University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
Wisconsin
UNI wrestling battles Wisconsin in Sunday’s senior day dual
2/21/2026 12:00:00 PM | Wrestling
Panthers square off in final dual of 2025-26 season. Tickets available for purchase.
No. 18 UNI wrestling (10-8 / 4-3 Big 12) vs. No. 16 Wisconsin (12-4 / 4-4 Big Ten)
Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026
1 p.m. CT
Cedar Falls, Iowa | McLeod Center (6,650)
WATCH (FloWrestling/CFU 15) [Jeff Bradley: Play-by-Play / Jim Miller: Analyst]
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- The 2025-26 dual season will conclude for the 18th ranked UNI wrestling team on Sunday as the Panther Train welcomes in No. 16 Wisconsin to the McLeod Center in non-conference action on senior day.
Live coverage of Sunday'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.
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.
UNI will recognize its senior class of wrestlers prior to the dual, including Jack Thomsen, Cael Rahnavardi, Julian Farber, Connor Thorpe, Adam Ahrensen, Ethan Basile, Garrett Funk, RJ Weston and Caleb Rathjen.
The Badgers hold a narrow 27-25-2 lead on the Panthers in the all-time series with UNI prevailing in the last two meetings, including a 28-12 win in Madison last February.
Northern Iowa will look to close the season strong ahead of the Big 12 Championships in early March following a pair of tough Big 12 dual losses to West Virginia and Iowa State last weekend.
In the Panthers' 23-13 loss to the Mountaineers, Trever Anderson (125 pounds) pulled off the upset of the night with an 8-5 win over reigning Big 12 champion Jett Strickenberger, while Jared Simma also picked up a top-15 win over Brody Conley at 174 pounds. UNI grabbed two victories against the fourth-ranked Cyclones, with Downey defeating No. 12 Connor Euton at 165 in sudden victory, as Izzy Moreno moved up a weight class to 184 to pick up a 12-5 win over Manny Rojas.
PANTHERS IN THE RANKINGS [NCAA Coaches Ranking] (Intermat/FloWrestling rankings listed)
- 125 | [30] #28/17 Trever Anderson
- 133 | [21] #22/19 Julian Farber
- 149 | #31/18 Caleb Rathjen
- 165 | [6] #6/6 Ryder Downey
- 174 | [13] #13/14 Jared Simma
- 184 | [18] #21/20 Nick Fox
- HWT | [32] #32/28 Adam Ahrendsen
SCOUTING WISCONSIN
The Badgers close out their dual schedule on Sunday in Cedar Falls, boasting a 12-4 dual record this season with a 4-4 mark against Big Ten competition. Wisconsin pulled out a narrow 19-17 win over No. 10 Michigan at home last Sunday in its final home dual of the year.
Led by eighth year head coach Chris Bono, the Badgers placed 13th at the Big Ten Championships last March with one medalist in Nicolar Rivera, who took fourth place at 125 pounds. Wisconsin returns all three of its NCAA qualifiers from last season, including Rivera, as well as All-American Zan Fugitt (133 pounds) and Cody Goebel (165 pounds).
PROJECTED LINEUPS [NCAA Coaches] (#Intermat/FloWrestling rankings listed)
- 125 | [30] #28/17 Trever Anderson (UNI) vs. [18] #18/18 Nicolar Rivera (UW)
- 133 | [21] #22/19 Julian Farber (UNI) vs. [14] #15/13 Zan Fuggitt (UW)
- 141 | Maximus Brady (UNI) vs. Carson Exferd (UW) OR Peter Tomazevic (UW)
- 149 | #31/18 Caleb Rathjen (UNI OR Ethan Basile (UNI) vs. [10] #13/12 Joseph Zargo (UW)
- 157 | Cael Rahnavardi (UNI) OR RJ Weston (UNI) vs. [27] #27/23 Luke Lechler (UW)
- 165 | [6] #6/6 Ryder Downey (UNI) vs. [26] #24/27 Cody Goebel (UW)
- 174 | [13] #13/14 Jared Simma (UNI) vs. Luke Condon (UW)
- 184 | [18] #21/20 Nick Fox (UNI) vs. Cale Anderson (UW) OR David Malin (UW)
- 197 | John Gunderson (UNI) OR Carson Babcock (UNI) vs. [20] #21/20 Wyatt Ingham (UW)
- HWT | [32] #32/28 Adam Ahrendsen (UNI) OR Grant Stromberg (UNI) vs. [11] #10/11 Braxton Amos (UW)
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
