No. 3 Iowa State used a bonus point from Carr and an upset win from a true freshman to defeat No. 14 Northern Iowa on the road Friday night.

The Cyclones entered the night on a 17-dual win streak but were underdogs in five weight classes against the Big 12 opponent. Iowa State won six out of ten matchups and beat the Panther by a score of 19-12.

Iowa State true freshman MJ Gaitan provided a much-needed boost for Iowa State at 174 pounds. He defeated No. 24 Lance Runyon with an explosive third period.

Iowa State earned wins in four of the final five matches. The Cyclones continued its winning streak in front of a record crowd at the McLoud Center in Cedar Falls.

Carr gives ISU the lead

The Cyclones and Panthers traded the first five matches of the dual. At 125 pounds, Iowa State started true freshman Ethan Perryman. He fell by decision to Kyle Gollhofer of Northern Iowa.

Next up, No. 21 Zach Redding evened the score for Iowa State by defeating his opponent No. 11 Kyle Biscoglia. Then, No. 9 Cael Happel defeated Casey Swiderski and Northern Iowa regained the lead.

Iowa State freshman Paniro Johnson was able to provide an answer. His win over Adam Allard evened the team score again. Northern Iowa’s No. 21 ranked Derek Holschlag put the Panthers ahead again with a win over Iowa State’s Jason Kraisser.

Then Iowa State’s David Carr changed the momentum.

No. 2 ranked Carr faced No. 13 Austin Yant to start the second half of the dual. The undefeated senior for Iowa State earned the only bonus point win of the meet and allowed Iowa State to take its first lead.

Carr was one point away from a tech fall win but still secured an impactful bonus point in the match. Carr was the aggressor from the start, getting two takedowns and a four-point near fall in the first period.

He again displayed his ability to put up points, finishing the match ahead of Yant 20-6. The Iowa State senior remained undefeated on the season and added a ninth bonus point win to his record.

True freshman Cyclones

Iowa State’s highly touted recruiting class got a chance to display its talent on Friday night in the McLoud center.

The 2022 recruiting class for Iowa State was named No. 2 in the nation, according to MatScouts. Friday night, top-20 recruit MJ Gaitan received the signature win.

Gaitan’s upset win over Runyon of Northern Iowa built off the momentum gained by Carr. The Cyclones were able to extend the lead after Carr’s win after Gaitan’s performance in the third period.

With about one minute remaining in the third, Gaitan was down 4-2. The freshman was able to earn a two-point takedown and a four-point near fall to make an upset win for the Cyclones.

Gaitan entered the contest 1-3 in dual meets for the Cyclones. Gaitan gained his first win in a dual meet for Iowa State since the team’s season opener against Little Rock and his first win against the ranked competition in his career.

Gaitan extended the team score to 13-9 in favor of Iowa State.

Iowa State sent four true freshmen to the mat against the Panthers. No. 10 Paniro Johnson also provided Iowa State with a win but Perryman and Swiderksi also made valiant efforts.

Swiderski, who has now lost five in a row, lost another match by just one point. Perryman made his first appearance in a dual for Iowa State on Friday night.

Bastida and Schuyler clinch the dual

Last season against Northern Iowa, Iowa State needed a comeback effort from the final weight classes. 184-pounder Yonger Bastida and heavyweight Sam Schuyler sealed the comeback victory in that dual meet.

The final two wrestlers for Iowa State again showed they can provide clutch wins for their team Friday night. With the team score 13-12, Iowa State needed wins from both Bastida and Schuyler to stay ahead of the Panthers.

Bastida came out aggressive against Northern Iowa freshman Wyatt Voelker. He scored two takedowns in the first period. He extended his lead to 9-4 at the end of the second and he finished ahead of Voelker 12-6.

The team score became 16-12 and Sam Schuyler needed to come through.

Against No. 15 Tyrell Gordon, Schuyler earned a 4-1 win by decision. Schuyler improved to 13-2 on the season. The senior for Iowa State now has six consecutive wins.