UNI wrestling opened the season this past Saturday, Nov. 12, in Grimes, Iowa at the Grand View Open. UNI had five freshman competitors in the freshman/sophomore division, and every one of them was able to make their way onto the podium in their respective weight classes.

Trever Anderson competed for the Panthers in the 125 pound weight class. Anderson started out the day with back to back victories against Concordia’s Grant Wells and Central Baptist’s David Corretjar. Anderson saw a bit of a setback when he lost to Iowa State’s Ethan Perryman, who went on to get first place in the weight class. Anderson followed up the loss with two more victories, and earned himself a spot on the podium in fourth place. 

The 133 pound weight class featured Garrett Funk and Cory Land. Funk had a solid day, winning four matches by fall, with his only loss on the day also came by fall. One of the matches he won by fall took only 30 seconds, the fastest by any of the Panthers on the day. He ended the day with a close 8-5 victory, and his 5-1 record was good enough for fourth place. Land dominated, beating his first three opponents by fall, the third of which he defeated in just 33 seconds, only three seconds behind Funk’s impressive victory. He went on to beat his next opponent, Grand View’s Kyle Rice, 8-1, and got some revenge on Iowa State when he defeated Evan Frost by major decision in the championship, 13-1. 

The sole competitor for UNI in the 149 pound weight class was Ryder Downey. Downey did not mess around with most of his opponents, winning one match by fall, two by technical fall, and two by major decision. His closest match on the day came in the semifinals where he beat Iowa Central’s Darnai Heard 7-2. He dominated the championship against Nebraska’s Reese Davis, defeating him by major decision, 15-2.

At 197 pounds, UNI’s competitor was Wyatt Voelker. Right from the get go Voelker showed he was not messing around, as he beat Iowa Western’s Bryce Rochholz by fall in just 1:12. He dominated the rest of his opponents as well, winning by technical fall, fall once again and by major decision. The championship match was the closest for him on the day, but he was able to defeat Iowa State’s Rowan Udell, 14-8.

Overall UNI had three first place finishes and two fourth place finishes, with the wrestlers combining for a record of 26-2. UNI will get back on the mat this coming Sunday, Nov. 20, when they travel to Brookings, S.D. for the Daktronics Open.