No. 6 Iowa State tops No. 3 Iowa in the Cy-Hawk dual for the first time in 20 years

THIRD PERIOD: Endene chooses neutral to start the third period. One minute to go. Iowa State warned for stalling. Shot from Elam. Takedown Elam. The Cyclone is 28 seconds from helping Iowa State top the Hawks. Elam runs out the clock. He picks up the win for himself and his team. The Dan Hodge Trophy belongs to the Cyclones. 

SECOND PERIOD: Elam chooses down to start the second period. Big mat return for Endene. Elam nearly escapes on the edge, but Endene maintains control. Elam works out from Endene's hold, but Endene's efforts pushed Elam's riding time down under a minute. Elam ends the period with a 4-0 lead. Iowa is going to need something big from Endene in the final two minutes. 

FIRST PERIOD: It's a clash of styles for the last bout of the afternoon, as Iowa's Massoma Endene takes on Iowa State's Rocky Elam for the Dan Hodge Trophy and the ultimate team bragging rights. Shot from Elam. Takedown. Iowa State takes the lead in this finale. Stalemate. Elam ends the period on top and carries his 3-0 advantage into the second period. 

THIRD PERIOD: Ferrari chooses down to start the third period and escapes to tie the match. Dean is hit for stalling again, giving Ferrari the advantage point with one minute to go. Shot from Ferrari. Potentially dangerous. Ferrari takes the win 2-1. 

Ferrari ➡️ W

184 – #1 Angelo Ferrari (Iowa) dec. #10 Issac Dean (ISU), 2-1

#6 Iowa State 17, #3 Iowa 14

— Iowa Hawkeye Wrestling (@Hawks_Wrestling)

SECOND PERIOD: Dean chooses down to start the second period and escapes quickly to the roar of the Cyclone faithful. Dean's defense has been stellar so far this match — he fended off everything Ferrari has thrown at him. Ten seconds. Dean's escape is the only point of the match so far, and he'll head into the third period ahead 1-0. 

FIRST PERIOD: All the pressure is on Iowa's Angelo Ferrari now. The Hawks need a reset. Ferrari draws a stall call against Iowa State's Isaac Dean and nearly picks up a takedown, but Dean wards it off. Solid defense from the Cyclone. 

THIRD PERIOD: Caliendo starts the third period in the bottom position and escapes quickly before launching into another shot. Takedown Caliendo. He cuts Euton and goes to work again. Euton is hit for stalling a second time. Takedown Caliendo. This is vintage Caliendo. He releases Euton. Shot Caliendo. Takedown. That's a 20-5 tech fall for Caliendo, and the Hawkeye bench goes crazy. Iowa is back in this one. 

MIKEY

165 – #3 Michael Caliendo (Iowa) tech fall. #22 Connor Euton (ISU), 20-5

#6 Iowa State 14, #3 Iowa 11

— Iowa Hawkeye Wrestling (@Hawks_Wrestling)

SECOND PERIOD: Euton chooses down to start the second period and escapes within 15 seconds. Euton is working hard against the Hawk, but Caliendo is just too strong and wards off Euton's efforts. One minute to go in the second period. Euton has down well slowing down Caliendo's offense after the first-period frenzy. Thirty seconds. Shot from Euton, and Caliendo converts the attempt into a takedown of his own to carry a 9-3 into the third period. 

FIRST PERIOD: Iowa needs NCAA finalist Michael Caliendo to score points in his bout against Iowa State's No. 22 Connor Euton, and that's exactly what the Hawkeye came to do. He picks up the early takedown and then adds another after a Euton escape. Caliendo ends the period with a 6-2 lead. 

THIRD PERIOD: Williams chooses down to start the third period. Huge mat return for Zerban. Three point nearfall for the Cyclone. He's now pushed his lead up to 8-2 with riding time climbing up over a minute. Zerban nearly picks up more back points but Williams manages his way out of the hold. Zerban leads 8-3 within riding time. Shot from Williams. Twenty seconds. Zerban snags a takedown on the edge. Huge moment for the Cyclone. Ten seconds. This one was all Zerban. He takes the major decision win 12-3. 

Vinny Zerban gets a takedown on the edge for the major decision! 🔥

He defeats No. 12 Jordan Williams, 11-3!

ISU 14, UI 6

📺 ESPN

— Iowa State Wrestling (@CycloneWR)

SECOND PERIOD: Zerban chooses down to start the second period. He works out of Williams' hold within 25 seconds. Ankle pick from Zerban. Williams fights to defend, but Zerban tosses Williams to the mat for the first takedown of the match. One minute remaining in the period. The Cyclone leads 3-0. Zerban grips Williams wrists and looks for a turn, but Williams scrambles out of it and nearly gets on to his feet before transitioning into a reversal. Zerban carries a 4-2 lead into the third, but Williams is on the board. 

FIRST PERIOD: The157-pound bout is matchup of transfers competing their first Cy-Hawk dual with everything on the line. Iowa State leads the Hawks 10-6 going into this match and will be favored, but the margins are thin. Iowa's Jordan Williams wastes no time going in for a shot. Zerban defends well intitally, but Williams keeps pushing. Zerban fights back to both feet, and we're neutral again. Shot from Williams again. Good energy from the Hawk. Stalemate. Now a shot from Zerban. The Cyclone moves into a shot. Scrambling! No points. Scoreless first period. 

THIRD PERIOD: Bailey starts the third period on top. Echemendia forces Bailey to let him go, and we're back to neutral. Shot and takedown for Echemendia. The Cyclone is in bonus territory, leading 11-1 with one minute to go in the final period. Escape Bailey. Shot from Bailey, but he can't finish. Stalemate. Another shot from Bailey. Echemendia is just too tough. He builds into his own takedown and finishes the bout with a 14-2 win.

Broke him!

No. 6 Anthony Echemendia gets a 15-2 major decision over No. 7 Nasir Bailey!

ISU 10, UI 3

📺 ESPN

— Iowa State Wrestling (@CycloneWR)

SECOND PERIOD: Echemendia goes neutral to start the second period and goes right into another shot and another takedown. Bailey escapes but now trails 6-1 to the Cyclone. One minute remaining in the second period. The Iowa State crowd loves Echemendia's offense. Shot from Echemendia, and Bailey is hit for stalling again. Echemendia leads 7-1 going into the third period. 

FIRST PERIOD: This is yet ANOTHER battle of All-Americans and meeting between two transfers as Iowa's Nasir Bailey and Iowa State's Anthony Echemendia take the mat here at 141 pounds. Bailey is hit for stalling. Echemendia looks strong battling against Bailey, a former 133-pounder. The Cyclone goes upperbody with Bailey and then finishes a takedown to pick up the first three points of the period. He carries his 3-0 lead into the second period after ending the first period on top. 

THIRD PERIOD: Ayala chooses neutral to start the third period, and Frost dives in on a shot. Ayala looks to roll again, but this time Frost finishes. The Cyclone leads 5-3. Escape Ayala. One minute to go. Frost leads 5-4. Shot from Frost. Nothing. We're scrambling again. Takedown Frost. The refs call potentially dangerous. Ayala and Frost reset with Ayala down. Ayala escapes. Frost leads 8-5. Frost takes another shot and runs out the clock. He takes the win and gives the Cyclones the team lead! 

133 | No. 6 Evan Frost takes out No. 3 Drake Ayala, 11-5!

ISU 6, UI 3

📺 ESPN

— Iowa State Wrestling (@CycloneWR)

SECOND PERIOD: Frost chooses down to start the second period and escapes immediately. Takedown Ayala. The slide-by is back! Now the Hawk is going to work on top. He rides Frost off the mat before a reset. Frost escapes, giving Ayala 44 seconds on the riding time clock. Shot from Frost. He's looking dangerous. Ayala works to scramble out and nearly ends up on his back before looking to work into a takedown of his own off a roll. The refs convene to review the sequence. No points. 

FIRST PERIOD: Iowa's Drake Ayala and Iowa State's Evan Frost take the mat for the second battle of All-Americans of the afternoon with the team score tied. Intensity is high. Frost has his left hand taped up, but that isn't slowing him down. He's pushing and shoving the Hawkeye and working for control in the early minute, but Ayala is responding with focus and aggression of his own. Scoreless first minute. Ayala looks for his signature slide-by, but Frost works out of Ayala's effort. One minute remaining in the period. Ayala nearly worked into another attack in the final 15 seconds, but the first period will end scoreless. 

THIRD PERIOD: Bastida chooses neutral to start the third period. A takedown won't be enough for Kueter, given Bastida's riding time. He needs three points and an opportunity to run down the riding time clock, a challenge that gets harder with every second that passes. Shot from Bastida. Kueter is hit with stalling, giving Bastida another point. Stalemate. Thirty seconds. Shot from Bastida. Takedown! Bastida leads 10-3 with riding time secured. Kueter escapes at the buzzer to avoid the major in a key moment, but Bastida emerges the winner, 11-4. 

Yonger Bastida draws first blood.

He gets an 11-4 decision over No. 6 Ben Kueter.

ISU 3, UI 0

🌪️🚨🌪️

— Iowa State Wrestling (@CycloneWR)

SECOND PERIOD: Kueter chooses down to start the second period. Bastida patiently rides the Hawk for 30 seconds before Kueter picks up a second escape. Kueter and Basitda have slowed down the match. Takedown Bastida. The Cyclone is taking his time but finding his moments. He leads 6-2 as he pushes riding time up over a minute. Kueter slides out in the final seconds of the period to end on his feet. He now trails the Cyclone 6-3 with riding time in Bastida's favor. 

FIRST PERIOD: Iowa's Ben Kueter comes to the mat with tape on both shoulders but is moving well in this first battle of All-Americans. His hip — which he had surgery on over the summer — looks stable as he tries to holds center against Yonger Bastida of Iowa State in the opening minute of the match.

Bastida keeps pushing, driving the pace, and he forces a stall call against Kueter before going in on a shot and securing the first takedown of the match. He made that look easy. Kueter escapes. Shot Bastisda. Kueter works out from the shot in the final seconds, but Bastida still looks smooth and confident. He leads 3-1 going into the second period. 

The 2025 Cy-Hawk dual will start at 285 pounds with Iowa State's No. 1 Yonger Bastida taking on Iowa's No. 6 Ben Kueter. This is a huge potential momentum starter for the Cyclones in a dual where Iowa State will need to win all five bouts the team is favored in, avoid bonus points and flip a weight.

There's a path for the Cyclones to top the Hawks, and if they're going to take that path, it starts at heavyweight. 

Today’s dual against No. 3 Iowa will begin at 285 pounds.

🌪️🚨🌪️

— Iowa State Wrestling (@CycloneWR)

 

This year's Cy-Hawk dual could feature 20 ranked athletes, with seven top-10 bouts. Here's the complete list of probables for the dual: 

WEIGHT	NO. 3 IOWA HAWKEYES	NO. 6 IOWA STATE CYCLONES
125	No. 7 Dean Peterson	No. 9 Stevo Poulin OR Christian Castillo
133	No. 3 Drake Ayala	No. 6 Evan Frost
141	No. 7 Nasir Bailey	No. 6 Anthony Echemendia
149	No. 10 Ryder Block	No. 2 Paniro Johnson OR Jacob Frost
157	No. 12 Jordan Williams OR Victor Voinovich	No. 3 Vinny Zerban
165	No. 3 Michael Caliendo	No. 22 Connor Euton OR Aiden Riggins
174	No. 2 Patrick Kennedy	No. 11 MJ Gaitan
184	No. 1 Angelo Ferrari	No. 10 Isaac Dean
197	No. 4 Massoma Endene	No. 2 Rocky Elam
285	No. 6 Ben Kueter	No. 1 Yonger Bastida

This year's Cy-Hawk dual could feature nine athletes making their rivalry debut. Here's what you need to know about the loaded lineups that the Hawkeyes and the Cyclones will be bringing to the mat in Ames.

125 pounds: No. 7 Dean Peterson vs. No. 9 Stevo Poulin OR Christian Castillo 

Nothing says intensity quite like an NCAA Round of 12 rematch to kick off the Cy-Hawk dual. Iowa's Dean Peterson and Iowa State's Stevo Poulin last met in the Blood Round of the 2025 national tournament, back when Poulin was wrestling for Northern Colorado and Peterson was representing Rutgers. Poulin notched the win, 6-4, to earn his first All-American honor and end Peterson's tournament. Now both Peterson and Poulin are in the state of Iowa, gearing up for the first and final Cy-Hawk dual of their careers. 

ALL-AMERICAN POULIN: Here's the complete list of the 80 athletes who finished on the podium last year

Since becoming a Hawkeye this season, Peterson is 4-1 with his lone loss coming against Ohio State's Nic Bouzakis by fall in the National Duals, with all of his wins coming by decision. Poulin, meanwhile, is 1-0 in Division I competition as a senior transfer at Iowa State with the win coming against Caleb Coyle of Nebraska-Kearney, 15-6.

While Iowa State does also have freshman Christian Castillo listed as a probable, Poulin spoke confidently at his this week about his excitement for the match against Peterson and the potential for the Cyclones to upset Iowa. If the Cy-Hawk starts at 125, all the momentum in this historic dual rides on Poulin (or Castillo) and Peterson. 

133 pounds: No. 3 Drake Ayala vs. No. 6 Evan Frost 

Assuming the Cy-Hawk dual starts at 125 pounds, the Drake Ayala vs. Evan Frost bout will be the second top-10 bout of the dual — but the first All-American matchup of the night. Ayala, a two-time NCAA finalist, holds a 1-0 career advantage over Frost after beating him 11-7 in last year's dual and will be favored once again, though Frost, like so many athletes in this rivalry, has shown that he can pull off upset wins against top-5 foes. Frost finished sixth at 133 pounds at the NCAAs in 2024 and dropped in the Blood Round last year, but not before picking up regular season wins over Ayala's teammate All-American Nasir Bailey back when Bailey was down at 133 pounds last season as well as All-American Tyler Knox.

He's certainly a podium threat again. 

Better left unsaid.

— Iowa Hawkeye Wrestling (@Hawks_Wrestling)

Ayala is 4-2 on the year with his losses coming against NCAA champion Lucas Byrd and Ohio State's Ben Davino, so while his record isn't flawless, Ayala's been tested. He's tuned for the Cy-Hawk now, and his pace and poise will make him a problem for Iowa State.

The other interesting wrinkle in this matchup is Frost's weight descent. The sophomore started his season up at 141 pounds and is 3-0 on the year at the weight, but he's expected to make his way down to 133 pounds to take on the returning NCAA finalist in Ayala for the second time. If Frost can maintain his power on his weight cut, he could keep the match tight, but the edge here belongs to the Hawks. 

141 pounds: No. 7 Nasir Bailey vs. No. 6 Anthony Echemendia  

The 141-pound matchup is one of five bouts in this dual that could feature two transfer athletes, in this case one from Little Rock who joined the Hawkeyes last year and another from Ohio State who came to Ames in 2023.

Iowa State's Anthony Echemendia, the more senior of these two athletes, earned All-American honors in his first season with the Cyclones as a sophomore and is now back and looking for more accolades as senior. His bout against Iowa's Nasir Bailey will mark his third Cy-Hawk dual after dropping bouts to Real Woods in 2023 and Kyle Parco in 2024. He'll be favored this time, too, as he sits one spot ahead of All-American Bailey in the rankings. These two athletes though have never met in college given that Bailey previously wrestled down at 133 pounds and Echemendia has been up as high as 149 pounds.

Echemendia won the Cyclone Invite earlier this year and is 2-0, while Bailey is 4-2 with losses to NCAA champion Jesse Mendez and Oklahoma State star freshman Sergio Vega. Bailey is still looking for his statement win in the Black and Gold — trying to achieve that against Echemendia in Echemendia's home gym will be a tall task.

149 pounds: No. 10 Ryder Block vs. No. 2 Paniro Johnson OR Jacob Frost 

One of the unexpected emerging stars in Iowa's lineup has been sophomore Ryder Block, an in-state middleweight who bided his time last year wrestling behind four-time All-American Kyle Parco and has now seized his opportunity as the man for the Hawkeyes. Block is 3-1 on the year including wins over All-American former Cyclone Casey Swiderski of Oklahoma State and Round of 12 finisher Josh Edmond of Missouri. Even with that momentum on his side, though, Iowa State's Paniro Johnson or Jacob Frost will be favored against the young Hawkeye. 

Some dates you circle twice.

Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series is next. //

— Iowa State Wrestling (@CycloneWR)

Iowa State has strong options at 149 pounds in Johnson and Frost. Johnson has started for the Cyclones at 149 pounds thus far this season, winning the Cyclone Invite and earning a win against Nebraska-Kearney at the weight. Frost, meanwhile, wrestled up at 157 against the Lopers but earned All-American honors down at 141 pounds season. They'll now battle it out for the 149 pound spot, given that All-American Vinny Zerban appears to be the best option for the Cyclones up at 157. Whoever gets the nod against Block will have the chance to fight for a top-10 win against a gritty opponent at home. Their strength and experience could make either of them a problem, and Iowa State will likely need this bout to stay in the dual. 

157 pounds: No. 12 Jordan Williams OR Victor Voinovich vs. No. 3 Vinny Zerban 

While the Cyclones have options at 149, the Hawkeyes are on the ones with the decision to make at 157 pounds. Transfer Round of 12 athlete Jordan Williams is potentially the stronger option for Iowa, given his success on the national stage, though Victor Voinovich earned the most recent win against Vince Bouzakis of Pitt 11-6. His 1-2 record is not as strong as Williams' 2-1 resume, but both would be considered underdogs against Iowa State transfer All-American Vinny Zerban. 

IOWA SO FAR: 40-0 over Bellarmine | National Duals Runner-Up |36-0 over Pittsburgh 

Zerban came to Iowa State by way of Northern Colorado, where he posted a 64-24 career record with the Bears in varsity competition capped off by his sixth place finish last year. Now, as a Cyclone, Zerban is 3-0 on the season with a Cyclone Invitational win under his belt. Zerban and Williams will be first-time Cy-Hawk participants, if they both compete, but regardless of whom Iowa sends out to face Zerban, this weight class could have major team implications. 

165 pounds: No. 3 Michael Caliendo vs. No. 22 Connor Euton OR Aiden Riggins 

Iowa's best chance for bonus points comes at 165 pounds. The Hawks will be favored in two of five weight leading into this bout between No. 3 Michael Caliendo and No. 22 Connor Euton or Aiden Riggins, so if the dual goes chalk, Iowa will need its NCAA finalist Caliendo to come through and straighten the ship. Caliendo is 1-1 in his Cy-Hawk appearances, taking a loss in his first go at the rivalry dual against David Carr before beating Euton 12-7 in 2024. He also notched a win over Riggins, his former Iowa teammate, at the 2025 NCAA tournament 11-3. 

No. 2 Mikey Caliendo gets the job done at 165 lbs 💪

The star defeated Connor Euton via a 12-7 decision 👊

— Big Ten Wrestling (@B1GWrestling)

This season, Caliendo took an uncharacteristic early season loss to Oklahoma State's Ladrion Lockett, but he'll come into the Cy-Hawk dual fresh off a tech fall against No. 25 ;Dylan Evans of Pittsburgh. Riggins, on the other hand, is 2-1 against Division I competition this year but 8-2 overall while Euton is 4-0 overall. Euton got the nod at 165 pounds against Nebraska-Kearney and has wrestled Caliendo closer, but this is a weight where Iowa will want to run up the scoreboard regardless of the competition. 

174 pounds: No. 2 Patrick Kennedy vs. No. 11 MJ Gaitan 

While Iowa State has firepower throughout the lineup, Iowa's dynamic duo of Caliendo at 165 pounds and Patrick Kennedy at 174 pounds will be expected to give the Hawkeyes some insurance points midway through the dual, especially if the team suffers any unexpected losses in the lightweights. Kennedy, in particular, has wrestled like a national finalist contender in his first six matches of the season, with two of those wins coming against All-Americans Carson Kharchla and Cam Steed and two coming against national qualifiers Alex Facundo and Luca Augustine. After finishing fourth at nationals with a 18-7 overall record last year, Kennedy looks to have continued to jump levels, and he'll likely be looking for bonus in the fourth Cy-Hawk dual of his career. 

HAWKEYE HEROES: The complete history of the Iowa Hawkeyes wrestling program 

Kennedy's opponent, MJ Gaitan, is 0-1 against the Hawk, dropping a 14-13 barnburner in the 2023 Cy-Hawk dual. This match was Kennedy's first appearance back on the mat for that season, and Gaitan turned up the heat late, running down Kennedy and forcing a number of stall calls before coming up just short. While Gaitan has proven throughout his career that he can compete with top-tier athletes through his previous wins against All-Americans Cade Devos and Peyton Mocco, the version of Kennedy that he'll likely see on Sunday is the best version of the Iowa middle-weight thus far. There will be nothing easy about this matchup for Iowa State. 

184 pounds: No. 1 Angelo Ferrari vs. No. 10 Isaac Dean 

Angelo Ferrari is familiar with the Cy-Hawk dual and all that comes with this rivalry. The redshirt freshman made a surprise debut at last year's Iowa vs. Iowa State dual and stopped then-top-15 ranked Evan Bachman 8-2 for one of his select appearances in varsity competition without burning his redshirt. The match showed the country what Ferrari was capable of — now he'll have his chance against another ranked opponent in transfer athlete Isaac Dean, who sits at No. 10 in the weight class. Dean, a transfer from Rider, has had a solid start to his Cyclone career, posting a 4-0 record, but like many of his Iowa State teammates, he hasn't be challenged against a top-33 opponent yet. Ferrari will be a tough matchup for the senior. 

Angelo Ferrari with another win for in the Cy-Hawk Dual ‼️ on 💻

— Big Ten Wrestling (@B1GWrestling)

Ferrari took over the top spot in the rankings at 184 pounds after National Duals where he beat Missouri's No. 2 Aeoden Sinclair, Ohio State's No. 6 Dylan Fishback and Oklahoma State's No. 9 Zack Ryder and Illinois' No. 22 Chris Moore. Previous No. 1-ranked Max McEnelly of Minnesota's loss to Sinclair pushed Ferrari to the top of the list, but the Hawk very much looks like a title threat. There are no guarantees in the Cy-Hawk dual, but this is a weight that leans heavy in favor of the Hawks. 

197 pounds: No. 4 Massoma Endene vs. No. 2 Rocky Elam 

Iowa's Massoma Endene, a three-time DIII transfer athlete, has been a huge bright spot for the Hawks thus far this season, posting a 6-0 record with wins over All-American No. 4 Mac Stout as well as No. 17 Evan Bates and No. 9 Cody Merrill. His win over Merrill in particular helped seal the win for Iowa over then-No. 3 Oklahoma State, and he's win over Stout kept Iowa's shutout against the Panthers alive.

He'll now have his biggest test of the year in No. 2 Rocky Elam.

According to rankings the top head-to-head matchup in this year’s will be the 197-pound matchup between Iowa’s No. 4 Endene and Iowa State’s No. 2 Elam.

— IAwrestle (@IAwrestle)

A four-time All-American for Missouri, Elam transferred to Iowa State for his final season after taking a medical redshirt last year and is 3-0 on the year as a Cyclone, though he hasn't faced a ranked wrestler yet. A healthy Elam can make the NCAA finals and would be a favorite against Endene, but the Hawkeye is coming into this matchup with momentum and confidence. This dual will mark the first and last Cy-Hawk dual for seniors Endene and Elam, and it's a dual that could come down to their top-3 ranked individual bout. 

285 pounds: No. 6 Ben Kueter vs. No. 1 Yonger Bastida

The best version of Iowa State's Yonger Bastida is a title favorite. Over the last five years with the Cyclones, Bastida has finished fifth, in the Round of 16 and in the Round of 12 at NCAAs, but his career wins over NCAA champions Wyatt Hendrickson, NCAA finalists Lucas Davison, Cohlton Schultz and Jacob Warner and All-Americans Zach Elam, Josh Heindselman, Nick Feldman and Stephen Little, Gavin Hoffman, Greg Bulsak, Jake Woodley and now-teammate Rocky Elam showcase his ability to beat the best of the best. Bastida will face his first All-American of the season when he too wrestles in the last Cy-Hawk dual of his career against Iowa's Ben Kueter, an athlete he is 1-0 against in his career. 

LAST TIME OUT: Full breakdown of Bastida's win over Kueter in 2024

Kueter, who finished eighth as a redshirt freshman at last year's NCAA tournament, is 2-0 on the year with wins over Bellarmine's Daulton Mayer and Pittsburgh's Dayton Pitzer and has not yet given up a takedown. Health is a concern for Kueter, who sat out of the National Duals Invitational due to injury, though his win over Pitzer is a positive sign for Hawks fans who want to see their big man in battle. Bastida has the advantage on paper, and Iowa State can feel confident with him as its anchor, but Kueter is only continuing to improve and cannot be overlooked.