University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
Oklahoma State
UNI wrestling falls at No. 5 Oklahoma State
1/30/2026 9:50:00 PM | Wrestling
Panthers win bout at 184 pounds, but fall to reigning Big 12 champions.
STILLWATER, Okla. --- Nick Fox got the Panthers on the scoreboard with a sudden victory win at 184 pounds, but the 13th ranked UNI wrestling team could not find success at other weight classes as the Panther Train fell to No. 5 and reigning Big 12 champion Oklahoma State on Friday night at Gallagher-Iba Arena.
Dropping their first dual in Big 12 competition, Northern Iowa battled in a handful of matches but would defeated in bonus points in four bouts. UNI falls to 9-5 overall on the season with the loss, snapping a season-long six-dual winning streak.
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HOW IT HAPPENED
Trever Anderson took on No. 7 Troy Spratley at 125 pounds, but was unable to come back after giving up an early takedown, ultimately dropping the bout 6-1.Â
At 133 pounds, Julian Farber battled No. 11 Jax Forrest in a high-action first period, but Forrest would come away with the first takedown and Farber fell in a 19-4 major decision. Following at 141 pounds, Max Brady dropped his bout against No. 2 Sergio Vega in a 14-3 major decision.Â
Caleb Rathjen faced No. 8 Casey Swiderski in a hard fought match at 149 pounds, but came up short in a 9-2 loss. At 157 pounds, Cael Rahnavardi faced No. 6 Landon Robideau, falling by a score of 14-4 in a major decision loss to conclude the first half of the dual.Â
In a close match at 165 pounds, Ryder Downey faced top-ten challenger in No. 2 Dee Lockett. After Downey led 4-1 heading into the third period, Lockett scored a takedown and added two nearfall points, coming back to defeat Downey by a 6-4 score and snap his six-match winning streak.
After Jared Simma fell to No. 7 Alex Facundo at 174 pounds in a 5-1 decision, Fox stunned No. 8 in a sudden upset victory. Knotted up a 1-1 at the end of regulation and just 11 seconds to go in the first overtime period, Fox scored the winning reversal just ahead of the final horn for a thrilling 4-1 win, extending his winning streak to six matches.
Carson Babcock gave No. 7 Cody Merrill a challenge at 197 pounds but would come up short in a 2-0 loss, while Grant Stromberg, in just his fourth career dual start, was pinned by No. 7 Konner Doucet at heavyweight in the waning seconds of the third period.
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UP NEXT
The Panthers return to dual action on Saturday night as they visit No. 21 Oklahoma. Competition is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. CT at McCasland Fieldhouse in Norman with live coverage of the event available on ESPN+.
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FINAL RESULTS (#Intermat/Flowrestling rankings listed)
No. 5 OKLAHOMA STATE 34, No. 13 UNI 3
- 125 | #7/7 Troy Spratley (OSU) dec. #32/23 Trever Anderson (UNI), 6-1Â
- 133 | #12/11 Jax Forrest (OSU) tech falls #25/18 Julian Farber (UNI), 19-4 TFÂ
- 141 | #2/2 Sergio Vega (OSU) maj. dec. Max Brady (UNI), 14-3 MD
- 149 | #12/8 Casey Swiderski (OSU) dec. #32/19 Caleb Rathjen (UNI), 9-2Â
- 157 | #6/6 Landon Robideau (OSU) maj. dec. Cael Rahnavardi (UNI), 14-4 MD
- 165 | #2/2 Dee Lockett (OSU) dec. #6/6 Ryder Downey (UNI), 6-4Â
- 174 | #7/7 Alex Facundo (OSU) dec. #12/13 Jared Simma (UNI), 5-1
- 184 | Nick Fox (UNI) dec. #8/8 Zack Ryder (OSU), 3-1 SV-1
- 197 | #7/7 Cody Merrill (OSU) dec. Carson Babcock (UNI), 2-0Â
- HWT | #6/7 Konner Doucet (OSU) pins Grant Stromberg (UNI), Fall 6:35Â
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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
