Iowa

Iowa State wrestling notebook ahead of Cyclones’ season opener vs. No. 20 Stanford

Published

3 months ago

November 6, 2024

Iowa State wrestling notebook ahead of Cyclones’ season opener vs. No. 20 Stanford

AMES – Sixth-ranked Iowa State wrestling is set to begin the 2024-25 wrestling season with a dual meet against No. 20 Stanford.

Friday’s dual meet is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. CT from Hilton Coliseum and will be available on ESPN+.

“We got our hands full this first Friday night, I can tell you on paper, this is the toughest team we ever started out with,” head coach Kevin Dresser said. “I’m in my seventh or eighth year of home openers, and this is the toughest team we’ve got. … They have potentially six out of 10 weights ranked in the top 20, so it’s a lot for us to jump into right now, especially considering we got a really young squad and we’re going to be without a couple of All-Americans.”

The Cyclones are nursing several injuries, and it will have an opportunity to flex its depth early in the season. The Cyclones have penned three true freshmen in their starting lineup for Friday: Adrian Meza (125), Kane Naaktgeboren (157) and Daniel Herrera (HWT). Redshirt freshman Christian Carroll, InterMat’s No. 32-ranked 197-pounder, will also get to start.

“These freshmen that we got, man, I’m telling you, they’re dangerous,” senior Anthony Echemendia said. “They’re hungry, and they’re not going to take a step back for anybody. These guys wanted to be at Iowa State for a reason, because this program is doing great things, and I’m very happy with the freshmen that we have now. They’re going to carry the culture very well.”

There’s plenty of youth in the lineup overall. Eight of the 11 projected starting Cyclones are sophomores or younger, including 133-pounder Evan Frost, who was a NCAA All-American last season.

Additionally, six of 11 projected starters are new to the roster, including Meza, Naaktgeboren, Herrera, Iowa transfer Aiden Riggins (174), Utah Valley transfer Evan Bockman (184) and Oklahoma State transfer Christian Carroll (197).

It’ll be an opportunity for fans to become acquainted with the newcomers.

“We obviously had some wrestle-offs, and we have a few other wrestle-offs coming up here and we got some guys (coming back from injury) that we’re going to get back in the mix here, so they’re going to have to wrestle their way back into this, but it wasn’t a perfect puzzle,” Dresser said of the starting lineup selection process. “The coaching staff, we had hours and hours of meetings of hypotheticals, and sometimes an injury will force your hand a little bit.”

Iowa State wrestling roster and injury updates

Standout heavyweight Yonger Bastida is still recovering from a minor knee sprain that was announced to have him sidelined for 2-3 weeks, forcing him to withdraw from the NWCA All-Star Classic on Nov. 16.

Casey Swiderski, a NCAA All-American last season at 149 pounds, is working on his weight cut.

“We’ve progressed him down slow,” Dresser said. “It’s no secret that he wanted to make the drop to 141.”

Cody Chittum sustained a concussion, and the Cyclones are “leaning towards a redshirt” for the sophomore.

“He’s had a couple in the year, so we got him evaluated,” Dresser said of Chittum. “The evaluation was good, but they’re going to want to sit him for about 4-5 more weeks.”

Kysen Terukina, Paniro Johnson and M.J. Gaitan are working on their return to the mat after minor injuries.

Iowa State’s starting lineup will be one to watch as the season progresses and as more of those wrestlers make their return and finalize their weight changes.

“We’ve got our 141, 149, and 157 – everything can change in a month, but right now, it’s going to be Anthony (Echemendia) at 149, Paniro (Johnson) at 157. Cody will redshirt, and then next year, we’ll look into redshirting Casey, but right now, it’s looking like we’ve got 141, 149 and 157 figured out.”

With Gaitan out, sophomore Connor Euton is the starter at 165 on Friday, but it’ll be a close race between those two moving forward.

“I’m excited to see what he can do, he’s got M.J. and him competing for the same spot, so we’re going to have to turn around and have a wrestle-off here sooner than later,” Dresser said. “Right now, he’s one of our hardest-working guys, and he’s excited to get out there and show all that hard work.”

Cyclones’ probable lineup for dual meet with Stanford

125: Adrian Meza, Fr., 0-0 career record, or Garrett Grice, So., 16-5 career
133: Evan Frost, So., 37-12 career
141: Zach Redding, Sr., 43-24 career
149: Anthony Echemendia, Sr., 30-7 career
157: Kane Naaktgeboren, Fr., 0-0 career
165: Connor Euton, So., 20-4 career
174: Aiden Riggins, R-So., 17-15 career
184: Evan Bockman, Sr., 58-33 career
197: Christian Carroll, R-Fr., 2-2 career
HWT: Daniel Herrera, Fr., 0-0 career

Eugene Rapay covers Iowa State athletics for the Des Moines Register. Contact Eugene at erapay@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @erapay5.

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Iowa

Iowa vs. Ohio State Prediction, Odds and Key Players for Monday, Jan. 27

Published

9 hours ago

January 27, 2025

Press Room

Iowa vs. Ohio State Prediction, Odds and Key Players for Monday, Jan. 27

Two Big Ten teams seeking some consistency will look to get some at the expense of the other on Monday night.

Iowa travels to Columbus to face Ohio State on Monday night in league play as the Buckeyes enter as substantial favorites. However, Iowa’s offense has proven formidable even against sturdy competition for much of Big Ten play thus far. Will it hold up on the road?

Let’s find out with our betting preview!

Spread

Moneyline

Total: 156.5 (Over -105/Under -115)

Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook

Iowa

Owen Freeman: The big man has stepped up in a big way for the Hawkeyes, fresh off a 16-point, nine rebound effort in a one point win against Penn State. The Hawkeyes offense is reliant on high octane shooting from all over the floor, but its Freeman’s elite play around the rim that has played a big role in Iowa ranking third in effective field goal percentage.

Ohio State

Bruce Thornton: Thornton continues to stuff the stat sheet for the Buckeyes, scoring 11 points, grabbing six rebounds and dishing out five assists in the stunning second half rally against Purdue. Can Thornton continue to dictate the pace on offense and guide Ohio State to another win?

While Ohio State deserves credit for beating Purdue in a monster second half rally, I’m not going to look past what this team has put on paper of late, including losing four of five prior to that win with its lone win involving a double overtime win at basement dweller Minnesota.

The Buckeyes offense has struggled in Big Ten play, ranking 13th in effective field goal percentage while turning it over at a bottom two rate (20%). While Iowa’s defense has been incredibly poor, the team does generate turnovers at an above average rate that could steal possessions in what should be a high scoring affair.

Meanwhile, the Buckeyes defense has been fairly fortunate all season, allowing .08 points per possession fewer than expected, per ShotQuality. With Iowa’s explosive offense that is third in effective field goal percentage, that’s a recipe for disaster.

Further, can we trust Ohio State to win with margin? The team beat Rutgers by 14 back in December, but it’s two other Big Ten wins have come by one at Minnesota and three at Purdue.

Now, Iowa had a nightmare road trip out west, losing to USC by 19 and UCLA by 24, but the team also nearly stunned Michigan on the road in Big Ten play, losing by two on the road.

I don’t trust Ohio State to win big like this against an elite offense, I’ll take the points.

PICK: Iowa +7.5

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

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Iowa

34th Winter Iowa Games brings a variety of competitions to eastern Iowa

Published

20 hours ago

January 27, 2025

Press Room

34th Winter Iowa Games brings a variety of competitions to eastern Iowa

PEOSTA, Iowa (KCRG) – The 34th annual Winter Iowa Games is bringing people from across the Midwest travel to compete against each other.

On the weekend of Januaury 26, teams competed in Dubuque County in volleyball, soccer, and swimming.Some of the players such as Atalissa Moore, who plays volleyball at Maquoketa High School says it provides a way to challenge themselves and their team outside of normal competitions.

Moore said “I mean we’ve definitely had to battle with a lot of different things like we are on a completely different roster with our high school compared to our club right now so we’re just going along with the challenges and the bumps in the road and just making sure everybody’s learning and getting better.”

The Winter Iowa Games will continue through February with events like Skiing, Ice Hockey, and Basketball.

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Iowa Hawkeyes Star Projected to Land with Los Angeles Rams

Published

1 day ago

January 26, 2025

Press Room

Iowa Hawkeyes Star Projected to Land with Los Angeles Rams

The Iowa Hawkeyes have a few players who will be selected throughout the 2025 NFL Draft. While the biggest name of the bunch is standout running back Kaleb Johnson, there is another intriguing name to keep an eye on.

Jay Higgins, the team’s star linebacker, will also be selected at some point in the draft.

Arguably one of the most underrated linebackers in the 2025 draft class, Higgins put together a very strong college career at Iowa. He has been projected to end up being selected anywhere from the third to the fifth round.

Being selected in any round lower than the third round would make him a major steal.

That being said, a new projection has been made for where Higgins will end up.

Scott Salomon of Pro Football Network has predicted that the Los Angeles Rams will end up taking Higgins with the No. 98 overall pick.

Landing with the Rams would be a great opportunity for him. Los Angeles needs help at the linebacker position and he could come in and earn playing time right off the bat.

Throughout the course of the 2024 season with the Hawkeyes, Higgins ended up totaling 124 tackles, a sack, two forced fumbles, four interceptions, and five defended passes.

In his entire Iowa career, Higgins produced massive numbers. He racked up 341 total tackles, 3.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries, five interceptions, and nine defended passes.

While there are some concerns about his athleticism and ability to translate to the NFL, his production speaks for itself. Sometimes, teams have to look past the tape and focus on how a player plays on the field. That is how Higgins should be looked at.

Hopefully, Higgins is able to land with a good team and earn playing time early on. He is one of the best defensive players that the Hawkeyes have had in recent years and fans will continue rooting him on at the next level.

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