Panther wrestling: Seeds and brackets announced for 2026 Big 12 Championships

IRVING, Tex. --- The Big 12 Conference on Monday morning released its seeds and brackets for its 2026 wrestling championships, set to be held this coming Friday and Saturday at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Seven of UNI's ten wrestlers slated to compete received a top-eight seed, with Ryder Downey leading the charge as the two-seed for the Panthers at 165 pounds. The two-day tournament will be held March 6-7 with live on ESPN+.

Full brackets for the 2026 Big 12 Wrestling Championships can be viewed HERE.

Downey, who captured the Big 12 title at 157 pounds in 2024, will open his 2026 postseason against West Virginia's Sasha Gavronsky having won 18 of 21 matches this year. He also leads the Panthers with seven wins over ranked opponents this season.

Both Jared Simma (174 pounds) and Nick Fox (184 pounds) head to Tulsa seeded fifth in their respective brackets, both in search of their first conference championships. Simma, who went 5-3 in Big 12 duals in 2026, will open against Air Force's Gunner Cramblett. Fox, competing in his first Big 12 Championship appearance with a 9-2 record, will take on Northern Colorado's Mahonri Rushton in Friday's opening round.

Julian Farber (133 pounds) and Caleb Rathjen (149 pounds) enter as six seeds in their two brackets. Farber placed third at 133 pounds a year ago and will battle Air Force's Gavin Caprella in the opening round after posting a 14-8 record during the regular season. Rathjen, who will make his Big 12 Championship debut, will face Air Force's Bryce Shelton in round one.

At 125 pounds, Trever Anderson will take on Cooper Shore of Cal Baptist in Friday's first round. Anderson finished seventh at the conference championships in 2025 and posted an 11-9 record this year, picking up three top-25 victories on the year while facing ranked opponents in his five matches. Adam Ahrendsen will make his Big 12 Championship debut at heavyweight as the eight-seed, matching up with Air Force's Rylan Kuhn in the opening round.

Maximus Brady (141 pounds) and Cael Rahnavardi (157 pounds) will both make their first appearance at the Big 12 Championships, with Brady matching up with seventh-seeded Carter Nogle (Air Force) and Rahnavardi taking on seventh-seeded Teague Travis (Missouri). John Gunderson meanwhile will face fifth-seeded DJ Parker (Oklahoma) in his first Big 12 Championship appearance since 2022.

UNI'S BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP LINEUP [SEED] (NCAA Coaches) #Intermat/Flowrestling ranking (Rankings as of 3/2/26)

125 | [7] (29) #27/18 Trever Anderson
133 | [6] (24) #20/19 Julian Farber
141 | Maximus Brady
149 | [6] (24) #21/16 Caleb Rathjen
157 | Cael Rahnavardi
165 | [2] (6) #6/6 Ryder Downey
174 | [5] (13) #13/14 Jared Simma
184 | [5] (19) #21/19 Nick Fox
197 | John Gunderson
HWT | [8] (32) #32/28 Adam Ahrendsen

Last week, the NCAA announced its pre-conference tournament allocations ahead of the NCAA Championships, scheduled to be held at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, March 19-21.The top-eight finishers in three weight classes (133, 184, 197) will punch their tickets to Cleveland, while the top seven athletes at 141 and 174 pounds will also advance.

The top-six finishers at heavyweight, plus the top-five at 125, 149, 157, as well as top-four at 165 pounds will also earn automatic NCAA qualification. The remaining 42 at-large qualifying spots across all ten weight classes will be announced on March 10, while brackets and seeding for the NCAA Championships will be announced on March 11. All weight classes will consist of 33 wrestlers.

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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