Iowa State takes on Iowa in the annual CyHawk wrestling dual for the Dan Gable Traveling Trophy. Gable won two NCAA titles for Iowa State (100-1 college record) before leading Iowa to 15 NCAA Championships during 21 seasons as head coach (1977-97). 

The Cyclones placed fourth at the 2024 NCAA Championships, and Iowa finished fifth, but it’s been a long time since Iowa State won a dual. Then coach Bobby Douglas led his team past the Jim Zalesky-led Hawkeyes for a 19-16 win on December 5, 2004. 

It’s been all Iowa since, with the Hawkeyes owning a commanding 69-16-2 historical lead. 

Iowa is off to a fast start, posting a 3-0 record without giving up double-digit points in any dual. Iowa State hasn’t used its best lineup, and it is 1-1. It fell to Stanford 23-21 on November 8, a team Iowa defeated the following day, 32-9.

Here is everything you need to know about one of college wrestling’s greatest rivalries.

The Particulars

What: #13 Iowa State (1-1) vs #2 Iowa (3-0)
When: Saturday, November 23 at 6 p.m. Central
Where: Carver-Hawkeye Arena (Iowa City, Iowa)
How to watch: B1G+ pay-per-view

Probable Line-ups

125: Kysen Terukina (0-0) or Adrian Meza (7-0) or Osmany Diversent (5-1), Iowa State vs Kale Petersen (2-0) or Joey Cruz (0-1), Iowa

133: #5 Evan Frost (1-0), Iowa State vs #7 Drake Ayala (2-1), Iowa

141: #21 Zach Redding (0-2) or Jacob Frost (5-1), Iowa State vs Ryder Block (2-1), Iowa

149: #6 Anthony Echemendia (2-0), Iowa State vs #4 Kyle Parco (3-0), Iowa

157: #10 Paniro Johnson (3-1), Iowa State vs #1 Jacori Teemer (2-0), Iowa

165: #26 Connor Euton (1-1)  or MJ Gaitan (6-0), Iowa State vs #2 Michael Caliendo (3-0), Iowa

174: Aiden Riggins (0-2), Iowa State #9 Nelson Brands (2-1) or Patrick Kennedy (0-0), Iowa

184: #17 Evan Bockman (2-0), Iowa State vs #5 Gabe Arnold (3-0), Iowa

197: #14 Christian Carroll (2-0), Iowa State vs #1 Stephen Buchanan (3-0), Iowa

285: Yonger Bastida (0-0) or Daniel Herrera (4-1), Iowa State vs #12 Ben Kueter (3-0) Iowa

Iowa State coaches: Kevin Dresser (head), Brent Metcalf, Derek St. John, Fernando Villaescusa
Iowa: Tom Brands (head), Terry Brands, Ryan Morningstar, Bobby Telford

Returning All-Americans (NCAA Championship placings in parenthesis)

Iowa
133: Drake Ayala (2nd)
149: Kyle Parco (5th-4th-8th-6th)
157: Jacori Teemer (4th-6th-2nd)
165: Michael Caliendo (7th-4th)
174: Nelson Brands (5th)
197: Stephen Buchanan (8th-3rd-3rd)

Iowa State
133: Evan Frost (6th)
149: Anthony Echemendia (5th)
285: Yonger Bastida (5th)

Season Records

Iowa State (1-1)
L — Stanford, 23-21 (November 8, 2024)
W — Navy, 29-9 (November 15, 2024)

Iowa (3-0)
W — Oregon State, 30-7 (November 2, 2024)
W — Stanford, 32-9 (November 9, 2024)
W — Bellarmine, 49-0 (November 15, 2024)

Last Year’s Result

Iowa 18, Iowa State 14
125 — Drake Ayala dec. Kysen Terukina, 7-2
133 — Evan Frost dec. Brody Teske, 8-1
141 — Real Woods dec. Anthony Echemendia, 4-1 SV1
149 — Casey Swiderski dec. Victor Voinovich III, 6-3
157 — Jared Franek dec. Cody Chittum, 4-2
165 — David Carr major dec. Michael Caliendo, 16-4
174 — Patrick Kennedy dec. MJ Gaitan, 14-13
184 — Gabe Arnold dec. Will Feldkamp, 3-2
197 — Zach Glazier dec. Julian Broderson, 7-3
285 — Yonger Bastida major dec. Bradley Hill, 17-6

Kevin Dresser And Tom Brands On The Iowa State-Iowa Rivalry

“The Iowa-Iowa State dual is bigger than our coaching staff or their coaching staff,” Dresser said. “It’s been around forever. I remember watching it as a kid. Last year we had 265,000 people watch it on ESPN and another 15,000 (at Hilton Coliseum). That just tells you that this dual meet is something special.”

“It’s the next one on the calendar and I’m not downplaying it,” Brands said. “This is a big one but it’s the next one on the calendar and you have to get ready to go. It doesn’t matter who it is in competition.”

Off-Season Acquisitions Bolster Line-ups

Three of Iowa’s best wrestlers were on different teams last season. Kyle Parco (149) and Jacori Teemer (157) wrestled for Arizona State, and Stephen Buchanan (197) was at Oklahoma after transferring from Wyoming. The trio is fueling Iowa’s early-season success with a perfect combined record.

Iowa State picked up Christian Carroll (197) from Oklahoma State and Aiden Riggins (174) from Iowa. Neither have wrestled the NCAA Championships — yet.  

What Team Will Win? 

Iowa State enters as the underdog, but that doesn’t mean the Cyclones can’t win if everything goes right. Dresser's first dual win over his former team will take a nearly flawless performance.

Predicting an outcome is difficult since we don’t know who each team will use, but here is a breakdown of each weight based on possibilities. 

125: Iowa State’s Kysen Terukina is a three-time national qualifier who hasn’t competed this season. He’s the favorite since he’s the only wrestler at this weight with college postseason experience. Dresser has two quality options if Terukina is unavailable. 

The Cyclones need this match, or they can't win the dual. With a win, Iowa can slam the door shut. 

133: Iowa’s Drake Ayala, a returning national finalist at 125, enters as the slight underdog against returning 133-pound All-American Evan Frost. Both have a high octane style, so this could be the highlight of the dual. Iowa State has a shot if it can win the first two weights. 

141: Neither team has a top-20 wrestler, so this match is completely up for grabs. Iowa State can win the first three and are favored to do so. Iowa needs at least one win in the first three weights so the bulk of the line-up can do its work. The dual is over if Iowa wins the first three.

149: Kyle Parco has the edge in rank and credentials, but a #4 vs #6 matchup can go either way. If Anthony Echemendia wins — and if Iowa State wins the first four — fans at Carver-Hawkeye Arena will be sweating. Iowa still has enough firepower to overcome a 12-0 deficit. 

157: Iowa’s top-ranked Jacori Teemer is the odds-on favorite in this top-10 matchup. Paniro Johnson wrestled in the Grand View Open for mat time, but he’s still getting into folkstyle shape. Wrestling at Carver-Hawkeye Arena isn’t a place to find your sea legs. 

165: Iowa’s second-ranked Michael Caliendo is the favorite and is expected to win. If Iowa State uses MJ Gaitan, it should be fresh in everyone’s mind that he nearly came back against Patrick Kennedy during last year’s dual. Gaitan is a gamer, but this is a different environment and opponent. 

174: There is an added layer of interest here. Aiden Riggins transferred from Iowa and is a Cyclone. He’ll face former teammates Nelson Brands or Patrick Kennedy. Iowa is favored regardless of who gets the nod.

184: Gabe Arnold was the hero last year. He’s looked good this season and the Hawkeyes expect him to pull through against Evan Bockman. 

197: Iowa State’s Christian Carroll continues to improve but Iowa’s Stephen Buchanan has been nails this season. Iowa should win this one handily with possible bonus points. 

285: All-American Yonger Bastida might get used if the dual comes down to heavyweight. He will face hometown favorite Ben Kueter — an undefeated four-time state champion and U20 World champion — if he does. 

Iowa has more ways to win and more tools at its disposal. Iowa State can win, but it takes winning all the swing matches and keeping bonus points to a minimum — a tall task inside a rowdy Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

Tom Brands’s Perfect Dual Record Against Iowa State (18-0)

Tom Brands has a spotless record against his in-state rivalry since taking over as head coaching during the 2006-07 season. He’s had a few close calls, including last year’s 18-14 win in Ames. 

December 3, 2006: Iowa 24, Iowa State 6
December 9, 2007: Iowa 20, Iowa State 13
December 6, 2008: Iowa 20, Iowa State 15
December 6, 2009: Iowa 18, Iowa State 16
January 10, 2010: Iowa 19, Iowa State 12
December 3, 2010: Iowa 22, Iowa State 13
December 4, 2011: Iowa 27, Iowa State 9
December 1, 2012: Iowa 32, Iowa State 3
December 1, 2013: Iowa 23, Iowa State 9
November 29, 2014: Iowa 28, Iowa State 8
November 29, 2015: Iowa 33, Iowa State 6
December 10, 2016: Iowa 26, Iowa State 9
February 18, 2018: Iowa 35, Iowa State 6
December 1, 2018: Iowa 19, Iowa State 18
November 24, 2019: Iowa 29, Iowa State 6
December 5, 2021: Iowa 23, Iowa State 11
December 4, 2022: Iowa 18, Iowa State 15
November 26, 2023: Iowa 18, Iowa State 14

Iowa State vs Iowa: FRL Preview

The FloWrestling Radio Live crew broke down possible outcomes of the dual. Watch here for more coverage of the CyHawk dual.

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