University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
Soldier Salute
Panther Train returns to action at Nebraska and Soldier Salute this weekend
1/2/2026 10:27:00 AM | Wrestling
Sixteenth-ranked UNI takes on reigning NCAA runner-up in road dual with tournament action in Coralville.
No. 16 UNI wrestling (3-3 / 2-0 Big 12) at No. 6 Nebraska (6-3 / 0-0 Big Ten)
- Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026
- 10 a.m. / 3:30 p.m. / 11 a.m. / 5 p.m. CT
- Coralville, Iowa | Xtream Arena (5,100)
- WATCH (BTN+)
- LIVE RESULTS (FloWrestling)
No. 16 UNI wrestling (3-3 / 2-0 Big 12) at 2026 Soldier Salute
- Jan. 3-4, 2026
- 6 p.m. CT
- Lincoln, Neb. | Devaney Center (8,300)
- WATCH (BTN+)
- LIVE RESULTS (FloWrestling)
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- The 16th ranked UNI wrestling team returns to the mat after the holiday break beginning Saturday with a full weekend of competition, including a top-15 ranked dual at No. 6 Nebraska, as well as tournament action in-state at the Soldier Salute.
Northern Iowa and Nebraska will square off in Lincoln beginning at 6 p.m. CT at the Devaney Center, while competition at the Soldier Salute at Xtream Arena in Coralville begins Saturday at 10 a.m. CT. Sunday action in Coralville will begin at 11 a.m. CT. Live coverage of both events can be found on BTN+ with live results on FloWrestling
UNI holds a 30-19-1 lead in the all-time series against Nebraska after scoring a 24-9 win over the Cornhuskers in Cedar Falls, the Panthers' first win over Nebraska in the Doug Schwab era. The Panthers will be in search of their first win in Lincoln since 1988.
Northern Iowa will look to bounce back in its first dual of the new calendar year after falling to No. 16 North Carolina on Dec. 21 at home. UNI was able to pick up wins with Jared Simma (174 pounds), Julian Farber (133 pounds), Cory Land (141 pounds) and RJ Weston (157 pounds), but was unable to close the gap in a late comeback attempt.
Eight Panthers enter the weekend ranked in both the InterMat and FloWrestling rankings, including four top-12 ranked athletes. Ninth-ranked Cory Land (141 pounds) has won nine consecutive matches with four bonus point victories on the year, with Jared Simma (174 pounds) posting a top-20 win at the Cougar Clash last month. No. 11 Wyatt Voelker (heavyweight) has jumped out to a quick 7-1 start in his first season at heavyweight with one top-ten victory under his belt, while No. 11 Ryder Downey (165 pounds) has won eight of his last nine bouts.
The Soldier Salute, which enters its fourth season of competition, will feature wrestlers from Iowa, Minnesota, Navy, North Carolina, Wyoming and Bellarmine, as well as Big 12 competitors from Missouri, Iowa State and South Dakota State.
SCOUTING NEBRASKA
The Cornhuskers enter Saturday's dual after a Dec. 21 dual loss at home to No. 5 Oklahoma State, 22-12. Nebraska has notched top-25 dual wins over Lehigh, Michigan, Missouri and North Carolina, and notably finished fourth at the National Duals Invitational in Tulsa in November.
Led by 25th year head coach Mark Manning, the 2025 NCAA Tournament Coach of the Year who previously led UNI from 1998 to 2000, the Cornhuskers placed second at both the Big Ten and NCAA Championships last season behind Penn State.
The Cornhuskers return a dominant lineup that includes six returning NCAA qualifiers from a year ago, led by reigning 157 pound national champion Antrell Taylor and NCAA 141 runner-up Brock Hardy. Other All-Americans returning for Nebraska include Jacob Van Dee (133 pounds), Christopher Minto (174 pounds), Silas Allred (184 pounds) and Camden McDanel (197 pounds). The Cornhuskers also added former national champion and two-time All-American AJ Ferrari (heavyweight) in the offseason.
UNI-NEBRASKA PROJECTED MATCHUPS (#Intermat/FloWrestling rankings)
- 125 | #27/21 Trever Anderson (UNI) vs. Alan Koehler (NU) OR Kael Lauridsen (NU)
- 133 | #26/20 Julian Farber (UNI) vs. #8/8 Jacob Van Dee (NU)
- 141 | #1/9 Cory Land (UNI) vs. #3/3 Brock Hardy (NU) OR Blake Cushing (NU)
- 149 | Ethan Basile (UNI) vs. #12/14 Chancer Lamer (NU) OR Scott Robertson (NU)
- 157 | RJ Weston (UNI) vs. #5/4 Antrell Taylor (NU)
- 165 | #11/11 Ryder Downey (UNI) vs. #7/7 LJ Araujo (NU) OR Jagger Condomitti (NU)
- 174 | #10/20 Jared Simma (UNI) vs. #6/6 Christopher Minto (NU)
- 184 | Nick Fox (UNI) OR #28/26 CJ Walrath (UNI) vs. #9/9 Silas Allred (NU)
- 197 | John Gunderson (UNI) vs. #12/15 Camden McDanel (NU)
- HWT | #12/11 Wyatt Voelker (UNI) OR Adam Ahrendsen vs. #4/4 AJ Ferrari (NU) OR Cade Ziola (NU)
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
