Discover the Vibrant Spirit of Northern Iowa University

CORALVILLE, Iowa — The UNI wrestling squad commenced competition at the Soldier Salute on Sunday with 22 Panthers competing as part of the two-day, 23-team competition at Xtream Arena.

UNI veterans Colin Realbuto and Jared Simma both registered a 2-0 record on the first day of competition, securing slots in Monday’s semifinals, while ten additional Panthers are still in contention in the consolation rounds.

HOW IT UNFOLDED

Seventeenth-ranked Realbuto (149 pounds) clinched the first of two semifinal spots for the Panthers after overcoming Zac Cowens (Bellarmine) with a score of 14-9 in the initial round, followed by a commanding major decision triumph over Caleb Rathjens (Iowa). 

At 174 pounds, fifteenth-ranked Simma moved to the semifinals via a 14-10 decision over Riley Davis (Wyoming) in the opening round, then maintained his momentum with an 11-4 victory against Ethan Riddle (Minnesota).

In the consolation rounds, Trever Anderson (125 pounds) recovered after succumbing to Jack Parker in the initial match, securing two bonus-point victories, which included a major decision against Shay Korhorn (Bellarmine) and a pin in six minutes and twenty-three seconds against Daniel Guanajuato (South Dakota State). 

Garret Rinken (125 pounds) also fought back after a narrow 2-1 defeat against No. 22 Kysen Terukina (Iowa) in the second round, grabbing a couple of bonus-point wins, pinning Keyan Hernandez (Iowa) in six minutes and thirty-three seconds and achieving a 15-0 technical fall over Anthony Lavezzola (Iowa). 

Julian Farber (133 pounds) made his season debut for Northern Iowa, earning major decision victories over Tyson Charmoli (Wyoming) and Trayce Eckman (Bellarmine) but was defeated by Logan Swensen (South Dakota State).

Adam Allard (149 pounds) began his tournament with two wins but lost to No. 22 Gabe Willochell (Wyoming) in the quarterfinals in a 2-0 defeat. Allard managed to stay in contention with an 11-2 major decision against Carter Fousek (Iowa State). 

At 157 pounds, Cael Rahnavardi secured a 14-3 major decision against Logan Swaw (Illinois) in his first match of the day but was unable to overcome No.6 Tommy Askey (Minnesota) in the second round. Rahnavardi later bounced back with a victory over Isaiah Fenton (Iowa) via a 20-5 technical fall. 

Nick Fox (174 pounds) concluded the first day with a 3-1 record, achieving regular decision wins over Grant Odell (Bellarmine), Chris Moore (Illinois), and Daniel Magayna (North Dakota State). In the heavyweight division, Adam Ahrendsen rebounded from a first-round loss to CJ Carter (Iowa State) by winning 9-6 against Thad Huff (Bellarmine), while CJ Walrath, competing independently, recorded a 2-1 record with victories over Jared Thiry (South Dakota State) and Zyan Hall (Navy).

WHAT’S NEXT

Competition for the second day at the Soldier Salute resumes on Monday starting at 11 a.m. CT, followed by the concluding session at 5 p.m. CT. Live coverage of the tournament is available on BTN+ with a subscription.

UNI RESULTS (2024 SOLDIER SALUTE) (Intermat/FloWrestling rankings indicated)

125 | Trever Anderson (2-1)

• L – Jack Parker (Bellarmine), 3-1
• W – Shay Korhorn (Bellarmine), 8-0 MD
• W – Daniel Guanajuato (South Dakota State), Fall 6:28 

125 | Bowen Downey (3-2) | DNP

• W – Dru Ayala (Iowa), 13-2 MD
• L – Damion Ryan (Bellarmine), 13-10
• W – Kody Tanimoto (North Dakota State), 13-5 MD
• W – Ostin Blanchard (Bellarmine), 13-4 MD
• L – Ethan Perryman (Iowa State), 17-8 MD

125 | Brandon Paez (2-2) | DNP

• W – Ostin Blanchard (Bellarmine), 6-2
• L – #28/27 Joey Cruz (Iowa), 13-2 MD 
• W – Nick Treaster (Navy), 5-2
• L – Jack Parker (Bellarmine), Fall 6:31

125 | Garret Rinken (4-1)

• W – Shay Korhorn (Bellarmine), 8-1 
• L – #22/14 Kysen Terukina (Iowa), 2-1 
• W – Anthony Lavezzola (Iowa), 15-0 TF
• W – Keyan Hernandez (Iowa), Fall 6:33
• W – Damion Ryan (Bellarmine), 11-3 MD

133 | Julian Farber (2-1) 

• W – Tyson Charmoli (Wyoming), 17-3 MD 
• L – Logan Swensen (South Dakota State), 10-3
• W – Trayce Eckman (Bellarmine), 9-0 MD

141 | Carter Freeman (1-2) | DNP

• W – Chase Hall (Bellarmine), 20-4 TF
• L – #7/9 Josh Koderhandt (Navy), Fall 4:53
• L – Caleb Gross (South Dakota State), 7-1 

149 | Connor Thorpe (1-2) | DNP 

• L – Miguel Estrada (Iowa), 13-4 MD
• W – Jack Nelson (Minnesota), Fall 5:31 
• L – Avery Allen (South Dakota State), 13-2 MD

149 | Garrett Funk (1-1) | DNP

• W – Gray Ortis (Bellarmine), 0-0
• L – #4/4 Kyle Parco (Iowa), 18-1 TF
• L – Antonio Avila (Wyoming), MFF

149 | Adam Allard (3-1)

• W – Theodore Cha (Minnesota), 6-4 
• W – Ethan Basile (UNI), 13-7 
• L – #22/21 GabeWillochell (Wyoming), 2-0
• W – Carter Fousek (Iowa State), 11-2 MD

149 | Ethan Basile (1-2) | DNP

• W – Mckinnley Robbins (Oregon State), 10-1 MD
• L – Adam Allard (UNI), 13-7
• L – Kael Voinovich (Iowa), 18-3 TF

149 | #17/16 Colin Realbuto (2-0)

• W – Zac Cowan (Bellarmine), 14-9
• W – Caleb Rathjen (Iowa), 12-4 MD

157 | Cael Rahnavardi (2-1)

• W – Logan Swaw (Illinois), 14-3 MD
• L – #6/6 Tommy Askey (Minnesota), 7-3
• W – Isaiah Fenton (Iowa), 20-5 TF

174 | Wade Mitchell (0-1) | DNP

• L – Daniel Magayna (North Dakota State), 10-0 MD
• L – Quayin Short (Wyoming), MFF

174 | Nick Fox (3-1)

• W – Grant Odell (Bellarmine), 7-1
• L – #19/23 Joshua Ogunsanya (North Carolina), 8-5
• W – Chris Moore (Illinois), 5-4
• W – Daniel Magayna (North Dakota State), 11-9

174 | #15/13 Jared Simma (2-0)

• W – Riley Davis (Wyoming), 14-10
• W – Ethan Riddle (Minnesota), 11-4

174 | Evan Yant (0-2) | DNP

• L – Silas Dailey (Minnesota), 11-0 MD
• L – Jake Stoffel (Missouri), 5-3

184 | CJ Walrath (2-1) [UNATTACHED]

• W – Jared Thiry (South Dakota State), 18-2 TF
• L – Jersey Robb (Oklahoma State), 4-2
• W – Zyan Hall (Navy), 4-3

197 | Carson Babcock (1-2) | DNP

• W – #31/31 Payton Thomas (Navy), 4-1
• L – Cody Merrill (Oklahoma State), 7-2
• L – Sawyer Bartelt (Iowa state), Fall 2:44

197 | Drew Fox (2-0) | DNP

• L – Kennedy Wyatt (Bellarmine), 10-2 MD
• L – Sawyer Bartelt (Iowa State), 20-4 TF

197 | Kalob Runyon (1-1)

• L – Thomas Dineen (South Dakota State), 4-1
• W – Andrew Liber (Bellarmine), 10-7

HWT | Grant Stromberg (0-2) | DNP

• L – Sam Mitchell (Wyoming), 2-1
• L – #27/NR Daniel Herrera (Iowa State), 8-3

HWT | Adam Ahrendsen (1-1)

• L – CJ Carter (Iowa State), Fall 4:06
• W – Thad Huff (Bellarmine), 9-6

UNI wrestling events can be monitored all year round on social platforms such as Facebook (University of Northern Iowa Wrestling), X (@UNI_wrestling) and Instagram (@uni_panther_wrestling). Discover the latest news and updates about the Panthers online at UNIpanthers.com.