Sunday, February 22
Cedar Falls, IA
1:00 PM
Wisconsin Badgers
15
at
16
Northern Iowa
Wisconsin drops road dual to Northern Iowa
February 22, 2026 | Wrestling
Badgers close out regular season in Cedar Falls
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa - Wisconsin wrestling wrapped up its regular season Saturday afternoon, falling to Northern Iowa in a tightly contested dual on the road. The Badgers finish the year with a 12–5 record heading into the postseason.Â
Wyatt Ingham opened the scoring for Wisconsin with multiple takedowns to put the Badgers on the board early. Braxton Amos and Nicolar Rivera followed with steady decision wins, pushing Wisconsin out to a 9-0 lead through the opening stretch of the dual.
At 133 pounds, Zan Fugitt battled through two challenges during his match against Julian Farber, ultimately securing the riding time point to earn another ranked win and add to the Badger lead. Joseph Zargo delivered one of the most dramatic moments of the afternoon, scoring a late takedown in the final 30 seconds of regulation to force overtime. Northern Iowa's Caleb Rathjen responded quickly in sudden victory to claim the bout.
Luke Mechler kept Wisconsin within reach with a gritty decision victory, but momentum shifted toward the Panthers in the closing matches as Northern Iowa earned enough team points down the stretch to edge out the Badgers.
Wisconsin ResultsÂ
Wisconsin 15, Northern Iowa 16
No. 21 Wyatt Ingham over CJ Walrath, Dec 8-2
No. 10 Braxton Amos over No. 32 Adam Ahrendsen, Dec. 6-1
No. 18 Nicolar Rivera over No. 28 Trever Andersen, Dec 8-5
No. 15 Zan Fugitt over No. 22 Julian Farber, Dec 10-9
Max Brady over Peter Tomazevic, Major Dec. 17-4
No. 31 Caleb Rathjen over No. 13 Joseph Zargo, SV-1 7-4Â
No. 26 Luke Mechler over Cael Rahnavardi, Dec 6-3
Jack Thomson over No. 26 Cody Goebel, Dec 4-2
No. 13 Jared Simma over Luke Condon, 3-0
No. 21 Nick Fox over Cale Anderson, Dec 3-1
Up Next: Wisconsin will travel to State College, Pa., for the 2026 Big Ten Wrestling Championships, set for March 7-8.
Â
Wyatt Ingham opened the scoring for Wisconsin with multiple takedowns to put the Badgers on the board early. Braxton Amos and Nicolar Rivera followed with steady decision wins, pushing Wisconsin out to a 9-0 lead through the opening stretch of the dual.
At 133 pounds, Zan Fugitt battled through two challenges during his match against Julian Farber, ultimately securing the riding time point to earn another ranked win and add to the Badger lead. Joseph Zargo delivered one of the most dramatic moments of the afternoon, scoring a late takedown in the final 30 seconds of regulation to force overtime. Northern Iowa's Caleb Rathjen responded quickly in sudden victory to claim the bout.
Luke Mechler kept Wisconsin within reach with a gritty decision victory, but momentum shifted toward the Panthers in the closing matches as Northern Iowa earned enough team points down the stretch to edge out the Badgers.
Wisconsin ResultsÂ
Wisconsin 15, Northern Iowa 16
No. 21 Wyatt Ingham over CJ Walrath, Dec 8-2
No. 10 Braxton Amos over No. 32 Adam Ahrendsen, Dec. 6-1
No. 18 Nicolar Rivera over No. 28 Trever Andersen, Dec 8-5
No. 15 Zan Fugitt over No. 22 Julian Farber, Dec 10-9
Max Brady over Peter Tomazevic, Major Dec. 17-4
No. 31 Caleb Rathjen over No. 13 Joseph Zargo, SV-1 7-4Â
No. 26 Luke Mechler over Cael Rahnavardi, Dec 6-3
Jack Thomson over No. 26 Cody Goebel, Dec 4-2
No. 13 Jared Simma over Luke Condon, 3-0
No. 21 Nick Fox over Cale Anderson, Dec 3-1
Up Next: Wisconsin will travel to State College, Pa., for the 2026 Big Ten Wrestling Championships, set for March 7-8.
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Players Mentioned
HWT
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