CEDAR FALLS — In front of the first sold-out crowd in Northern Iowa wrestling history, Iowa State faced off against its second top-five opponent of the season. The Cyclones were heavily outmatched, outclassed and outwitted in their 26-10 defeat.
Early mishaps
In the team’s opening dual of the season, Iowa State saw no competition at 125 due to weigh-in complications.
Similarly, against the Panthers, the dual got underway at 133. Sophomore Evan Frost and No. 17 Julian Farber kicked things off in place of the usual appearance from sophomore Ethan Perryman.
The 125 matchup went underway after freshman Daniel Herrera at heavyweight, which saw freshman Osmany Diversent face Kyle Golhoffer. Diversent’s matchup featured two takedowns through the first two periods.
Diversent found himself in a tough position with a minute left in the third period, ultimately losing by fall.
“We didn’t have the horses to go with their horses,” Iowa State head coach Kevin Dresser said. “That’s to be expected with a veteran lineup like Northern Iowa, especially when it’s their day and not ours.”
Frost twins fall, Johnson stopped short
For the first time in the last six duals, only one Frost brother was successful in the early stages. Likewise, both brothers were held to single-digit margins.
Unlike his dominant performances earlier this season, Evan Frost was held to a single point in the first period. He recorded a takedown midway through the second period to extend his lead 4-0. Evan Frost won the matchup 7-0 on a major decision, giving Iowa State a 4-0 lead in the team standings.
Evan Frost’s counterpart and twin brother Jacob Frost wrestled similarly against No. 4 ranked Cael Happel. Jacob Frost was held scoreless through the first but recorded the first escape to snag an early 1-0 lead. After giving up a takedown and two escape points, he found himself down entering the third period.
Late takedowns for Happel cemented a 10-6 result, which brought the dual to a 4-3 score ahead of the 149 matchup.
“Things can get heated in those situations,” Dresser said. “It was a situation where Happel was toe-to-toe, but being savvy won that matchup.”
Like the Frost twins, redshirt sophomore Paniro Johnson fell by decision 10-7 to No. 15 Colin Realbuto, giving Northern Iowa its first team score lead of the dual.
Like his matchup against Pittsburgh, Johnson took the decision into the fourth period, ultimately falling on a quick takedown.
“[Johnson] has to figure some things out,” Dresser said. “If you don’t love it at moments like this with the crowd roaring against you, you’ll have a tough time in the later stages.”
Low-scoring affairs
Low-scoring matches were the theme of the dual from 157 and beyond. Sophomore Cody Chittum won a scrappy 4-2 decision over No. 4 Ryder Downey, followed by Aiden Riggins at 165.
Riggins was held scoreless throughout the first period in a matchup that saw no points until 30 seconds into the second. Riggins quickly fell behind in the third 4-1 before giving up the second takedown of the match. Riggins fell 7-3, which brought the Panthers’ lead to 9-7.
Like Riggins, sophomore MJ Gaitan fell on a 7-4 decision to No. 15 Jared Simma. Gaitan’s loss extended the Northern Iowa lead to 12-7.
“The moments never get too big,” Northern Iowa head coach Doug Schwab said. “Sometimes you have to stay the whole match, and other times it only takes a couple of seconds to get the momentum rolling.”
Dominant veterans and heavyweight contention
Stepping onto the mat with an undefeated Parker Keckeisen at 184, sophomore Caleb Helgeson had his hands full. As the match got underway, Helgeson undertook a double-digit deficit before the second period.
Keckeisen recorded a technical fall to end the match by a score of 24-8.
“Seeing this program grow consistently has been amazing,” Keckeisen said. “When you’re trying to elevate the level of your program, the crowd makes it something special.”
In a shocking turn of events, senior Evan Bockman took the mat at 197 for Iowa State. Bockman’s battle against No. 12 Wyatt Voelker was his first appearance wrestling heavier this season.
Bockman fell behind 6-2 in the early stages and was unable to recover in the later stages. His 7-4 decision defeat to Volker cemented a losing result for the Cyclones, who fell behind 20-7 in the team standings with two matches remaining.
Heavyweight standstill
The final match of the dual featured dominant freshman Herrera in one of the scrappiest heavyweight matchups of the season.
Herrera endured two scoreless periods against Northern Iowa heavyweight Lance Runyon. Runyon struck first on an escape in the opening seconds of the third but failed to develop any momentum in the later stages. Herrera landed a takedown, cementing a 3-1 decision favoring Iowa State.
“Herrera definitely had size in that matchup,” Dresser said. “I thought he fought hard and won a scrappy contest against a great opponent.”
Ahead of the Big 12 Championships, Iowa State hits the road and takes on Missouri in its final dual competition of the season. The matchup is set for noon Saturday and will stream live on UFC Fight Pass.
