University of Northern Iowa
Oklahoma State
UNI wrestling falls short in 22-14 home loss to No. 3 Oklahoma State
1/24/2025 10:32:00 PM | Wrestling
Panthers test third-ranked Cowboys in front of largest McLeod Center wrestling crowd in program history. Northern Iowa hosts No. 22 Oklahoma on Saturday night.
- OFFICIALS - Kevin Looper, Ryan Hagan
- ATTENDANCE - 6,030 (Program record in McLeod Center)
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CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- Over 6,000 fans packed into the McLeod Center for a Panther wrestling dual on Friday night as fifth-ranked UNI gave No. 3 Oklahoma State all it could handle in a 22-14 Big 12 Conference loss.
Northern Iowa would score an early bonus-point upset at 133 pounds, with additional victories at 141, 149 and 184 pounds in the Panthers first dual loss of the year. The loss snaps UNI's 11 dual winning streak, a mark going back to the end of last season that had been tied for the fourth-longest streak in program history.
UNI's attendance of 6,030 spectators also made history as the largest home wrestling crowd in McLeod Center history, breaking the previous record of 5,831 from the Panthers' 2006 matchup with Iowa, which was the first dual ever held in the building.
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HOW IT HAPPENED
Trever Anderson faced a tough challenge at 125 pounds against No. 3 Troy Spratley, scoring early with a takedown before a reversal and two back points gave Spratley a 4-3 lead. Another reversal by Spratley would extend his lead to 6-3 before scoring a second takedown in third frame with riding time giving the Cowboys a 10-5 win in the opening bout.
At 133 pounds, Julian Farber went to work quickly against No. 19 Cael Hughes, scoring his first takedown within the first ten seconds of the match. After a Hughes escape and additional point for stalling, Farber brought down Hughes for a pair of takedowns to triple his lead to 9-3, with a third period escape and takedown giving Farber a 13-4 major decision and key bonus points for the Panthers. The win improves Farber to 6-1 in duals this season.
In the first of three top-ten bouts on the night, Cael Happel (141 pounds) escaped No. 3 Tagen Jamison after a scoreless first period before Jamison evened the match with his own escape to force overtime. It would not take Happel long as a quick takedown gave the Panther redshirt senior a 4-1 victory, and his second over a top-five ranked challenger this year.
At 149 pounds, Colin Realbuto climbed out of an early hole against No. 12 Carter Young, scoring on two escapes after a Young takedown and the start of the second stanza. Young would be hit with stalling, awarding Realbuto the tying point at 3-3, with another escape giving Realbuto a 4-3 advantage. In the final minute of the third, Realbuto would ice Young with his first takedown of the match to secure the 6-4 decision and a sixth consecutive win.
Top-ten opponents collided at 157 pounds as Ryder Downey fell into an early hole against No. 9 Caleb Fish. Trailing 3-0 into the third period, Downey would tie the match with 23 seconds remaining in the bout, but a late escape from Fish with one second remaining in regulation would force the contest into overtime, where Fish would get the takedown on Downey just 28 seconds in for the 7-4 loss.
Following the intermission at 165 pounds, Jack Thomsen held No. 6 Cameron Amine scoreless in the first frame before Amine escaped and scored a takedown for a 4-0 lead, adding two more takedowns in the final minutes to roll to a 10-2 major win over Thomsen for Oklahoma State's first of three bonus point wins down the stretch.
Third-ranked Dean Hamiti would take a 3-0 lead midway through the first period at 174 pounds, with both wrestlers trading reversals at the end of the first and beginning of the second period. With Simma within two points after an escape, Hamiti would ice the match with a takedown with one second remaining in the second period, adding on with two more takedowns in the final frame in a 16-4 major decision.
The 184-pound matchup between Parker Keckeisen and No. 3 Dustin Plott, a rematch of last year's dual bout, Big 12 and NCAA finals and this season's Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational championship would write another chapter into the duo's long history. Nearly two minutes into the first period, Keckeisen struck first with his first takedown with Plott cutting the lead to one on a pair of ensuing escapes. Keckeisen took his opponent down in the final minute of the second frame and again immediately in the third before one final takedown en route to a 14-4 major decision. Keckeisen now improves to 5-0 all-time against Plott.
Wyatt Voelker (197 pounds) would take seventh-ranked Luke Surber down to the wire, battling back after giving up a first period takedown. Escapes in the waning moments of the first period and early second put Voelker back in the match trailing 3-2, but Surber would escape to retake a two-point lead. Voelker would pull back within a point after a stalling call, but would not be able to score a late takedown, falling by a score of 4-3.
Closing out the night at heavyweight, Lance Runyon faced a difficult challenge from second-ranked and reigning Big 12 runner-up Wyatt Henrickson, surrendering a takedown and four back points in the first period. Runyon would nearly catch Hendrickson on his back early in the second period, but would struggle the rest of the match to establish his attack, giving up multiple takedowns in a 19-4 technical fall loss.
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UP NEXT
The Panthers return to action on Saturday night as they host the 22nd ranked Oklahoma Sooners. Competition is slated to begin at 7 p.m. CT inside the McLeod Center with live coverage available on FloWrestling/CFU Channel 15.
Tickets for the dual can be purchased online through the UNI Ticket Office, by calling 319-273-4849 or through email by contacting tickets@uni.edu.
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FINAL RESULTS [NCAA] (Intermat / FloWrestling rankings listed)
No. 5 UNI 14, No. 3 OKLAHOMA STATE 22
- 125 | #4/4 Troy Spratley (OSU) dec. [24] #30/20 Trever Anderson (UNI), 10-5
- 133 | [18] #NR/21 Julian Farber (UNI) maj. dec. #19/NR Cael Hughes (OSU), 13-4 MD
- 141 | [4] #5/5 Cael Happel (UNI) dec. [3] #4/4 Tagen Jamison (OSU), 4-1 SV-1
- 149 | [14] #16/13 Colin Realbuto (UNI) dec. [12] #14/12 Carter Young (OSU), 6-4
- 157 | [9] #11/13 Caleb Fish (OSU) dec. [2] #4/4 Ryder Downey (UNI), 7-4
- 165 | [6] #6/6 Cameron Amine (OSU) maj. dec. [18] #21/17 Jack Thomsen (UNI), 10-2 MD
- 174 | [3] #3/3 Dean Hamiti (OSU) maj. dec. [15] #16/16 Jared Simma (UNI), 16-4 MDÂ
- 184 | [2] #2/2 Parker Keckeisen (UNI) maj. dec. [3] #3/3 Dustin Plott (OSU), 15-4 MD
- 197 |Â [7] #7/7 Luke Surber (OSU) dec. [12] #14/12 Wyatt Voelker (UNI), 4-3
- HWT | [2] #3/3 Wyatt Hendrickson (OSU) tech falls [14] #15/17 Lance Runyon (UNI), 19-4 TFÂ
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UNI wrestling action can be followed all season long on social media on Facebook (University of Northern Iowa Wrestling), X (@UNI_wrestling) and on Instagram (@uni_panther_wrestling). Check out the latest Panther news and information online at UNIpanthers.com.
Players Mentioned
