Iowa
Iowa State wrestling adds multi-time Pan-American champion Osmany Diversent to roster
Iowa State’s Anthony Echemendia is an All-American
Iowa State’s Anthony Echemendia speaks to reporters after earning All-American status
The Cuba-to-Iowa State wrestling pipeline remains strong.
Coach Kevin Dresser and the Cyclones added Osmany Diversent to the roster on Tuesday, the third Cuban-born wrestler currently with Iowa State. Diversant, a two-time Junior Pan-American champion in 2021 and 2022, is a highly-accomplished wrestler in freestyle. He most recently took third in the senior level of the Pan-American Games.
“Osmany is an extremely talented and athletic young man,” Dresser said in a release. “We have had some very good results with our recruiting efforts in Cuba in recent years. I’m excited to see how he makes the adjustments from freestyle to folkstyle wrestling.”
Diversent joins Yonger Bastida and Anthony Echemendia as Cuban-born wrestlers on the roster. He’ll also join Reineri Andreu Ortega, a two-time U23 World Champion for Cuba, in the Cyclone Regional Training Center.
Echemendia earned All-American status 141 pounds last season, while Bastida fell in the blood round despite being a trendy heavyweight national title pick.
Diversent, while he will have a learning curve in folkstyle wrestling, has beaten some big names as well. Most notably Richard Figueroa at the 2021 Pan-American games. Figueroa should be a familiar name for Iowans after he defeated Iowa’s Drake Ayala to win a national title for Arizona State in 2024.
Diversent’s addition to the roster may see him slot into the starting spot in the 125-pounds. He may also slot in at 133 pounds if All-American Evan Frost bumps up to 141 pounds, as Dresser told the Register could be a possibility. If he struggles with the transition to folkstyle, Ethan Perryman had a successful campaign as the backup to Kysen Terukina last season.
This is the second non-high school addition the Cyclones have made this offseason, with Utah Valley’s Evan Bockman transferring to Iowa State. The Alaska native is a three-time NCAA qualifier and should slot in at 197 pounds.
“Evan brings a lot of experience and will be another veteran guy on our team,” Dresser said. “We feel he can enhance our room and we think he has the ability to score a lot of points throughout his final season. He is just arriving in town and I can tell he is ready to get to work.”
Eli McKown covers high school sports and wrestling for the Des Moines Register. Contact him at Emckown@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @EMcKown23
Iowa
Iowa High School Girls Basketball: Top Junior Players
With the season coming out of the holiday break, now is the perfect time to take a look at the top Iowa high school girls basketball players by grade.
These are just some of the top players in Iowa and not a complete list of all of them. Statistics are based on those uploaded to the Bound website by January 4, 2026.
Here are the top junior girls basketball players in Iowa high school basketball:
A high-level producer, Maggie McChesney heads into 2026 averaging 23.6 points, nine rebounds, 2.7 steals, 2.6 assists and over two blocks per game.
The next standout from North Union, Ainsley Ulrich is posting nearly 23 points with six rebounds, and over three steals a night.
Flirting with averaging a double-double is Izzy Gilbertson, as the junior stands at 21.7 points, 9.7 rebounds, four blocks, 3.6 steals and three assists.
Along with posting 20 points and grabbing six rebounds, Cora Sauer also adds four steals and three assists.
A big sophomore season has carried right over for Melina Snoozy, as she leads the Crusaders with 20 points, eight rebounds and 3.5 steals a night, along with averaging a block per game.
Up north is Riley Meyer, a 20-point scorer per game who adds six rebounds and two steals.
Sitting right under 20 points a night is Addy Wolfswinkel, as she is also averaging five rebounds, three assists and three steals.
A standout on both ends, Maryn Franken posts nearly 20 points and over eight rebounds per game with three steals and 1.4 blocks.
Following in the footsteps of Audi Crooks, Graclyn Eastman has been nearly unstoppable for the Golden Bears, scoring 19 points per game with nine rebounds, 3.5 steals, 2.6 blocks and two assists.
Another Maroon standout named Muller, Katie is scoring over 18 points per game with six rebounds, 3.5 assists and over a block and steal.
One of the top players in the North Central Conference, Hayden McLaughlin has taken over as the No. 1 option for the Bulldogs, scoring 17 points per game with nearly six rebounds and two steals.
The Hawks rely on KeaOnna Worley to do a lot, and she delivers nightly, scoring 16.5 points with nearly five assists, four rebounds and two steals.
The balanced Comets are led by Campbell Schulz, as the junior posts 14 points, 4.6 rebounds, four assists, three steals and nearly three blocks.
Forming a powerful 1-2 punch with Addy Wolfswinkel is Deidra Doeden, who averages 18 points and 13.5 rebounds per game.
Down low for North Mahaska is Natallya Linder, a nightly double-double at 15.7 points and 13 rebounds to go along with 2.6 steals, 2.3 assists and a block.
The last name has long been a staple for Pella Christian, and Rachel is carrying it on now, averaging 14 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block per game.
The forward is a threat all over the court for the Falcons, posting 18 points, 11.6 rebounds, two steals, two assists and a block.
Triple-doubles are in the future for Aniya Hardee, as she is averaging nine points, 8.2 rebounds, 7.6 assists and nearly five steals per game.
Iowa
Penn State earns commitment from Iowa State leading wide receiver via transfer
Penn State landed Iowa State’s pair of quarterbacks earlier Sunday, including starter Rocco Becht, in a splash move. Now, the Cyclones’ leading receiver is coming with them.
Wide receiver Brett Eskildsen committed to Penn State via the transfer portal, becoming the seventh Cyclone to join the Nittany Lions this weekend. He announced the move on social media.
Eskildsen recorded 30 receptions, 526 yards and five touchdowns as a sophomore in 2025. He also appeared in all 13 games as a freshman but made just two catches for 17 yards.
The 6-1, 200-pound wideout is from Frisco, Texas, and is a three-star in the 247Sports transfer rankings (No. 118 overall, No. 30 WR). He was a three-star out of high school as well, where he had more than 1,5000 career receiving yards.
Becht’s top man from 2026 is now in place. He’ll also be able to throw to standout Penn State freshman Koby Howard and quick youngster Tyseer Denmark, who have confirmed their returns thus far.
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Iowa
Iowa State picks up commitment from Arkansas State QB Jaylen Raynor
Iowa State football has picked up a commitment from Arkansas State quarterback Jaylen Raynor, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported on Jan. 3.
Raynor has one season of eligibility remaining. The 6-foot, 202-pounder from Kernersville, North Carolina, passed for 3,361 yards and 19 touchdowns this season. He was intercepted 11 times.
Raynor also rushed for 423 yards and seven touchdowns.
He passed for 8,694 yards and 52 touchdowns in three seasons at Arkansas State.
“The (Iowa State) coaching staff is known for winning,” Raynor told Thamel. “The head coach is a known winner and done it on multiple levels.”
Raynor will join Arkansas State offensive coordinator Keith Heckendorf in Ames. Heckendorf was named Cyclones quarterbacks coach this week.
Raynor completed 19 of 33 passes for 222 yards in a 24-16 loss to Iowa State on Sept. 13, 2025.
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