Following an intense matchup against their bitter rival, top-ranked Iowa, the Iowa State wrestling team will travel to Cedar Falls, Iowa, to take part in the UNI Open.

The Cyclones retained their No. 13 ranking in the latest top-25 list published by the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) after falling to the Hawkeyes 22-11 Dec. 5 at Hilton Coliseum. Despite the loss, a few Cyclone wrestlers recorded defining victories on the night.

Defending NCAA Champion David Carr stretched his current match-winning streak to 40 by defeating No. 9 Kaleb Young 6-2, and Yonger Bastida upset third-ranked Jacob Warner 4-3 in the final moments of the match.

Freshman Kysen Terukina also continued his strong start to the season by defeating Iowa freshman Jesse Ybarra. The Ewa Beach, Hawaii, native is currently ranked 22nd in the country at 125 pounds. Terukina won his most recent match by decision with a score of 8-2 and improved his overall record to 10-1 on the season.

“I think Kysen’s progress has been really good,” Kevin Dresser said on Terukina’s performances this season. “I’m curious to see him wrestle some top competition. When we wrestle Purdue, I think he’s going to get a top-five guy, so it’ll be a really good test for Kysen and I think he’s excited about that.”

Purdue will be one of 11 schools competing at the UNI Open on Sunday. The meet was canceled last season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and its return this year will showcase eight squads that are currently ranked in the NWCA’s top 25.

Iowa State last competed in this tournament in 2018, when they were victorious in three weight classes. These included two current wrestlers in the starting lineup, with Carr (157) and redshirt senior Marcus Coleman (174) both proving victorious in their respective brackets. Redshirt sophomore Alex Mackell also placed first in the 125-pound division.

The Cyclones are planning on taking a moderate amount of wrestlers to the meet, with Dresser saying that, “I think we’re going to take about 15. 12 to 15. We’re going to try to figure some things out at 165 [pounds]. [Julien] Broderson will get a chance now that he’s healthy and get him some competition at 174.”

In terms of starters, freshman Grant Stotts looks to be one of the few from the Iowa matchup that will be competing. On Sunday, Stotts fell in the 165-pound division 15-5 to Hawkeye Alex Marinelli, who is currently ranked No. 1 in the weight class.

“I know we got a couple guys going at [165], I think [Isaac] Judge and Stotts are both going. Other than that, we probably won’t have a lot of starters there.” said Dresser.

The first rounds of the UNI Open are set to start at 9 a.m. Sunday at the UNI-Dome.