University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
Big 12 Championships
Panther Train returns to Tulsa for 2026 Big 12 Championships
3/5/2026 1:28:00 PM | Wrestling
Seven UNI wrestlers are seeded heading into conference championships in Oklahoma seeking automatic NCAA berths.
No. 17 UNI wrestling at 2026 Big 12 Championships
- BOK Center (19,199) | Tulsa, Okla.
- March 6 | 10 a.m. CT - Prelims & Quarterfinals / 5 p.m. CT - Semifinals & Consolation Quarterfinals
- March 7 | 12 p.m. CT - Consolation Semifinals & Seventh-Place Matches / 7 p.m. CT - Finals
- WATCH (ESPN+)
- LIVE RESULTS
- BRACKETS
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- UNI wrestling's 2026 postseason will begin on Friday morning as the Panther Train kicks off competition at the Big 12 Championships in Tulsa, Oklahoma with automatic berths to the NCAA Championships up for grabs.
The two-day tournament will be held March 6-7 at the BOK Center. Live coverage will be carried on ESPN+. Viewing links for all matches during the tournament, as well as live results can be found on UNI's 2026 Big 12 Championship Hub.
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 Panthers have won at least one Big 12 individual championship every year since joining the conference during the 2017-18 season. Click HERE to see the full set of brackets.
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.
Ryder 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.
Julian Farber (133 pounds), Jared Simma (174 pounds) and Nick Fox (184 pounds) all head to Tulsa seeded fifth in their respective brackets, both in search of their first conference championships. 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. 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.
Caleb Rathjen (149 pounds) enters as the six-seed in his bracket. 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 Rahnvardi (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 3/5/26)
- 125 | [7] (29) #27/18 Trever Anderson
- 133 | [5] (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
BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP NOTES
- Seven total All-Americans from the 2024-25 season are scheduled to compete this weekend in Tulsa.
- Oklahoma State is the reigning Big 12 champion after narrowly edging out second-place UNI last season. The Cowboys lead the conference with 19 team titles and are looking to go back-to-back for the first time since winning eight in a row (2013-20).
- Three of the reigning Big 12 champions from 2025 return this year to Tulsa to defend their crowns. Jett Strickenberger (West Virginia), Dominick Serrano (Northern Colorado) and Vinny Zerban (Iowa State) all return as the reigning champions at 125, 133 and 157 pounds respectively.
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
