Photo Courtesy of Jacqueline Cordova / CycloneFanatic
AMES, Iowa – For only the second time ever, a college wrestling dual aired live on ESPN. Iowa State hosted both events, including Sunday night’s matchup against No. 3 Oklahoma State.
This was Iowa State’s toughest challenge yet. The Cyclones stormed out to an early lead, fueled by the energy of the Hilton Coliseum crowd and clutch performances from the Frost brothers and Cody Chittum. However, as the dual progressed, the Cowboys’ upper weights proved too much to overcome, handing Iowa State a 27-12 loss in its first Big 12 dual defeat of the season.
“I was excited to win those four matches, but I also knew the storm was a-brewing,” head coach Kevin Dresser said. “I knew what we were facing. I didn’t think that we could win any of those matches, and we didn’t.”
Iowa State had four back-to-back wins from Evan Frost, Jacob Frost, Cody Chittum, and Paniro Johnson.
Jacob Frost was a standout for the Cyclones, securing the highest-ranked win of his career with a 4-1 victory in sudden victory over No. 4 Tagen Jamison.
“That was great. That was a heck of a match, man,” said Dresser. “Those Frost boys are tough. You know, I said it—I think Friday night—they can get away, they can ride, they can turn, and they’ve got great leg attacks. Great formula to be a good college wrestler—a really good college wrestler. So proud of him.”
At 149 pounds, Johnson remains undefeated since moving up in weight, improving to 8-0 with a 4-2 decision over No. 14 Carter Young. Cody Chittum capped off the Cyclones’ early momentum with a 4-2 victory over No. 11 Caleb Fish at 157 pounds.
“He’s starting to figure out who he is. He stayed really, really solid to his style and his game plan,” said Dresser about Chittum’s win. “When you start to do that and know who you are as a wrestler, you can start to beat really good people. And he beat a really good guy today. I mean, Fish has been on a roll, and so that was a big win.”
The Cowboys swept the remaining five matches from 165 pounds to heavyweight, including four bonus-point wins.
“From 165, really, to heavyweight, they overwhelmed us. I think every one of them is ranked in the top six or seven, and it shows,” said Dresser. “When you’re in that situation, everything’s a learning experience. But hopefully, all those guys aspire to be at that level, and that’s going to take some work.”
Dresser remains positive this team can have some success in March despite the injuries that have plagued this year’s starting lineup.
“I think we’ll be okay,” said Dresser. “We got some guys that can do a lot of damage when we get to the NCAA tournament and the Big 12s. You get dealt a hand, and you got to play it, and we’re going to play it strong.”
Match-By-Match Results
No. 13 Iowa State 12, No. 3 Oklahoma State 27
125: #4 Troy Spratley (OSU) maj. dec. Ethan Perryman (ISU), 20-10
133: #5 Evan Frost (ISU) dec. Reece Witcraft (OSU), 9-4
141: #13 Jacob Frost (ISU) dec. #4 Tagen Jamison (OSU), 4-1 SV-1
149: #11 Paniro Johnson (ISU) dec. #14 Carter Young (OSU), 4-2
157: #12 Cody Chittum (ISU) dec. #11 Caleb Fish (OSU), 4-2
165: #6 Cameron Amine (OSU) dec. Aiden Riggins (ISU), 11-4
174: #3 Dean Hamiti Jr. (OSU) TF #23 MJ Gaitan (ISU), 20-4 (5:20)
184: #3 Dustin Plott (OSU) maj. dec. #12 Evan Bockman (ISU), 11-2
197: #7 Luke Surber (OSU) def. Sawyer Bartelt (ISU), Inj. Def. (6:37)
285: #3 Wyatt Hendrickson (OSU) TF #23 Daniel Herrera (ISU), 16-0 (3:30)
