UNI Panther wrestling to close 2023 at Soldier Salute in Coralville

CEDAR FALLS - UNI wrestling will take to the mats for the final time in 2023 as the Panther Train heads to Coralville for the second annual Soldier Salute at Xtream Arena.

Published on December 27, 2023
by NIT Publisher

CEDAR FALLS – UNI wrestling will take to the mats for the final time in 2023 as the Panther Train heads to Coralville for the second annual Soldier Salute at Xtream Arena.

Hosted by the Iowa City Area Sports Commission, the men’s and women’s tournament proceeds will be split between the United Service Organizations (USO) and a development fund targeted toward the continued growth of high school girls wrestling.

Teams expected to compete on the men’s side include Bellarmine, Columbia, Iowa State, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Navy, Nebraska, North Carolina, Oregon State, Purdue, South Dakota State, Virginia, VMI and Wyoming.

A large contingent of UNI athletes are expected to compete in the final scheduled open tournament ahead of Big 12 dual competition, coming off the Journeymen Collegiate Duals in Nashville early last week. The Panthers dropped their first two duals to a pair of top-ten ranked challengers in Ohio State and North Carolina State, but scored their first victory of the season with a 35-3 win over Lock Haven.

Northern Iowa picked up a number of upset wins in Nashville, but none bigger than #31 Trever Anderson’s 4-2 decision over #1 Jakob Camancho (NC State). Jared Simma picked up a pair of pins at the Collegiate Duals, including a fall against NC State’s #23 Alex Faison in three minutes, 41 seconds. Top-ranked Parker Keckeisen defeated #12 Dylan Fishback (NC State) to remain undefeated on the season, while Julian Farber knocked off #12 Nic Bouzakis (Ohio State) in a 5-1 decision.

Panthers in the rankings (Intermat/Flo wrestling):

UNI Placewinners at 2022 Soldier Salute