#11 Iowa State Wrestling Faces #4 Northern Iowa For Bragging Rights
#11 Iowa State Wrestling Faces #4 Northern Iowa For Bragging Rights
No. 11 Iowa State travels to #4 Northern Iowa for an intense in-state rivalry on Sunday, Feb. 16, at 1 p.m. CT on FloWrestling.
No. 11 Iowa State (10-4) travels to #4 Northern Iowa (12-1) for an intense in-state rivalry on Sunday, Feb. 16, at 1 p.m. CT. Click the link below to watch live on FloWrestling.
The Cyclones have won two straight after falling to Oklahoma State, 27-12, on January 26. Two days earlier, the Panthers lost to the Cowboys, 22-14, and took down #5 Nebraska 24-9 on Jan. 5, leading some Northern Iowa fans to inflated confidence that a win over Iowa State is imminent.
Think again.
Injuries and departures have affected Iowa State this season, but head coach Kevin Dresser has a resilient team that won’t back down. Dresser famously said Northern Iowa wouldn’t win another dual against Iowa State after his team lost 22-13 on Feb. 21, 2019.
So far, Dresser has been right. The Cyclones have won five straight, including last season’s 27-14 rout in Ames.
Northern Iowa coach Doug Schwab has his best dual team since 2014 when the Panthers finished 12-0. His team has looked sharp with statement wins over established programs.
Can Schwab prove Dresser wrong and stop the streak in front of a packed McLeod Center?
Probable Match-ups
125: Ethan Perryman (ISU) vs #22 Trever Anderson or Kyle Golhoffer (UNI)
133: #5 Evan Frost (ISU) vs #22 Julian Farber or Cory Land (UNI)
141: #9 Jacob Frost (ISU) vs #5 Cael Happel (UNI)
149: #6 Paniro Johnson (ISU) vs #10 Colin Realbuto (UNI)
157: #10 Cody Chittum or Carter Fousek (ISU) vs #5 Ryder Downey (UNI)
165: Aiden Riggins (ISU) vs #19 Jack Thomsen (UNI)
174: #25 MJ Gaitan (ISU) vs #17 Jared Simma or Nick Fox (UNI)
184: #14 Evan Bockman or Caleb Helgeson (ISU) vs #2 Parker Keckeisen (UNI)
197: Nate Schon (ISU) vs #11 Wyatt Voelker or Kalob Runyon (UNI)
285: #30 Daniel Herrera (ISU) vs #14 Lance Runyon or Adam Ahrendsen (UNI)
Paths To Victory
The Panthers are favored, but the Cyclones still have enough to secure a win. Starters Kysen Terukina (125), Anthony Echemendia (141), and Yonger Bastida (285) are injured, and Christian Carroll (197) left the team. Iowa State will rely on its lower weights to establish control. It could get ugly if they don’t.
Perryman lost to Anderson (10-3) and Golhoffer (8-5 SV) earlier this season but has wins over both during the 2023 season. This is a toss-up with a slight edge to Northern Iowa.
The next two matches will determine the dual outcome, and the Frost twins will have their say.
Evan Frost (133) is trending in the right direction against Farber. Frost lost 13-2 and 20-5 to Farber during the 2023 season but has won the last three, 8-5, 14-3, and 19-4. Iowa State enters as a heavy favorite, but Frost needs bonus points. A win by Northern Iowa could shut the door on Iowa State’s upset bid.
Circle 141 pounds as the match of the dual. Happel has two wins over Frost, including a fall in 2023 and an 18-6 win earlier this season. Jacob is on a 13-match winning streak, so don’t expect a blowout here. Both wrestlers fight hard and have a motor. Frost upended Oklahoma’s Mosha Swartz, 10-4, and Happel lost 9-7 the same weekend. This one will be tight.
Expect 149 pounds to be close, too. Johnson defeated Realbuto, 3-2, at the 2023 Big 12 Championships and is the favorite. The Cyclone star is a low-volume shooter and tough to score on, so expect a one-takedown match with Realbuto pushing the pace in the third period.
Remember last year’s 157-pound slugfest in the Big 12 Championship finals? We could get a rematch if Iowa State uses Chittum against Downey.
Chittum rode Downey during the first 30-second tiebreaker and could have chosen neutral when it was his choice, forcing Downey to earn a takedown. Instead, Chittum chose down, and Downey rode him out. The Panther star won 5-3 in the second tiebreaker, so it’s anyone’s guess who will win this one.
Ryder Downey broke down his Big 12 finals win over Chittum, and took exception to anyone picking against him
Rivalry duals rarely go according to plan, but either team could legitimately win four of the first five weights. Iowa State needs a minimum of three at the break to win. Northern Iowa has more firepower in the back half and can get by with less, but can’t fall too far behind.
Riggins and Thomsen are local products who would like to secure a win in front of a packed house. Thomsen has a 4-2 freestyle win in 2022, but that doesn’t translate here. Riggins (Waverly-Shell Rock) transferred from Iowa to Iowa State, and Thomsen (Union-La Porte) from South Dakota State to Northern Iowa.
Give Thomsen the edge. He’s had a better season, and he wants to give Northern Iowa a win during his final season on Senior Night.
Thomsen and Riggins wrestled in the semifinals of the 2022 U20 World Team Trials
Rankings mean nothing at 174. Simma is ranked higher, but Gaitan posted a 10-2 win during last year’s dual. Simma had a memorable NCAA tournament quarterfinal where he posted a big lead against returning national champion Shane Griffith before falling 8-7. Iowa State needs this one, and Gaitan can deliver.
Keckeisen enters as the biggest favorite of the dual. His season includes 16 bonus-point wins in 18 matches, including 10 falls or techs. Bonus points are likely.
The Panthers have two wrestlers listed at the last two weights and are the favorites if they use their starters. If not, Iowa State can take advantage and close out the dual if they don’t fall behind.
This dual will be fireworks.
#11 Iowa State (10-4, 4-1 Big 12)
125: Ethan Perryman, SO (18-11)
133: #5 Evan Frost, SO (14-2)
141: #9 Jacob Frost, SO (25-4)
149: #6 Paniro Johnson, SO (18-2)
157: #10 Cody Chittum, SO (14-2) or Carter Fousek, SO (12-11)
165: Aiden Riggins, SO (12-12)
174: #25 MJ Gaitan, SO (12-6)
184: #14 Evan Bockman, SR (11-4) or Caleb Helgeson, SO (8-4)
197: Nate Schon (ISU), SO (13-9)
285: #30 Daniel Herrera (ISU), FR (22-10)
Head coach: Kevin Dresser
L — Stanford, 23-21, Nov. 8, 2024
W — Navy, 29-90, Nov. 15, 2024
L — Iowa, 21-15, Nov. 23, 2024
W — North Dakota State, 27-12, Dec. 15, 2024
W — Lock Haven, 30-6, Dec. 21, 2024
W — North Carolina, 23-14, Dec. 21, 2024
L — Ohio State, 29-10, Dec. 21, 2024
W — West Virginia, 24-18, Jan. 8, 2025
W — Rider, 30-9, Jan. 11, 2025
W — Bucknell, 28-12, Jan. 11, 2025
W — Oklahoma, 25-6, Jan. 24, 2025
L — Oklahoma State, 27-12, Jan. 26, 2025
W — Arizona State, 26-15, Feb. 7, 2025
W — Pittsburgh, 23-14, Feb. 9, 2025
#4 Northern Iowa (12-1, 6-1 Big 12)
125: #22 Trever Anderson, SO (10-8) or Kyle Golhoffer, SR (14-10)
133: #22 Julian Farber, JR (12-3) or Cory Land, SO (13-4)
141: #5 Cael Happel, SR (18-3)
149: #10 Colin Realbuto, SR (17-4)
157: #5 Ryder Downey, SO (19-2)
165: #19 Jack Thomsen, SR (15-7)
174: #17 Jared Simma, JR (17-10) or Nick Fox, FR (20-5)
184: #2 Parker Keckeisen, SR (18-0)
197: #11 Wyatt Voelker, SO (20-4) or Kalob Runyon, JR (8-5)
285: #14 Lance Runyon, SR (15-4) or Adam Ahrendsen, JR (15-10)
Head coach: Doug Schwab
W — South Dakota State, 16-15, Nov. 24, 2024
W — Missouri, 24-10, Nov. 26, 2024
W — Nebraska Kearney, 35-8, Dec. 14, 2024
W — Nebraska, 24-9, Jan. 5, 2025
W — Sacred Heart, 38-7, Jan. 10, 2025
W — Ohio, 48-3, Jan. 10, 2025
W — Northern Colorado, 38-3, Jan. 11, 2025
W — South Dakota State, 31-3, Jan. 11, 2025
W — Arizona State, 33-10, Jan. 17, 2025
L — Oklahoma State, 22-14, Jan. 24, 2025
W — Oklahoma, 26-13, Jan. 25, 2025
W — West Virginia, 29-10, Feb. 1, 2025
W — North Dakota State, 33-6, Feb. 8, 2025
Last Year’s Result | February 11, 2024
Iowa State 27, UNI 12
125 | Trever Anderson (UNI) dec. Kysen Terukina (ISU) 8-5
133 | Evan Frost (ISU) tech fall Julian Farber (UNI), 19-4 TF 15
141 | Anthony Echemendia (ISU) dec. Cael Happel (UNI), 9-6
149 | Casey Swiderski (ISU) tech fall Cael Rahnavardi (UNI), 19-4 TF 58
157 | Ryder Downey (UNI) dec. Cody Chittum (ISU), 12-9
165 | David Carr (ISU) tech fall Jack Thomsen (UNI), 20-3 TF 50
174 | MJ Gaitan (ISU) maj. dec. Jared Simma (UNI), 10-2 MD
184 | Parker Keckeisen (UNI) tech fall Tate Naaktgeboren (ISU), 21-6 TF 41
197 | Wyatt Voelker (UNI) dec. Julien Broderson (ISU), 4-2
285 | Yonger Bastida (ISU) tech falls Adam Ahrendsen (UNI), 25-6 TF 56