason Collins (Navy), 18-1 TF 3:51
W - Grant O'dell (Bellarmine), 12-8
W - #19/18 Andrew Cerniglia (Navy), 6-5

165 | Jack Thomsen (1-2)

W - Drake Rhodes (Iowa), 4-1
L - #30/NR Blaine Brenner (Minnesota), 9-5
L - Connor Euton (Iowa State), 19-3 TF 6:31

174 | Nick Fox (2-1)

W - Dylan Elmore (Navy), 10-3
L - Elise Brown Ton (Nebraska), 16-9
W - Sean Harman (Missouri), 4-2

184 | CJ Walrath (2-1)

W - River Carroll (VMI), 18-2 TF 3:56
W - #19/18 Gavin Kane (North Carolina), 5-3
L - John Gunderson (Unattached), 3-2 Inj.
L - Nicholas Fine (Unattached), MFF

197 | Adam Ahrendsen (3-1)

L - Gavin Nelson (Minnesota), 4-2
W - Brett Mower (Oregon State), Fall 3:42
W - Jesse Cassatt (Missouri), 10-5
W - Gabe Nagel (Minnesota), MFF

197 | Drew Fox (0-2)

L - Cole Carlucci (Iowa State), 11-1 MD
L - Josh Evans (VMI), 2-0

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