Cy-Hawk Series Wrestling Dual: 5 things to watch when No. 2 Iowa hosts No. 12 Iowa State

Iowa and Iowa State will meet for the 88 th time in the history of two storied college wrestling traditions. The Hawkeyes own a 69-16-2 advantage in the season. Iowa has won 19 straight with the Cyclones’ last dual win coming in 2004. Here are five things to watch for in the CyHawk Series Saturday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

DRAKE AYALA VS. EVAN FROST

The marquee matchup on paper. Iowa’s Ayala is ranked seventh, while Frost is No. 5 nationally by Flowrestling. Ayala was an NCAA runner-up at 125 pounds, moving up to 133 this season. Frost earned All-American status with a sixth-place finish at the national tournament. Frost (1-0) missed the opener and posted a decision in the Navy dual. Ayala is 2-1 and has been offensive, scoring 55 points in three matches, including two bonus-point victories. Frost had his breakout victory in this dual last season, beating Brody Teske 8-1. This is one of the top matches and one Iowa State definitely needs. An Ayala win will certainly bolster Iowa’s chance of a comfortable win.

IOWA TRANSFERS MATCHES

The Hawkeyes have enjoyed the contributions of transfers Kyle Parco (149), Jacori Teemer at 157 and 197-pounder Stephen Buchanan. Teemer and Buchanan are ranked No. 1 and Parco is No. 4, posting a combined 8-0 record. All three have ranked Cyclones in key swing matches. Parco faces No. 6 Anthony Echemendia. Parco is a four-time All-American, placing fifth at NCAAs at 149 and Echemendia was fifth at 141 in March. Teemer, a three-time All-American and 2024 NCAA finalist, faces No. 10 Paniro Johnson. Teemer has posted a major decision and first-period pin in his first two bouts for the Hawkeyes. Johnson (3-1) is back from a year suspension from the sports betting investigation after winning a Big 12 Conference title and qualifying for nationals in 2023. Buchanan has redshirt freshman Christian Carroll (2-0). Carroll was 2-2 in open tournaments last year but is 2-0 with a win of Stanford’s previously 13 th-ranked Nick Stemmet, 11-7. Buchanan, a three-time All-American who placed third the last two seasons, recorded a 17-1 technical fall over Stemmet. The team that wins the majority of these three bouts will be sitting in good shape for a dual win.

EITHER-OR WEIGHTS

The dual does have a few question marks. The prime example at 125. Iowa has Joey Cruz and Kale Petersen listed in its probable lineup. Iowa State counters with Kysen Terukina, Adrian Meza and even Osmany Diversent. That’s a lot of possibilities for a pairing that will likely start the dual. Petersen might be considered a toss-up with Meza, who would be favored over Cruz. Things will be really interesting if three-time NCAA qualifier Terukina wrestles his first match of the season against Petersen.

At 141, both No. 21 Zach Redding and Jacob Frost might give the Cyclones the upper hand against Ryder Block. M.J. Gaitan and Connor Euton are both listed at 165 for Iowa State, but Iowa’s No. 2 Michael Caliendo is capable handling either. The intriguing matchup is at 174. Former Hawkeye Aiden Riggins (0-2) is listed in the probable lineup for the Cyclones. He will likely take on No. 9 Nelson Brands (2-1) and NCAA qualifier Patrick Kennedy. Both Hawkeyes are heavy favorite.

The final question mark comes at heavyweight for Iowa State. A win or loss might hinge on who takes the mat.

BASTIDA BACK AT HEAVYWEIGHT

Iowa State All-American Yonger Bastida has not wrestled this season, missing the first two duals and pulling out of the National Wrestling Coaches Association All-Star Classic due to injury. Iowa State Coach Kevin Dresser said earlier this week that Bastida has some good scraps in practice and expected him to wrestler. It’s still a wait and see if fans get a Bastida versus Ben Kueter matchup. Bastida is ranked fourth and Kueter is No. 12. Both are athletic and mobile heavyweights. Will shape be a factor? Will Kueter’s length be a difference? Will Bastida’s explosiveness be hard for Kueter to handle? This will definitely be a good gauge for both. If Daniel Herrera takes the mat, Kueter would be expected to win.

BONUS POINTS

This dual will always have some unexpected results. Teams need to claim as many toss-up matches as possible. Bonus points could be vital. When an extra takedown, escape or ride out are needed for a major decision or technical fall (or prevent it), wrestlers on both sides have to capitalize. It may affect the final dual score.

Comments: kj.pilcher@thegazette.com