AMES – No. 13 Iowa State hits the road this week for the Collegiate Duals in Nashville, following the program’s first conference win on Sunday over North Dakota State.
The plague of injuries continues for head coach Kevin Dresser in the wake of absences by sophomore Connor Euton and seniors Anthony Echemendia and Yonger Bastida. Despite the injuries, Iowa State’s young talent has made its presence known.
“Anything is possible with this team right now,” Dresser said. “[Bastida is] going with us this week, and I’m hoping to see some of the other guys back in the lineup before mid-January.”
In place of the injured Bastida, freshman Daniel “Peanut” Herrera has stepped up and filled the gap in the heavyweight position. Herrera recorded a win by fall against NDSU heavyweight Drew Blackburn-Frost.
“I’m excited to get going in another tournament setting,” Herrera said. “I don’t know what it’s going to be like, but regardless of what happens, I want to win.”
Herrera isn’t the only wrestler from the NDSU dual expected to appear in the starting lineup. Sophomore Cody Chittum is set to weigh in at 157 after an electric match against Gabriel Schumm in Humboldt, Iowa.
“My pace and patience helped me in Humboldt,” Chittum said. “If I can dial that in, work on my cardio, and maintain a high level of discipline, things should go my way.”
After battling the flu before Humboldt, sophomore Evan Frost is expected to appear at 133. Frost’s teammate and fellow 133 contender, freshman Osmany Diversent, will also travel with the team.
The Collegiate Duals will feature Lock Haven, Ohio State and North Carolina. North Carolina and Ohio State are ranked in the Top 25, Ohio State at No. 5 and North Carolina at No. 24.
The tournament is the second of the season for Iowa State following the Cliff Keen Invitational in Las Vegas from Dec. 6-7. The Cyclones placed fifth with 89.5 points. All three duals will take place one right after the other.
“Matches like this can be hard to wrestle,” Dresser said. “I don’t necessarily know what back-to-back will look like with three duals, but it will be a test for many of these younger guys. Hopefully, we get everyone some good minutes and wrestling this weekend.”
The Collegiate Duals are set for Saturday. The Cyclones will wrestle Lock Haven at 2 p.m., North Carolina at 4 p.m. and Ohio State at 6 p.m. The tournament will be streamed on the Rokfin networks.
