125: No. 17 Drake Ayala vs. No. 8 Kysen Terukina
The 125-pound weight class has historically been a tone-setting weight for the Hawks, particularly in the Spencer Lee era.
Us vs. Them#Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/BgIzihlP5o
— Iowa Hawkeye Wrestling (@Hawks_Wrestling) November 23, 2023
Redshirt sophomore Drake Ayala now steps into that role as he looks to rebound for last week’s loss against All-American Brandon Kaylor of Oregon State and bring some energy in his match against Kysen Terukina. Iowa State’s Terukina, however, has momentum on his side, as he spent last weekend majoring then-No. 5 Eric Barnett of Wisconsin to surge in the rankings.
Ayala is 4-0 in his career against Iowa State, though he’s never faced Terukina, especially not this healthy, strong, dynamic version of Terukina.
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A two-time national qualifier, Terukina holds a 100% bonus rate heading into this match, and while Ayala, also a national qualifier, will come in as the underdog based on rankings, he’s capable of competing against the Cyclone. A win here for Iowa would quiet Hilton Coliseum and give Iowa the kind of start it expects from its 125-pounder. But a win here for the Hawks will be no easy task.
133: No. 8 Brody Teske vs. No. 19 Evan Frost
Unlike 125 pounds, the 133 pound weight class favors the Hawks, based on rankings, though Iowa State’s No. 19 Evan Frost is not someone Iowa’s Brody Teske should overlook. Frost, a redshirt freshman, earned his starting spot for the Cyclones when he beat teammate Garrett Grice 9-3 in the Iowa State wrestle-offs, and he then showed why he was the right choice for the spot when he majored his first two dual opponents before beating Nic Rivera of Wisconsin last weekend.
At 133 pounds, No. 18 Evan Frost defeats Nicolar Rivera, 12-6. He racked up over 2 minutes of RT.
What makes Evan impressive is his ability to fearlessly take shots. Sure, he gave up some reversals when trying a few things but he was able to keep his lead and try a few things…
— CycloneFanatic.com (@cyclonefanatic) November 19, 2023
Teske, on the other hand, is in his second year as a starter for the Hawks, after two seasons for Northern Iowa and two years on the Penn State roster. He comes into this meeting with significantly more experience than Frost and has finished as high as the Round of 12 at the NCAA tournament. If he’s looking to become an All-American in his final season, he’ll need to notch wins over top-20 athletes like Frost.
The Hawkeye took the first step towards this goal when he secured his first key ranked win last weekend by outscoring Gabe Whisenhunt of Oregon State by major. This win is particularly notable after Whisenhunt beat Virginia Tech two-time All-American Sam Latona two weeks prior. Frost awaits, and, with the team dual on the line, stakes will be high.
141: No. 1 Real Woods vs. No. 19 Anthony Echemendia
For as strong as these two programs are, there’s only one starter across the lineups of Iowa and Iowa State who enters this dual as the top-ranked guy at his weight class: No. 1 Real Woods. A 2023 NCAA finalist, Woods is 22-1 in his Hawkeye career, and Iowa will be depending on their transfer star to carry this team through what is expected to be yet another hyper-competitive Cy-Hawk dual. Woods has bonused both of his opponents this year, most recently earning an 18-3 technical fall over No. 21 Cleveland Belton of Oregon State, and he’s someone that has only jumped levels since arriving in Iowa City last year.
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Now he’ll take on freestyle specialist Anthony Echemendia, a transfer from Ohio State who is also undefeated on the year with 100% bonus. Echemendia’s story is unique, as he was originally born in Cuba but came to the United States in 2018 to pursue personal and athletic goals. Echemendia originally committed to Iowa State before decommitting and enrolling at Ohio State before transferring back to the Cyclones.
As a Buckeye, he wrestled seven matches, posting a 6-1 record before competing unattached for year while accumulating a 13-2 record. The Cuban is a Cyclone again, and he’ll have his chance against the best of the best when he competes against a tough top wrestler and an elite-level tilter in Woods.
149: No. 9 Victor Voinovich vs. No. 14 Casey Swiderski
On paper, 149 pounds favors the Hawks as No. 9 Victor Voinovich holds the rankings advantage, but Iowa State’s Casey Swiderski is someone that wrestles close matches, regardless of the competition. The young Cyclone star nearly gave Woods a scare in last year’s dual after taking down the All-American, but also giving up two escapes, a stall and a riding time point to Woods in his 4-2 loss. Swiderski’s opponent this year will be another top-10 Hawk, as he’s set to meet Voinovich, a transfer from Oklahoma State who went 17-13 last year on his way to a Round of 16 finish at the NCAA tournament.
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Voinovich is 6-1 on the season this year with his lone loss coming against unattached Iowa commit Anthony Ferrari, and he needed sudden victory to earn his win against Nash Singleton last weekend, 6-3. Swiderski also lost to a teammate earlier this year, as he dropped to Echemendia in the Iowa State wrestle-offs. Echemendia has since dropped down to 141 pounds, making room for Swiderski up at 149 pounds.
Swiderski’s known for his aggression and intensity, and his match against Voinovich will be a good test for both athletes as they strive to break through and earn All-American honors in March for the first time in their careers.
157: No. 2 Jared Franek vs. No. 18 Cody Chittum
Iowa will be leaning on a number of transfer athletes within their lineup to elevate them over the Cyclones, and 157 pounds will be one of those key matches. But not only is this a match where Iowa will be looking for new Hawkeye Jared Franek to score big, it will also be a match with an even bigger storyline, as Iowa State’s No. 18 Cody Chittum, who spent the last year training with Iowa, will now take on his former team in a bout that could determine the outcome of the dual.
Chittum, a Tennessee native, came out of high school as the top prospect in his class and initially committed to the Hawks in 2022 before flipping his commitment to the Cyclones this summer. He’s now 2-0 for the Cyclones with majors against Wisconsin and Davidson. His match against Franek, though, will be his first contest against an All-American, a proven name at the weight and someone who could compete for a title this year.
Franek finished fourth last year behind Austin O’Connor, Levi Haines and Josh Humphreys, though only Haines returns this year, hence Franek’s No. 2 national ranking. Since moving from North Dakota State to Iowa, Franek is 7-0 with 71.43% bonus. He’s competing for a program that has put a wrestler in the national finals every year since 1990, and he’s primed for another podium run. Getting past Chittum, though, will be a more immediate task and one that would make a big contribution to his new team.
165: No. 5 Mikey Caliendo vs. No. 2 David Carr
This match has the potential to be the turning point for the Cyclones, as Iowa is favored in four of the first five matches, but Iowa State has the edge in four of the last five bouts. David Carr, a 2021 NCAA champion and the current face of the Cyclone resurgence, will want to roll into this bout, make a statement and set up the momentum for his team to pull off the team upset.
Iowa’s Caliendo will be responsible for stopping that effort, or, at least preventing Carr from earning bonus points. These two have never met in collegiate competition, despite wrestling in the same conference last year when Caliendo was at North Dakota State. Carr has wrestled Caliendo’s teammate, Jared Franek, six times, winning all six times but earning bonus points just once. Carr will unquestionably be the favorite, but Caliendo has beaten former NCAA champions in his career before — notably topping 2021 NCAA champion Shane Griffith in the North Dakota State vs. Stanford dual last year.
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Carr’s already been tested this year too, as he took on No. 4 Dean Hamiti last weekend and notched a 2-0 win. He’s a man on a mission this season as he looks for one last national championship honor, but first, he’ll have to get past Iowa All-American Mikey Caliendo.
174: Gabe Arnold/Aiden Riggins vs. No. 21 MJ Gaitan
The only weight where the Hawks (or the Cyclones) have more than one probable starter listed comes at 174 pounds, where Iowa included both true freshman Gabe Arnold and redshirt freshman Aiden Riggins as potential starters against Iowa State’s MJ Gaitan. The decision may come at the 11th hour too.
NCAA Wrestler of the Week
Gabe Arnold beat All-American No. 11 Travis Wittlake in his first dual as a true freshman for the Hawks.#NCAAWrestling x @Hawks_Wrestling pic.twitter.com/oum8rZDBrL
— NCAA Wrestling (@NCAAWrestling) November 21, 2023
Arnold, who made his varsity debut last weekend against Oregon State in a win over All-American Travis Wittlake, can wrestle up to five regular season duals without burning his redshirt. His performance against Wittlake suggested that he’s a podium contender in a deep weight, if he competes this year, and the question will be whether Iowa chooses maintain Arnold’s redshirt and use him in just five appearances, potentially including this Cy-Hawk dual, or redshirt him and give Riggins the start longterm. While the Hawks have several big duals later in the schedule where Arnold could be helpful, he might be needed for the Hawks in this dual if Iowa wants to maintain its undefeated streak against the Cyclones in the Tom Brands era.
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InterMat has not ranked Arnold yet, though the young Iowa star is ranked 17 by WIN Magazine and 18 by Flo, which would give him the advantage on paper over a tough MJ Gaitan, who is 3-0 on the year. Gaitan is also a new starter for his program, as he redshirted last season and posted a 9-5 record that year with his best win coming against NCAA qualifier Lance Runyon of Northern Iowa. Gaitan will have the home mat advantage regardless of who Iowa sends out as a starter at 174, but if Brands elects to wrestle Arnold, this match will be even more interesting as Arnold will have a chance to take on his second ranked opponent in as many weeks as a true freshman for the Hawks.
184: No. 30 Brennan Swafford vs. No. 6 Will Feldkamp
None of the 10 matches slated to happen in this year’s Iowa State vs. Iowa dual happened last year, and this particular bout at 184 pounds, in fact, is one that few would have predicted heading into this season.
Let’s start with Iowa State’s No. 6 Will Feldkamp. The former Clarion All-American was one of the biggest additions to the Cyclones in the offseason, as Feldkamp finished seventh last year with tournament wins over Gavin Kane, Isaiah Salazar, Colton Hawks, Lenny Pinto and Jacob Nolan. He did end up dropping a bout to former Iowa State 184-pounder Marcus Coleman, but, following Coleman’s graduation and Feldkamp’s transfer, the former Clarion star is now a Cyclone. Feldkamp is 1-0 on the season with a fall against Wisconsin, and he’ll be favored to put up a similarly dominant result against Brennan Swafford.
Iowa’s Swafford, also a transfer, is filling in a spot left behind by Hawkeye national qualifier Abe Assad and starts the year 6-1 with his lone loss coming against Trey Munoz last weekend by tech fall. Rebounding against Feldkamp will be tough, but if Swafford can avoid bonus, he’ll do his part to keep the Hawks alive in this rivalry dual.
197: No. 22 Zach Glazier vs. No. 24 Julien Broderson
Every bout in this dual is going to matter, and Iowa’s best chance to stop the Iowa State expected upperweight momentum comes at 197 pounds with Zach Glazier. A junior for the Hawks, Glazier is in his first year as a starter, and he’s doing everything he can to fill the big shoes left behind by previous Iowa starter five-time All-American Jacob Warner. Glaizer is 6-0 on the year with a major decision win against Oregon State, and he’ll now wrestle veteran starter for the Cyclones, Julien Broderson, who boasts a 39-25 career record as a varsity wrestler in his Iowa State career.
Glaizer is favored in the rankings, but his advantage is slim. Broderson is 2-0 on the season and will strive to qualify for the NCAA tournament for the first time in his career this season. A win over Glazier would help him inch up the rankings ever so slightly, but, more significantly, would hold off the Hawks from picking up team points.
285: Bradley Hill vs. No. 7 Yonger Bastida
If the dual comes down heavyweight, Iowa State will be in a good spot. All-American Yonger Bastida anchors the Cyclones, and he’s looking stronger than ever this year, wrestling up a weight class from last year at 285 pounds. His expected opponent from the Hawkeyes, Bradley Hill, a 5-2 redshirt freshman who is coming off a 4-1 loss to NCAA qualifier Boone McDermott from Oregon State. Yonger and Hill have never wrestled in their collegiate careers, as Hill wrested 285 pounds as a redshirt and Bastida finished in the Round of 12 last year at 197 pounds after earning a 5th place finish at the weight the year before.
Since bumping up to 285 pounds, though, Bastida has teched all three of his opponents. He’ll be looking for bonus points against the Hawkeyes, so Iowa will need to have at least four points in their favor to have any comfort at all coming into this last weight class.
