The Panthers got their first individual champion of the season at Saturday’s 53rd Annual UNI Open while two seniors sat it out.

Junior Pete Ziminski won the heavyweight division and junior Jim Kassner took fourth in the 197-pound division at a tournament that welcomes perennial powerhouses Iowa, Illinois and Michigan. Seniors Pat Dowty, and Matt Veach didn’t compete in the Panthers’ last open meet of the year.

Ziminski, who has placed in all of the Panthers’ opens this year, was seeded second in his weight-class but proved he deserved to be No. 1. Ziminski had a first round bye and recorded a 36-second pin in the second round.

In the quarter finals he defeated Illinois’ Matt Fletcher 5-2 to send him to the finals against the top seed Mike Engallmann of Minnesota State. Ziminski had another close victory in his first championship match of the year, going the full seven minutes and winning 3-1.

The seventh-seeded Kassner won his first two matches by decision, outscoring his opponents 17-1.

In the quarterfinals he defeated the No. 4 seed in his division 14-7, but was pinned in the second period of his semifinal match. Kassner won his first match of wrestle backs by a walkover forfeit and lost the consolation match by another walkover forfeit.

The Panthers received another good performance out of redshirt freshman Kenny Robertson. Robertson, who has placed in all of his opens this year, lost by an 8-5 decision in the first round, but came back with two pins and two wins by decision. Robertson’s wrestle back was cut short when he was shut-out in a consolation quarter-final loss.

Eastern will now move on to dual matches starting on the road as they travel to Bloomington, Ind., to compete against Indiana Sunday.