AMES – In No. 14 Iowa State’s last dual, it fell to Oklahoma State 27-12. In the dual against Arizona State, the Cyclones recorded four victories in the first five matchups, including wins from sophomores Evan and Jacob Frost, en route to a 26-15 victory over the Sun Devils Friday.
While much of the same success came from the Frost twins, an unfamiliar face entered the lineup instead of sophomore Cody Chittum at 157. Carter Fousek, a sophomore from Chester, Iowa, erased an early six-point deficit. Fousek handed Arizona State freshman Pierson Manville his first loss as a Sun Devil.
Ahead of Friday’s dual, Fousek was unaware of the possibility of starting against Arizona State.
“I got the call about 12:30 [p.m.] that I was starting tonight,” Fousek said. “After the win, it was a great feeling hearing the crowd go wild inside of Hilton.”
From the opening whistle, it was clear that Fousek was eager to compete.
“Straight off of the rip, he was ready to go,” Fousek said. “As the match went on, he started to fade, and I took the opportunity to make a move.”
After his win by fall, Hilton Coliseum erupted with cheers.
“Hearing the crowd explode was awesome,” Fousek said. “It was my first time wrestling here, and for the most part, it was a blur, but I definitely won’t forget that feeling.”
Ahead of Fousek, chaos ensued. Iowa State sophomore Ethan Perryman was pinned, creating a 6-0 deficit in the team standings. Redemption, however, came later in the dual at the hands of sophomore Aiden Riggins, wrestling at 165.
“It’s good to see things get back on track,” Riggins said. “I haven’t gotten all the wins in my matches, but things are starting to click. I’ve felt good, light, and comfortable at what’s described as a fighting weight.”
Adding to an impressive resume, redshirt sophomore Paniro Johnson won by decision at 149, contributing to Iowa State’s six-match win streak from the 133 matchup through 174.
Johnson’s win gave Iowa State a 9-6 lead entering Fousek’s match, preliminary to the team’s late struggles in the heavyweight matchups.
In place of senior Evan Bockman, sophomore Nando Villaescusa wrestled at 184. Villaescusa lost to Arizona State junior Shay Addison by fall, setting up two late must-have wins at 197 and 285.
Villaescusa’s loss was avenged by sophomore Nate Schon, winning by decision and increasing Iowa State’s team lead to 26-12. Freshman Daniel Herrera closed things out with a loss for Iowa State, falling 3-0 to senior heavyweight Colton Schultz.
“[Herrera] fought hard at a very deep position,” Iowa State head coach Kevin Dresser said. “He doesn’t have as many tools yet as some of the guys he wrestles, but that’ll come later. From what we’ve seen, he’s definitely improving.”
Iowa State’s win over the Sun Devils cements number 250 in the career of head coach Kevin Dresser.
“A lot of people have taken chances on me throughout my career,” Dresser said. “I wouldn’t have reached this mark if that wasn’t for people thinking that the guys who hired me were crazy for even considering me. To finally reach this mark is just incredible.”
