The UNI wrestlers could not have ended their season on a more exciting note than they did last Friday at home. Competing against Old Dominion for UNI’s Senior Night, the Panthers had an amazing turnaround that landed them higher in MAC and individual standings. 

The Panthers were slow to start, and were down 0-9 after the first three bouts.

Basil Minto started UNI’s momentum as he earned a 3-1 decision over Old Dominion’s Kevin Beazly at 197 pounds. 

Next up was Blaize Cabell, UNI’s heavyweight powerhouse that has remained undefeated all season. Going up against Matt Tourdot from Old Dominion, Cabell had five takedowns that landed him 11-4 and finished out his regular season with the perfect with 8-0 in the MAC and 16-0 in overall duals.

Using a full 3 minutes of riding time to secure his victory over Brandon Jeske, Panther Dylan Peters earned an 8-3 decision that tied the teams 9-9 going into the seventh bout.

The first lead of the night came from Leighton Gaul at 133 lbs. His 12-6 victory over Old Dominion’s Michael Hayes put UNI 12-9 with only 3 bouts left.

Two matches later, the Panthers were down 12-16 going into the final bout of the night.

Jarrett Jensen had the weight of his team on his shoulders and didn’t disappoint. A fall in 2 minutes and 14 seconds earned UNI 6 points, securing their victory over Old Dominion 18-12.

Improving 8-8 for the season and 5-3 in the MAC, UNI will have a strong foothold for the MAC Championships coming up March 7-8 in Columbia Missouri.