Panther wrestling: Seeds and brackets announced for 2026 NCAA Championships

INDIANAPOLIS --- Seeding and brackets for the 2026 NCAA Division I Men's Wrestling Championships were announced by the NCAA on Wednesday night ahead of next week's national tournament at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio.

Ryder Downey led the way for the Panther Train as the 11-seed, with Caleb Rathjen earning the 14-seed at 149 pounds. Jared Simma earned a 17-seed in the 174-pound bracket, as Julian Farber was seeded 20th at 133 pounds and Nick Fox the 29-seed at 184 pounds. Trever Anderson meanwhile will serve as the alternate for the 125-pound bracket.

Click HERE to seed the full 2026 NCAA Championship brackets.

Northern Iowa, which finished tenth at the Big 12 Championships this season, has qualified at least five athletes for the NCAA Championships every year since 2016, and at least five wrestlers in 12 of head coach Doug Schwab's 15 seasons.

The 2026 NCAA Division I Men's Wrestling Championships will be broadcast on the networks of ESPN, with live results available via FloWrestling. Fans can follow all the action during the three-day event through UNI's NCAA Championship Hub.

2026 NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP OPENING MATCHUPS (Seed)

133 | (20) Julian Farber vs. (13) Jacob Van Dee (Nebraska)
Farber posted an 18-9 record to earn his third NCAA Championship berth at 133 pounds after a third-place finish at the Big 12 Championships. This will be the third consecutive year Farber and Van Dee will meet at the NCAA Championships with Van Dee winning both previous postseason meetings. Van Dee, a two-time NCAA qualifier who placed seventh at the national tournament holds a 4-2 lead in the all-time series and bested Farber in a 5-0 decision back in January in dual action.

149 | (14) Caleb Rathjen vs. (19) Brock Herman (Little Rock)
Following a Big 12 runner-up finish and 9-6 record at 149 pounds, Rathjen returns to the NCAA Championships for the second time with his first trip as a Panther after previously qualifying in 2024 at Iowa. This will be the first all-time meeting between the two wrestlers. Herman captured the Pac-12 title this season at 149 pounds and will make his NCAA debut after wrestling the last two seasons at Ohio State.

165 | (11) Ryder Downey vs. (22) Matthew Olguin (Oregon State)
Downey returns for his third NCAA Championship appearance following a fourth-place showing at the Big 12 Championships at 165 pounds with a 21-5 record. The redshirt junior will face Pac-12 champion Matthew Olguin in the first round in their first all-time meeting. Olguin previously qualified for the national tournament in 2022 and 2023.

174 | (17) Jared Simma vs. (16) Nick Fine (Columbia)
Jared Simma will compete in his third NCAA Championships after coming short of the podium at 174 pounds at the Big 12 Championships. The Shawnee, Kansas native will take on Ivy League runner-up Nick Fine in the opening round, the first all-time meeting between the two competitors.

184 | (29) Nick Fox vs. (4) James Conway (Franklin & Marshall)
After his first season in the Panther lineup and a 12-4 record at 184 pounds, Nick Fox will make his NCAA Championship debut following a ninth-place performance in Tulsa. Waiting for him in the first round will be James Conway, runner-up in the EIWA and a 2024 NCAA qualifier.

ALL-AMERICANS IN THE DOUG SCHWAB ERA (since 2011)

David Bonin - 2013
Ryan Loder - 2013
Joe Colon - 2014
Joey Lazor - 2014
Dylan Peters - 2014, 16
Max Thomsen - 2017, 2020*
Drew Foster - 2017, 19
Jacob Holschlag - 2018
Bryce Steiert - 2019, 2020*
Taylor Lujan - 2020*
Carter Isley - 2020*
Michael Blockhus - 2020*
Parker Keckeisen - 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
Cael Happel - 2025

* 2020 championships canceled due to COVID-19 / All-American honors determined by pre-championship seeds

UNI at NCAAs under Schwab

2011: T46th - 3 qualifiers
2012: 34th - 5 qualifiers
2013: T15th - 4 qualifiers / 2 All-Americans
2014: 15th - 7 qualifiers / 3 All-Americans
2015: 34th - 4 qualifiers
2016: 25th - 5 qualifiers / 1 All-American
2017: 18th - 7 qualifiers / 2 All-Americans
2018: T24th - 6 qualifiers / 1 All-American
2019: T13 - 6 qualifiers / 2 All-Americans / 1 Champion
2020: N/A - 7 qualifiers / 5 All-Americans *
2021: 19th - 6 qualifiers / 1 All-American
2022: T20th - 8 qualifiers / 1 All-American
2023: T16th - 7 qualifiers / 1 All-American
2024: 14th - 7 qualifiers / 1 All-American / 1 Champion
2025: 9th - 10 qualifiers / 2 All-Americans
2026: 5 qualifiers

* No tournament due to COVID-19 / seeded wrestlers earned All-America honors

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.

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