Five Panthers medal on final day of Soldier Salute

Friday, December 29

Coralville, Iowa

10 a.m. / 3:30 p.m. / 11 a.m. / 5 p.m.

University of Northern Iowa

Soldier Salute

Photo by: Allyson Schwab

Five Panthers medal on final day of Soldier Salute

12/30/2023 7:14:00 PM | Wrestling

FINAL RESULTS Photo Gallery

UNI wrestling closes out 2023 with five top-eight finishes. Panthers resume dual competition on Jan. 6.

CORALVILLE, Iowa --- Five Panthers recorded with top eight finishes as UNI wrapped up competition at the Soldier Salute on Saturday night in Xtream Arena.

RJ Weston (165 pounds) led the Panthers on the podium with a fifth-place finish after dropping a close match against #30 Blaine Brenner followed by a win by forfeit. After qualifying for the semifinal round on Friday, Izzy Moreno (165 pounds) dropped to Patrick Kennedy (Iowa) in a 10-0 major decision, ultimately finishing in sixth-place.

At 174 pounds, Nick Fox concluded the tournament with a sixth-place finish as he dropped his final two matches of the weekend to Tyler Eischens (North Carolina) and Elise Brown Ton (Nebraska).

Adam Ahrendsen (197 pounds) clinched seventh-place with a 12-1 major decision victory over Daniel Williams (Navy) after dropping his first match of day two. Garret Rinken (125 pounds) meanwhile dropped his first bout of the day before scoring a 9-0 major decision victory over Damion Ryan (Bellarmine) to grab seventh-place.

DAY ONE RECAP
Moreno picked up his first win over a ranked opponent on Friday, punching his ticket to the 165-pound semifinals. 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.

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, 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.

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.

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
UNI will return to the mats on Saturday, January 6 for a pair of duals on the road in Lincoln, Nebraska. The Panthers will take on Wyoming in their Big 12 dual opener at 12 p.m. CT, followed by a matchup with #7 Nebraska at 4 p.m. CT at the Devaney Center. Live coverage of both duals can be found on BTN+.

UNI RESULTS (Intermat/FloWrestling rankings listed)

125 | Garret Rinken (5-2) | 7th Place