Iowa Wins 19th Straight Over Iowa State in Memorable Fashion

All eyes in the wrestling world were trained solely on Ames, Iowa. No, really. That phrase can be overstated in many cases; however, with the Thanksgiving holiday only four days away, the wrestling calendar was sparse. #7 Iowa traveled to Ames to take on #8 Iowa State live on ESPN’s main channel in the only dual scheduled for Sunday's late-afternoon slot. 

The stage was set for Iowa State to snap a losing streak that dated back to 2004. A sellout crowd was on hand to watch a Cyclone team that featured four wrestlers ranked in the top-eight and appeared to be the deepest in head coach Kevin Dresser’s time in Ames. While Iowa led 9-6 at halftime, Iowa State knocked off a pair of top-ten wrestlers and was favored in the back half of the dual. 

The only problem for Iowa State was nobody told the Hawkeyes that it was supposed to be Iowa State’s day. Iowa briefly trailed after NCAA champion David Carr posted a 16-4 major decision for the Cyclones at 165 lbs. The Hawkeyes would win the next four bouts to lock up the dual and their stranglehold on this in-state rivalry. 

Hawkeye head coach Tom Brands developed a winning blueprint by doing some lineup shuffling for the day. Last time out, true freshman Gabe Arnold took out a former All-American from Oregon State; Travis Wittlake. Conventional wisdom may have sent Arnold out to face redshirt freshman MJ Gaitan, in a match that likely would favor the Hawkeyes. Instead, Brands bumped up Arnold to face a returning All-American at 184 lbs; Will Feldkamp, a Clarion transfer. Then he inserted Patrick Kennedy at 174 lbs. Kennedy, a 2023 Big Ten finalist at 165 lbs, was unavailable up to this point, so the Cy-Hawk dual was his first action of the season. 

Kennedy defeated Gaitan in a wild 14-13 affair. The Hawkeye went up by as many as nine points and appeared to be on his way to a tech fall. Perhaps with the dual being his first event of the year, Kennedy seemed to hit a wall and Gaitan stormed back. Gaitan dominated the final stanza with a trio of takedowns that saw him tied on the scoreboard with approximately :14 seconds remaining. The Iowa State corner was confused about which wrestler had the riding time advantage (Kennedy did) and advised Gaitan to keep his opponent down. While he was able to ride Kennedy out, the Hawkeye still won after the riding time point was added. 

In the 184 lb contest, Arnold looked unphased by the bright lights and a daunting opponent. He was able to get the decisive takedown in the first period after dodging Feldkamp’s tie-up attempt, changing his levels and getting in position for a picturesque lift and return. Feldkamp often returned to his overhook series, but was never able to get a legitimate takedown attempt on Arnold. The true freshman grabbed a 3-2 win which put his team up 15-10 with two matches remaining. 

As is often the case in duals, an unheralded star emerged. In a lineup with three returning All-Americans, it was first-year starter Zach Glazier, a veteran of the Hawkeye program, who ended up playing the hero role. Glazier notched a first-period takedown on a single leg attack, then added a second in the middle period after a flurry that saw both wrestlers in position to score. Aside from that exchange, Cyclone Julian Broderson was never in a position to threaten Glazier. Glazier held his ground for the third period and claimed victory in a 7-3 match that stretched his team to an insurmountable 18-10 lead. 

Iowa was in position to win after victories from Drake Ayala (125), Real Woods (141), and Jared Franek (157) in the first half of the dual. Ayala rebounded from a dual loss to Oregon State’s Brandon Kaylor last week by downing eighth-ranked Kysen Terukina, 7-2. Ayala was the aggressor throughout the bout and got his first takedown off of a single leg in the second period. Late in the third, Terukina tried to take the lead with a trip attempt. That was nullified by Ayala, who stopped the action and grabbed a leg of his own for an insurance takedown. 

Woods and Franek both held off frantic comeback attempts from Anthony Echemendia and Cody Chittum, respectively. After a late stalling call pushed his bout into sudden victory, Woods quickly prevailed with a takedown, 4-1. Franek and Chittum engaged in a flurry at the edge of the mat in the waning seconds of the bout. Chittum spun behind Franek but missed out on the winning takedown by a quarter of a second. Franek got by with a 4-2 margin. 

The loss overshadowed a pair of quality wins in the first half of the dual by a pair of young Cyclones. Redshirt freshman Evan Frost used a misdirection shot and a tight tilt to put eighth-ranked Brody Teske on his back in the third period. Frost won 8-1 in a match that was much closer than the scoreboard would indicate. 

Two matches later, Casey Swiderski took out a top-ten opponent at 149 lbs in ninth-ranked Victor Voinovich. A pair of first-period takedowns for Swiderski made the difference in a 6-3 victory for the true sophomore. 

Things were looking promising for the Cyclones after one of the marquee matchups at 165 lbs. ISU star David Carr showed why he is a national champion during his 16-4 major decision over All-American Michael Caliendo. Carr notched four takedowns throughout the match. 

Though the bout was decided after 197 lbs, heavyweight Yonger Bastida was still very impressive for Iowa State. The former All-American at 197, Bastida continues to be an offensive juggernaut. His 17 points were a “season-low” for the Cyclone. In four matches this season, Bastida has amassed 81 points. He notched five takedowns in a 17-6 major decision over redshirt freshman Bradley Hill. 

Iowa 18 Iowa State 14

125 - Drake Ayala (Iowa) dec Kysen Terukina (Iowa State)  7-2

133 - Evan Frost (Iowa State) dec Brody Teske (Iowa)  8-1

141 - Real Woods (Iowa) dec Anthony Echemendia (Iowa State)  4-1SV

149 - Casey Swiderski (Iowa State) dec Victor Voinovich (Iowa)  6-3

157 - Jared Franek (Iowa) dec Cody Chittum (Iowa State)  4-2

165 - David Carr (Iowa State) maj Michael Caliendo (Iowa)  16-4

174 - Patrick Kennedy (Iowa) dec MJ Gaitan (Iowa State)  14-13

184 - Gabe Arnold (Iowa) dec Will Feldkamp (Iowa State)  3-2

197 - Zach Glazier (Iowa) dec Julien Broderson (Iowa State)  7-3

285 - Yonger Bastida (Iowa State) maj Bradley Hill (Iowa)  17-6