AMES – In the second nationally televised dual meet in program history, No. 13 Iowa State fell to No. 3 Oklahoma State 27-12, collecting its fourth season loss of the season.
Kicking things off
From the opening whistle, it became apparent that the Cyclones were not going down easy.
Wrestling in place of injured senior Kysen Terukina, sophomore Ethan Perryman opened the dual at 125 for Iowa State. Early in the matchup, Perryman was not going down without a fight.
Countering Perryman’s early 6-1 lead, Oklahoma State sophomore Troy Spratley responded with back points and a takedown midway through the second period. After extending his lead 19-9, Spratley defeated Perryman 21-10, giving Oklahoma State a 4-0 lead in the team score.
“I was super impressed with how things started,” Iowa State head coach Kevin Dresser said. “I hope all of our guys aspire to be at that level, but that will take some work.”
It didn’t take long for Dresser and the Cyclones to find rhythm. After a hard-fought first period in the 133 match that ended 3-1, sophomore Evan Frost dished out a takedown, back points and a swift escape to defeat Reece Witcraft and level the team score at 4-3.
With the win, Frost extended his double-digit win streak.
“Those Frost boys know how to get on top of you,” Dresser said. “[Evan] wrestled hard and showed that he has the formula to become an elite college wrestler.”
Trending upwards
At 141, the second half of the Frost duo, Jacob, took the mat against No. 4 ranked Tagen Jameson. After a scoreless first period, Jacob Frost drew the first points on an early second-period escape. Jamison recorded an escape under two minutes in the third, taking the match to a fourth period.
A takedown by Jacob Frost ended the matchup on a 4-1 decision, giving Iowa State its first lead of the dual at 6-4 in the team standings.
“That was a heck of a match,” Dresser said. “[Evan] and Jacob are tough opponents, and they showed their skills early on in the dual.”
Continuing the season’s trend of middleweight success, redshirt sophomore Paniro Johnson defeated No. 14 Carter Young in the fourth matchup of the dual. Johnson’s win is his 12th of the season, extending his record to 12-3.
“When things work, they work in systems,” Jacob Frost said. “Everything operates on a high level when things are organized and flowing in a routine.”
Decisions, decisions
After the first half of the competition, Iowa State won four out of five matchups by decision. Three of the four victories came against opponents ranked in the top 15: Jacob Frost at 141, Johnson at 149 and sophomore Cody Chittum at 157.
“When I get out there, I’m psychotic,” Chittum said. “I’ve developed as a wrestler, and my experiences led me to think this way. Because of that, I’ve found myself in the way that I’ve recovered.”
All four matchups featured wins with less than 10 points scored by the Cyclone wrestlers, marking the lowest-scoring first half to a dual meet this season.
“Reps are the most important part,” Jacob Frost said. “When I start to feel it, it’s a strong feeling that’s hard to eliminate. Having the crowd behind me definitely helped, but it was hyped for sure.”
The second loss of the night featured an 11-4 decision against sophomore Aidan Riggins at 165. In individual defeat, none of the Cyclone wrestlers lost by fall or technical fall, entering the 174, 184, 197, or heavyweight matchups.
Later matchups prove fatal
After sophomore MJ Gaitan’s matchup at 174, Oklahoma State evened the dual with a technical fall win by No. 3 Dean Hamiti. Undefeated on the season entering the matchup, Hamiti improved his record to 16-0.
It was Iowa State senior Evan Bockman, however, whose loss gave Oklahoma State the lead. After a 4-1 lead by Oklahoma State senior and No. 3 ranked Dustin Plott, Bockman fell 11-2, giving Oklahoma State a 16-12 team standing lead.
Following Bockman, freshman Sawyer Bartelt made his dual-action debut inside Hilton Coliseum. Bartelt fell behind 7-2 before falling with an injury with 1:22 remaining in the third period. Bartelt left the matchup with 0:23 remaining.
After Bartelt’s exit, the Cowboys took a 22-12 lead, a margin that secured the win for Oklahoma State.
“[Bartelt] showed why he was a top recruit out of high school,” Dresser said. “He’s a tough kid with a lot of grit, and I liked how hard he fought against a top opponent tonight.”
Cyclone heavyweight freshman Daniel Herrera faced off against No. 3 Wyatt Hendricksen to end the dual. Herrera’s inexperience at the collegiate level proved troublesome, falling behind 12-0 at the end of the first period.
“It’s a man against a boy out there,” Dresser said. “I looked at [Herrera] after that matchup and told him that if he develops, that’s how dominant he can be.”
The matchup ended on a technical fall, only the sixth loss of the season for Herrera and cementing the 27-12 result.
