No. 3 Iowa State defeated No. 19 Stanford 20-18 on Sunday, earning its third victory over a ranked opponent this season. The Cyclones improved to 4-1, while the Cardinal fell to 2-4.
Iowa State erased an 11-point deficit, rallying in the second half to secure the comeback win despite being without five starters.
“For the guys that competed today, I thought we competed hard,” Iowa State head coach Kevin Dresser said. “There were some lopsided matches both ways, but at the end, we figured it out.”
Stanford in command
Stanford opened the dual with three straight victories. Redshirt junior Nico Provo, ranked No. 17 at 125 pounds, defeated Iowa State junior Ethan Perryman 9-3 by decision.
At 133 pounds, redshirt sophomore Tyler Knox, ranked No. 7, earned a major decision, defeating redshirt freshman Adrian Meza 11-0.
The Cardinal continued their momentum at 149 pounds, where redshirt freshman Aden Valencia, ranked No. 14, upset Iowa State junior Jacob Frost, ranked No. 5, with a 4-3 decision.
“You always have to be on your toes in a match with a guy that good,” Dresser said. “You’ve got to match that fire, and we weren’t quite able to match it today.”
Stanford extended its lead at 157 pounds when redshirt junior Daniel Cardenas, ranked No. 9, dominated redshirt freshman Kane Naaktgeboren 20-5 for a technical fall, pushing the Cardinal ahead 15-4.
Euton sparks the comeback
Iowa State responded at 165 pounds, where junior Connor Euton, ranked No. 18, defeated redshirt sophomore Zach Hanson 19-4 by technical fall.
“Connor [Euton] had [Zach] Hanson also in Las Vegas and handled it pretty well,” Dresser said. “So we felt good there.”
Earlier, senior Anthony Echemendia picked up a major decision at 141 pounds, winning 11-1. Euton’s technical fall was Iowa State’s first of the dual, cutting the deficit to 15-9.
Cyclones dominate the second half
Junior Aiden Riggins followed with an 8-3 decision over redshirt freshman Collin Guffey at 174 pounds, bringing Iowa State within three.
At 184 pounds, senior Isaac Dean defeated redshirt sophomore Abraham Wojcikiewicz 5-3 by decision, tying the dual at 15.
Stanford briefly regained the lead at 197 pounds when freshman Angelo Posada edged Iowa State junior CJ Carter 2-0, making the score 18-15.
Needing at least a major decision in the heavyweight bout, Iowa State turned to senior Yonger Bastida. Ranked No. 1 at heavyweight, Bastida dominated redshirt sophomore Jackson Mankowski, winning 19-4 by technical fall in just three minutes to complete the comeback.
“Yonger put on a show,” Dresser said. “When he gets a mismatch, he knows how to take advantage of it.”
Iowa State will face Arizona State on Tuesday in Tempe.
