University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
NCAA Championships
UNI wrestlers take to mats in Cleveland for NCAA Championships
3/17/2026 12:48:00 PM | Wrestling
Panthers have had at least one All-American every year since 2016 with five athletes set to compete at Rocket Arena.
No. 17 UNI wrestling at 2026 NCAA Division I Men's Wrestling Championships
- March 19-21, 2026
- Cleveland, Ohio | Rocket Arena (19,432)
- 11 a.m. / 6 p.m. CT (Thursday - First/Second Rounds & Consolations)
- 11 a.m. / 7 p.m. CT (Friday - Quarterfinal/Semifinal Rounds, Consolations & Blood Rounds)
- 10 a.m. / 5:30 p.m. CT (Saturday - Medal Round & Finals)
- WATCH (UNI Championship Hub)
- LIVE RESULTS (FloWrestling)
- BRACKETS
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- The 2025-26 Division I men's wrestling season reaches its peak this week as five Panthers athletes prepare to represent UNI on the mats at Rocket Arena in Cleveland at the 2026 edition of the NCAA Championships.
Fans can catch all the action of this year's NCAA Championships on the networks on ESPN, and with live results available on FloWrestling. Links to every mat camera for all six sessions can be found online at UNI's 2026 NCAA Championship Hub. Full tournament brackets at all ten weight classes can be found HERE.
Four Northern Iowa competitors are seeded in the top-20 in their respective weight classes, led by Ryder Downey as the 11-seed at 165 pounds in his third NCAA Championship appearance. Caleb Rathjen, the Big 12 runner-up at 149 pounds is seeded 14th in his second national tournament, while Julian Farber is seeded 20th at 133 pounds in his second NCAA Championship. Jared Simma is set to make his third NCAA Championship appearance as the 17-seed at 174 pounds, as Nick Fox, making his NCAA tournament debut at 184 will be seeded 29th. Trever Anderson will serve as the tournament alternate at 125 pounds.
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 Panthers have also had at least one All-American every year since 2016.
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.
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ALL-AMERICANS IN THE DOUG SCHWAB ERA (since 2011)
- David Bonin - 2013
- Ryan Loder - 2013
- Joe Colon - 2014Â
- 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 qualifiersÂ
- 2012: 34th - 5 qualifiersÂ
- 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
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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
