IRVING, Tex. — Northern Iowa’s Ryder Downey has been named the Big 12 Conference’s Wrestler of the Week, as announced by the league office on Tuesday. The honor marks the second time he has earned the conference’s weekly award in his career.

Downey’s selection comes after the Panther redshirt junior notched a 3-0 sudden victory win over No. 7 LJ Araujo at 165 pounds over the weekend in UNI’s 30-6 dual loss at sixth-ranked Nebraska. The victory, Downey’s fifth of the season against a ranked opponent, saw him battle Araujo to a scoreless draw in regulation before scoring the winning takedown in overtime.

Downey, an Indianola native, currently sits with a 9-2 record on the season and is ranked seventh in the nation by both InterMat and FloWrestling.