UNI wrestling: Three advance after opening round of 2026 NCAAs

CLEVELAND --- The first day of the 2026 NCAA Division I Men's Wrestling Championships got underway on Thursday morning as five Panthers took to the mats at Rocket Arena in Cleveland.

Julian Farber, Caleb Rathjen and Ryder Downey each earned a first round victory sending them into Thursday night's second round of competition. Jared Simma and Nick Fox will wrestle in the consolation bracket after their first losses of the tournament.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Farber battled back after conceding a first period takedown against No. 9 Jacob Van Dee (Nebraska) in the first round of competition at 133 pounds. In the third period Farber was able to secure a takedown and hold onto the top position to clinch his 5-4 victory over Van Dee. The pair have met in the last two NCAA Championships, with Van Dee winning both of the previous matchup.

Rathjen defeated No.16 Brock Herman (Little Rock) in a 3-1 decision at 149 pounds. The pair started with a scoreless first period, after a takedown for Herman was overturned following a review. Rathjen then rode out Herman in the second period gaining a point as Herman was called for stalling. In the third, Rathjen earned an escape and stayed alert on defence to hold onto his lead.

Downey put up a dominant third period show against No.19 Matthew Olguin (Oregon State) at 165 pounds. After trailing 4-1 at the start of the period Downey turned up the heat and earned a quick escape followed by a takedown. Downey then secured a tilt to earn four back points and a riding time point to finish the match with a 10-4 decision.

At 174 pounds, Simma fell to No. 22 Nick Fine (Columbia) in a close 3-2 decision sending him to the consolation bracket. Fox went head-to-head in his first round matchup against No. 9 James Conway (Franklin & Marshall) at 184 pounds. Following the first period the pair each earned an escape, in the final minute of the third period Fox conceded a takedown ultimately dropping the bout 4-1.

UP NEXT
The second session of this year's national championships will begin tonight at 6 p.m. CT with second round and consolation matches. Fans can catch all the action on the networks of ESPN with links to all matches on UNI's NCAA Championship Hub.

UNI RESULTS (Through Session 1)

[Seed] (NCAA Coaches rank) #Intermat/FloWrestling ranking listed

133 | [20] (24) #20/19 Julian Farber (1-0)

W - [13] (10) #9/9 Jacob Van Dee (Nebraska), 5-4

149 | [14] (24) #11/12 Caleb Rathjen (1-0)

W - [19] (19) #16/16 Brock Herman (Little Rock), 3-1

165 | [11] (6) #6/6 Ryder Downey (1-0)

W - [22] #21/19 Matthew Olguin (Oregon State), 10-4

174 | [17] (13) #13/14 Jared Simma (0-1)

L - [16] (22) #23/30 Nick Fine (Columbia), 3-2

184 | [29] (19) #21/19 Nick Fox (0-1)

L - [4] (4) #9/9 James Conway (Franklin & Marshall), 4-1

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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