The UNI wrestling team had a great weekend as numerous wrestlers placed in the UNI Open, hosted Saturday, December 3. Facing opponents from several different universities including Iowa State, University of Iowa, Purdue, Wisconsin, Missouri, Minnesota, Illinois, St. Cloud State and North Dakota State—two Panthers fought for first, another two for second, one at third and an additional two took fourth-place finishes.

Champion of the 149 lb bout, Max Thomsen, earned his second first-place finish in the open, securing his first at the Grand View Open earlier this season. This is the second UNI Open title he has taken, finishing this year’s with two major decisions of 12-4 and 12-1 and two decisions of 2-0 and 3-1. Thomsen ranks No. 12 in the conference after going 20-4 last year as a redshirt freshman.

Another first-place notch comes from an upset of Taylor Lujan, who defeated No. 8 Zac Brunson of Illinois as an unranked competitor. Lujan’s victory was hard-earned as he pinned his first two opponents in 1:54 and 2:12 before advancing with a 11-5 decision that would lead him to a 13-10 championship victory. Lujan also placed first in the Grand View Open at 174 lbs.

Panthers Drew Foster and Tyler Hoffman took second this weekend in their respected 184  lb and 197 lb weight classes.

Wrestling his second official UNI season, Drew Foster took second in the UNI Open falling to Emory Parker of Illinois five minutes and 41 seconds into the match. Foster pinned Dalton Simpson of Southern Illinois in 0:51 and went on to take two more decisions in the open.

Junior Tyler Hoffman earned a tech fall of 20-4 and a decision of 7-5 in the open, falling only to the conference’s No. 1 ranked J’Den Cox of Missouri in a tight bout ending at 5:19.

Earning a third-place finish for the Panthers at 184 lbs was Jacob Holschlag who earned a tech fall and a 4:05, losing only to Emory Parker earlier in the tournament.

Both Paden Moore and Carter Isley earned fourth-place finishes in their respected 157 lb and 284 lb weight classes.

Returning to the mat Sunday, Dec. 11 at noon, UNI will take on the University of Wisconsin in Madison, WI for their last match of the year before returning Jan. 1 in Chattanooga, Tennessee.