By Joel Wauters, UNI Athletics
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa–An all-time McLeod Center record 7,348 fans filled the McLeod Center on Sunday afternoon as the fourth-ranked UNI wrestling team scored its first dual win over Iowa State since 2019 in a 26-10 win over the 14th ranked Cyclones.
UNI finished on top with seven match victories including two in bonus points and one in a thrilling come-from-behind win at 149 pounds to snap a five-dual skid to ISU.
Northern Iowa’s record attendance set an all-time arena record for any sport, surpassing UNI men’s basketball’s record crowd of 7,332 from Feb. 27, 2010 against Illinois State. It was also the eighth Panther sporting event in McLeod Center history to surpass 7,000 spectators.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Kicking off the action at 133 pounds, No. 17 Julian Farber squared off against No. 5 Evan Frost. Farber would come out aggressive in the first period by launching several shot attempts but was unable to convert, sending the match into the second period scoreless. After Frost escaped early he snagged a takedown for a 4-0 lead entering the third period. Farber would give up one more takedown and a riding time point to ultimately drop the match 8-0.
No. 4 Cael Happel continued his strong performance this season earning his second career win over No. 11 Jacob Frost at 141 pounds. The first period saw Frost get hit with a stalling warning, but neither wrestler was able to score. In the second, Frost escaped to start, but Happel responded with a takedown and then let Frost up. With 30 seconds remaining in the period, Happel added another takedown before Frost escaped. Leading 6-3 heading into the third, both wrestlers battled for control. With one minute left, Frost secured a takedown, but Happel quickly escaped and re-attacked, earning a takedown of his own. He cut Frost loose and sealed the win with a 10-7 decision.
In the biggest match of the afternoon, No. 15 Colin Realbuto stunned No. 11 Paniro Johnson at 149 pounds, earning his tenth consecutive win this season. After giving up an early takedown following a tough scramble, Realbuto escaped to close the gap, trailing 3-1 going into the second period. Starting on bottom in the second, Realbuto quickly escaped as the two wrestlers battled on into the third. In an explosive third period, Realbuto started neutral, allowing Johnson to escape. Johnson then secured a takedown, but Realbuto escaped and was awarded a penalty point for Johnson’s stalling, followed by two more penalty points. The match headed into overtime, where Realbuto clinched a takedown to seal a 10-7 victory for the Panthers.
In a rematch of last season’s Big 12 title bout at 157 pounds, No. 4 Ryder Downey took on No. 11 Cody Chittum. After a scoreless first period, Downey escaped in the second to take a 1-0 lead into the third. Chittum quickly escaped to start the final period and then secured a crucial takedown in the last minute. Downey fought hard to score, escaping late, but was unable to overcome Chittum, ultimately falling 4-2 in the match.
Wrapping up the first half of the dual at 165 pounds, No. 20 Jack Thomsen and Aiden Riggins battled after a scoreless first period. In the second, Thomsen gave up an escape to Riggins but responded with a takedown, taking a 3-1 lead. Heading into the third period, Thomsen escaped to start, then added another takedown before letting Riggins up and securing the 7-2 victory.
At 174 pounds No. 19 Jared Simma battled closely ranked challenger No. 17 MJ Gaitan. Simma earned a big takedown in the final minute of the first period, taking an early 3-0 lead. After gaining an escape in the second, Simma added another point to his lead, heading into the third. In the final minute of the third, Gaitan secured a takedown but was called for locking hands, giving Simma a penalty point. Simma quickly escaped and sealed the 7-3 victory over Gaitan.
No. 2 Parker Keckeisen capped off his final UNI home dual match with a dominant performance over Caleb Helgeson, racking up takedown after takedown en route to a 24-8 technical fall victory. With this win, Keckeisen completes a perfect 37-0 record in Big 12 duals while extending his regular season winning streak to 52 matches.
At 197 pounds, No. 12 Wyatt Voelker took on No. 10 Evan Bockman, who wrestled up from 184 pounds. Following a scoreless first period, Bockman opened the scoring with an escape in the second. Voelker quickly responded, getting a takedown and allowing Bockman an escape. In the final seconds of the second period, Voelker secured another quick takedown to head into the third with a 4-1 lead. In the third, Voelker escaped early and fended off Bockman’s shot attempts to close out the match with a 7-2 victory.
In the heavyweight matchup, No.15 Lance Runyon went scoreless for the first two periods against No. 27 Daniel Herrera. After an escape by Runyon to start the third, Herrera secured a crucial takedown in the final minute. Runyon fought hard but ultimately dropped the close match, falling 3-1.
Kyle Gollhofer ended the dual with an impressive third period pin of Osmany Diversent at 125 pounds. After giving up a late takedown in the first period, Gollhofer escaped, trailing 3-1 going into the second. Gollhofer quickly escaped again in the second and secured a takedown, letting Diversent up to finish out the period with a 5-4 lead. In the third, Diversent escaped to tie the score at 5-5, but Gollhofer would quickly re-attack, slamming a takedown and turning Diversent for the fall, sealing the victory.
UP NEXT
The Panthers will close out the 2024-25 regular season on Friday when they visit Wisconsin. Competition is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. CT at UW Fieldhouse in Madison, with live coverage available on BTN+ and TrackWrestling.
FINAL RESULTS (Intermat / FloWrestling rankings listed)
No. 4 UNI 26, No. 14 IOWA STATE 10
133 | [4] #5/5 Evan Frost (ISU) maj. dec. [19] #17/22 Julian Farber (UNI), 8-0 MD
141 | [4] #4/5 Cael Happel (UNI) dec. [9] #11/9 Jacob Frost (ISU), 10-7
149 | [10] #15/10 Colin Realbuto (UNI) dec. [6] #6/6 Paniro Johnson (ISU), 10-7 SV-1
157 | [8] #11/10 Cody Chittum (ISU) dec. [3] #4/4 Ryder Downey (UNI), 4-2
165 | [19] #20/19 Jack Thomsen (UNI) dec. Aiden Riggins (ISU), 7-3
174 | [15] 19/17 Jared Simma (UNI) dec. [23] #17/25 MJ Gaitan (ISU), 7-4
184 | [2] #2/2 Parker Keckeisen (UNI) tech falls Caleb Helgeson (ISU), 24-8 TF
197 | [11] #12/12 Wyatt Voelker (UNI) dec. [11] #10/14 Evan Bockman (ISU), 7-2
HWT | [28] #27/30 Daniel Herrera (ISU) dec. [14] #15/15 Lance Runyon (UNI), 3-1
125 | Kyle Gollhofer (UNI) pins Osmany Diversent (ISU), Fall 6:02