No. 3 Iowa State delivered a complete performance Friday night inside Hilton Coliseum, blanking Northern Colorado 42-0 and winning all 10 bouts. The Cyclones controlled every phase of the dual, finishing with 38 takedowns while allowing just one, their first shutout since 2023.
Northern Colorado finished with 26 escapes compared to Iowa State’s nine, while both teams recorded one reversal.
The win marked head coach Kevin Dresser’s 100th career dual victory at Iowa State, making him the fourth head coach in program history to reach the milestone.
Fast start sets tone early
The night opened exactly how Iowa State wanted it to. No. 13 Stevo Poulin pinned Bryson Valdez in the first period at 125 pounds, a quick result that ignited the crowd and immediately put the Cyclones in control.
“That’s the number one thing you can do as a wrestler,” Dresser said. “You go pin people, you get people off their feet.”
The momentum never slowed from there.
Frost delivers in marquee matchup
At 133 pounds, No. 3 Evan Frost handled one of the night’s biggest tests, defeating No. 9 Dom Serrano 7-1. Frost was at his best late, evading a takedown attempt in the third period and turning it into a buzzer-beater takedown of his own to stretch the lead.
“There’s still time on the clock,” Frost said. “If he’s going to give me an opportunity to score that, I’m going to take it.”
Dresser said that late pressure made the difference.
“Sometimes the match is like that, you’ve got to really pressure them for three or four minutes,” Dresser said. “Then the dam breaks a little bit at the end.”
Bonus points piled up through the middle weights
The Cyclones rolled through the heart of the lineup with bonus-point wins at four straight weights.
At 141, No. 4 Anthony Echemendia dominated from start to finish in a 21-6 tech fall. No. 6 Jacob Frost followed with a 19-4 tech fall at 149, finishing the second period with an assassin move that brought the crowd to its feet.
No. 8 Vinny Zerban turned a close early match into an 18-3 tech fall at 157, showing his offensive power late. At 165, No. 17 Connor Euton rebounded after falling behind early, finding his rhythm and finishing the third period with five lift-and-returns on the way to a 19-7 major decision.
“I think that’s a tribute to how hard [Zerban] works and his gas tank,” Dresser said. “These guys are grinding this time of year.”
Close matches still went Iowa State’s way
At 174 pounds, Aiden Riggins earned a gritty 3-1 decision, using strong defense throughout and sealing the win with a third-period reversal. No. 12 Isaac Dean handled business at 184, pulling away in the third period for an 8-2 decision.
At 197, CJ Carter pushed his match into sudden death and ended it with a takedown in overtime for a 4-1 victory.
Bastida closed the night with authority
Heavyweight Yonger Bastida put on a show to close the dual, recording the fastest tech fall of his career in just 2:15. Bastida scored seven takedowns in a 21-6 victory, earning his 90th career win and continuing a season in which he has not allowed a takedown in 12 straight matches.
“This is my last year, so it feels way different,” Bastida said. “I’ve been working my hardest because I know it’s my last year.”
No. 3 Iowa State returns to action at 2 p.m. Sunday against No. 15 South Dakota State in Humboldt, Iowa, in Dresser’s hometown.
