Parker Keckeisen planted the UNI flag atop the college wrestling world on Saturday night as he clinched the NCAA's 184-pound wrestling title in a 14-5 major decision win in front of a sold out T-Mobile Center in Kansas City.

Completing a perfect 31-0 season, Keckeisen secured UNI's 23rd NCAA Division I national championship (45th overall between Division I and Division II) and first since Drew Foster's 2019 national title. He is also the program's first undefeated national champion since Bill Dotson's 18-0 run to an individual title in 1963.

"I think I realized my freshman year how historic UNI wrestling is," said Keckeisen following his victory. "I didn't really know that, but we have Olympians in the room, who've went through the room."

With the victory Keckeisen also receives an invite to compete at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials to be held April 19-20 on the campus of Penn State University.

"This [national championship victory] is just a day on the calendar. How am I going to be the other 364 days?" Keckeisen said. "Goals are cool but they're the outcome of daily habits. I'm just going to try to get better each day - at wrestling, at faith. If not I'm not growing, I'm dying. I have to get better."

Parker has been named the 2024 Big 12 Conference Wrestler of the Year, and is one of five finalists for the 2024 Hodge Trophy, which is the wrestling equivalent of college football's Heisman Trophy. The winner of the Hodge Trophy will be announced on April 1.

Read more about Parker Keckeisen's NCAA championship on unipanthers.com

Read more about the Hodge Trophy

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