After a dominating 56-0 outing against Northwest Kansas Technical College, the Cyclone wrestling team looked to continue building their momentum by pulling out a win against CSU Bakersfield, and they did just that.

Although Iowa State was planning to face Arizona State on Sunday, a newly added Wednesday dual against CSU Bakersfield would prove to be good reps for the team.

The Cyclones came out firing on all cylinders as they closed the dual out with a 44-0 victory, their second straight shutout win, and 100 total team points between those two duals.

The momentum Iowa State built after each match was clear.

The first few matches set the tone for the night, as Kysen Terukina won the 125 match by 8-2 decision thanks to the help of a pair of early takedowns. Ian Parker started his 141 match with a takedown to pull out a 6-2 decision. 

Parker was down from 149 to 141 for a second match, so some hiccups were expected. His opponent, Angelo Marinoni, ranked 27th in the nation at 141, wasn’t a walk in the park.

In the end, Parker pulled out a win, which is huge for his momentum and development going forward.

Head Coach Kevin Dresser said, “If we can keep Ian healthy, and he is healthy right now, you’re going to see a better guy every time we go out there. Just a matter of getting some reps in for him and feeling that weight.”

Early takedowns seemed to be the theme of the night for Iowa State. With the exception of the 133 match, which was won by forfeit, every Iowa State wrestler started their match with a takedown.

Having an early lead in the matches helped the Cyclones apply pressure and finish out the matches strong.

With a major decision, two technical falls and two pins, the Cyclones how dominant they can be on the mat. No. 1 David Carr was able to pull out a pin at the 4:21 mark in the 157-pounds weight class, while no. 9 Marcus Coleman recorded a pin at the 3:28 mark in the 184-pounds weight class.

One big name that has seen himself rise through the rankings is Yonger Bastida, who was able to pull out his eighth straight win. He is an explosive wrestler and showed that through his ability to get takedowns and near falls throughout the match. However, his over two minutes of riding time was the most impressive part of his match.

Bastida has been working on developing over his collegiate career and has seen great strides with the wins he has achieved. He has been good at wrestling on his feet and has been working on wrestling from bottom, so putting up great riding times will help him become the well-rounded wrestler that the team believes he can become.

Carr said, “The more he gets to wrestle these good [wrestlers], you will be able to see that, and he is looking really sharp. We are really excited for him.”

It will be exciting to see how the team fairs over the weekend. There is a short turnaround after Wednesday’s dual before the Cyclones have to be on a flight to Wyoming for their next meet against Wyoming on Friday before heading to Montana on Sunday to face off against MSU-Northern and Providence.

The lack of preparation time between duals might prove difficult, but Dresser made it clear that the importance of having consistent reps is far better. The Cyclones will not let the short time between duals be an issue but rather use it as a great way to get quality reps in before they come back for the next home meet.

“Coach Dresser always talks about being flexible and don’t worry about it too much. Just control what you can control,” Carr said.

The Cyclones will look to continue building on this momentum over the weekend as they take on Wyoming at 8 p.m. on Friday at Laramie, Wyoming.

Dresser said, “We have a good tough test with them on Friday night, so we are excited about that. A Big 12 opponent, tough place to wrestle. We need a good tough one.”