Iowa State Ends Iowa’s Streak On The Wrestling Mats

Several former in-state standouts help Cyclones earn first win since 2004 over Hawkeyes

Feb 22, 2025; Des Moines, Iowa, USA; From left: Iowa coach Tom Brands, Northern Iowa coach Doug Schwab and Iowa State coach Kevin Dresser lead the Grand March at the state boys wrestling tournament at Wells Fargo Arena. / Reese Strickland/For the Register / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Former Iowa high school state wrestling champion Kevin Dresser summed it up perfectly after his Iowa State wrestling team downed Iowa Sunday.

“Anytime you beat a great team, you’ll remember it forever,” Dresser said during a post-match interview on ESPN. “And we’ll remember this forever.”

For the first time since 2004, the Cyclones topped the Hawkeyes on the wrestling mats, posting a 20-14 victory. No. 6 Iowa State had lost 20 consecutive duals to third-ranked Iowa in the CyHawk Series.

Several former Iowa high school wrestling standouts were involved in the 10-match dual that saw the Cyclones hold control throughout.

Dowling Catholic Graduate Evan Frost With Win Over Two-Time Defending NCAA Runner-Up

Evan Frost, who attended Dowling Catholic High School after starting his prep career in Louisiana, earned one of the biggest victories of the match when he bested two-time defending NCAA runner-up Drake Ayala.

Frost, a junior, was an NCAA All-American last year and the runner-up at the Big 12 Conference meet. This, though, was his biggest win to date, as he topped Ayala, a three-time state champion at Fort Dodge Senior High, 6-3, to put Iowa State up, 6-3.

The Cyclones would never trail again in the daul, as Anthony Echemendia earned a 14-2 victory over Nasir Bailey next.

Ryder Block With Big Win For Hawkeyes

Ryder Block, a former Waverly-Shell Rock standout, got Iowa back on track shortly with a 2-1 decision win over second-ranked Paniro Johnson in a tiebreaker, but Vinny Zerban ended that run with a dominating 12-3 win over Jordan Williams.

Iowa’s Michael Caliendo topped Connor Euton, 20-5, but MJ Gaitan put the Cyclones in a dominating 17-11 advantage with a 9-8 win over second-ranked Patrick Kennedy at 174 pounds.

After Angelo Ferrari downed Isaac Dean to cut the deficit to 17-14 for the Hawkeyes, Rocky Elam finished it off by taking out Massoma Endene - who was an NCAA Div. III national champion at Wartburg last year - in the final match, 8-2.

Up Next For Iowa State, Iowa

Ben Kueter, a former Iowa high school state champion at Iowa City High, lost to top-ranked Yonger Bastida in the opening match at heavyweight, 11-4.

The dual took place from Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa on Sunday.

Iowa State will next compete in the Cliff Keen Invitational beginning Friday, December 5 in Las Vegas. Iowa, meanwhile, returns to the mats on Friday, December 12 when they compete in the Journeymen Wrestling “Uncivil War” against Chattanooga and Utah Valley.

Dresser was a state champion at Humboldt High School and recently led the Grand March at the Iowa high school wrestling championships with Iowa head coach Tom Brands and Northern Iowa head coach Doug Schwab.

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