University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
West Virginia
UNI wrestling hosts West Virginia, visits Iowa State this weekend
2/13/2026 10:33:00 AM | Wrestling
Panthers to retire Bill Smith’s jersey on Saturday night against Mountaineers. Tickets available for purchase.
No. 15 UNI wrestling (10-6 / 4-2 Big 12) vs. No. 18 West Virginia (9-4 / 4-2 Big 12)
- Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026
- 7 p.m. CT
- Cedar Falls, Iowa | McLeod Center (6,650)
- WATCH (FloWrestling/CFU 15) [Jeff Bradley: Play-by-Play / Jim Miller: Analyst]
- LIVE RESULTS (FloWrestling)
No. 15 UNI wrestling (10-6 / 4-2 Big 12) at No. 4 Iowa State (9-2 / 5-1 Big 12)
- Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026
- 7 p.m. CT
- Ames, Iowa | Hilton Coliseum (14,356)
- WATCH (ESPN+) [Tom Kroschell: Play-by-Play / Kyven Gadson: Analyst]
- LIVE RESULTS (FloWrestling)
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CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- The 15th-ranked UNI wrestling team begins its final two week stretch of the regular season this weekend as the Panthers host No. 18 West Virginia on Saturday night in Cedar Falls before visiting in-state rival and No. 4 Iowa State on Sunday evening in Big 12 Conference dual action.
Live coverage of Saturday's dual can be found of FloWrestling/CFU Channel 15 with Jeff Bradley and Jim Miller on the call beginning at 7 p.m. CT. Saturday matchup against the Cyclones will also begin at 7 p.m. CT at Hilton Coliseum in Ames on ESPN+.
Tickets for the 2025-26 UNI wrestling regular season can be purchased online through the UNI Ticket Office, by calling 319-273-4849 or through email at tickets@uni.edu.
Saturday's home dual will also feature the jersey retirement of two-time NCAA champion and Olympic gold medalist Bill Smith in a pre-dual ceremony. The first 500 fans through the gates will also receive a free UNI wrestling themed wearable blankets, while students in attendance can enter to win a $1,000 scholarship. Click HERE to see scholarship eligibility.
Northern Iowa holds a perfect 8-0 record all-time against West Virginia after a 29-10 victory in Morgantown last February. Iowa State meanwhile holds a 62-21 lead on UNI in the battle of Iowa teams with the Panthers edging the Cyclones inside the McLeod Center last season, 26-10.
UNI, which sits at 10-6 overall in duals and 4-2 against Big 12 competitors, is coming off a hard fought 19-13 win at No. 14 South Dakota State last Sunday, its second win over the Jackrabbits this season after topping SDSU in the finals of the NWCA National Duals in January. The Panthers prevailed in six of ten bouts, with heavyweight Adam Ahrendsen upsetting SDSU's top heavyweight performer for a second time this season to hold on for the team win. The victory also marked the first time Northern Iowa had reached double-digit dual wins in consecutive seasons since 2009-10 and 2010-11.
ÂPANTHERS IN THE RANKINGS [NCAA Coaches Ranking] (Intermat/FloWrestling rankings listed)
- 125 | [30] #31/23 Trever Anderson
- 133 | [21] #22/17 Julian Farber
- 141 | #NR/26 Max Brady
- 149 | #32/18 Caleb Rathjen
- 165 | [6] #6/6 Ryder Downey
- 174 | [13] #12/14 Jared Simma
- 184 | [18] #22/21 Nick Fox
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SCOUTING WEST VIRGINIA
The Mountaineers make their two-dual road swing through Iowa beginning Friday night in Ames against the Cyclones before visiting UNI on Saturday. West Virginia enters the weekend 9-4 overall and 4-2 in duals against Big 12 opponents after a 26-13 loss at Missouri last Friday.
Led by eighth year head coach Tim Flynn, the Mountaineers placed sixth at the Big 12 Championships in Tulsa last season, and tied for 18th at the NCAA Championships in Philadelphia. West Virginia returns three of its five NCAA qualifiers from a year ago, led by Jett Strickenberger at 125 pounds, the reigning Big 12 champion. The Mountaineers also return NCAA qualifiers in Jordan Titus (141 pounds), as well as Ian Bush (197 pounds).
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SCOUTING IOWA STATE
The Cyclones open the final three dual stretches of their season with West Virginia on Friday and UNI coming to town on Sunday night. Iowa State sits at 9-2 overall on the season and 5-1 against the Big 12, with its only loss coming in its last outing on Feb. 1 at Oklahoma State, 24-9.
Led by ninth year head coach Kevin Dresser, the Cyclones return a loaded squad this year with ranked competitors in all ten weight classes. Leading the ISU squad includes top-ranked Younger Bastida at heavyweight, along with three-time NCAA qualifier and All-American Stevo Poulin at 125 pounds, who joined the Cyclones in the offseason after four years at Northern Colorado. Iowa State also boasts strong talent from Rocky Elam (197 pounds), Anthony Echemendia (141 pounds), as well as the Frost brothers in Evan (133 pounds) and Jacob (149 pounds).
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UNI PROJECTED LINEUP [NCAA Coaches] (#Intermat/FloWrestling rankings listed)
- 125 | [30] #31/23 Trever Anderson OR Bowen Downey OR Brandon Paez
- 133 | [21] #22/17 Julian Farber
- 141 | #NR/26 Max Brady
- 149 | #32/18 Caleb Rathje OR Ethan BasileÂ
- 157 | Cael Rahnavardi OR RJ Weston
- 165 | [6] #6/6 Ryder Downey OR Jack Thomsen
- 174 | [13] #12/14 Jared Simma
- 184 | [18] #22/21 Nick Fox
- 197 | John Gunderson OR Carson Babcock
- HWT | Adam Ahrendsen OR Grant Stromberg
WEST VIRGINIA PROJECTED LINEUP [NCAA Coaches] (#Intermat/FloWrestling rankings listed)
- 125 | [8] #8/8 Jett Strickenberger
- 133 | [18] #19/16 Gunner Andrick
- 141 | Jordan Titus
- 149 | TJ Langley OR Willie McDougland
- 157 | [5] #6/7 Ty Watters
- 165 | Sasha Gavronsky OR Cole Evans
- 174 | [14] #14/17 Brody Conley
- 184 | [17] #17/22 Ian Bush
- 197 | [14] #18/14 Rune Lawrence
- HWT | Brock Kehler
IOWA STATE PROJECTED LINEUP [NCAA Coaches] (#Intermat/FloWrestling rankings listed)
- 125 | [11] #11/11 Stevo Poulin
- 133 | [5] #3/3 Evan Frost OR Adrian Meza
- 141 | [3] #3/4 Anthony Echemendia
- 149 | [9] #11/8 Jacob Frost
- 157 | [7] #8/8 Vinny Zerban
- 165 | [13] #15/12 Connor Euton
- 174 | [12] #13/12 MJ Gaitan OR Aiden Riggins
- 184 | [12] #12/11 Isaac Dean
- 197 | [2] #2/2 Rocky Elam OR CJ Carter
- HWT | [1] #1/1 Younger Bastida
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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
