Northern Iowa 27, Arizona State 11 — Farber TF, Simma MD fuel UNI victory
Julian Farber’s technical fall and two other bonus wins helped Northern Iowa build a lead the Sun Devils could not erase in Cedar Falls.
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — Northern Iowa defeated Arizona State 27-11 on Jan. 22, 2026, at the McLeod Center.
The turning point came at 133 pounds when No. 18 Julian Farber recorded a 23-8 technical fall over Carter Dibert, a result that counted as a five-team-point bonus and gave the Panthers a decisive momentum swing.
Northern Iowa extended its advantage through the middle weights. No. 6 Ryder Downey edged No. 12 Nicco Ruiz, 4-2, at 165; Downey’s opening three-point takedown and a third-period escape supplied the margin in that matchup. Jared Simma added a 9-1 major decision at 174, tacking on bonus points after a second-period reversal, a third-period takedown and a riding-time point.
Northern Iowa opened the dual with a ranked overtime victory when No. 23 Trever Anderson beat Anecito Vigil 9-6 at 125. Anderson tied the match in regulation and secured the win with an overtime takedown.
The Panthers also scored decisions at 149 (Caleb Rathjen, 5-1) and 197 (John Gunderson, 6-3) and received a forfeit at 184 (Nick Fox) to reach seven bout wins.
Arizona State answered with three victories, including No. 26 Pierson Manville’s 13-4 major decision at 141, No. 3 Kaleb Larkin’s 5-2 decision at 157 and Ben Szuba’s 16-4 major decision at heavyweight.
Northern Iowa’s three bonus-point wins — Farber’s technical fall, Simma’s major decision and the forfeit — plus Downey’s narrow decision in the middle weights accounted for the bulk of the 27-11 final.
Attendance at the McLeod Center was recorded at 3,042. Northern Iowa, listed as No. 13 in event coverage, will carry the win into its Big 12 schedule; Arizona State will resume its road slate next.