Photo Courtesy of Jacqueline Cordova
AMES, Iowa – Nine sophomores and one true freshman propelled No. 14 Iowa State to a 26-15 victory over Arizona State on Friday night at Hilton Coliseum.
“Well, nine sophomores and one true freshman, and they all came out of the same recruiting class. I didn’t think I’d ever be saying that, but they got the job done,” Dresser said.
Like much of the Cyclones’ season, Friday night’s dual did not come without lineup changes. Illness sidelined two key wrestlers: Cody Chittum (157) and Evan Bockman (184). Chittum’s illness wasn’t discovered until just hours before the team reported for the dual, resulting in Carter Fousek making his Hilton Coliseum debut.
“We find out he’s (Chittum) sick this morning at noon, and Fousek is supposed to wrestle an exhibition match. I call him up at 12:30 and say, ‘You’re going.'”
That unexpected change led to the most significant match of the night. Fousek delivered a stunning comeback, bringing the Hilton crowd to its feet. After falling behind 6-0 in the first period, he clawed his way back, put Pierson Manville on his back, and secured a pin in 6:07.
“Off the rip, he (Manville) was ready to go, and I just knew if I stayed in there, I’d have a chance,” Fousek said. “As the match got on him, he started to fade. I got tired too, but I just decided to get tough.”
With a young lineup, Dresser has had to make adjustments like this all season. “It’s been a struggle all year. It’s been difficult. It’s been very difficult,” he said. “Sometimes you gotta get it done, and it was a good win.”
With the victory, Dresser reached 250 career dual wins.
“For this year, I guess they (dual wins) haven’t come as easy,” Dresser said. “But, you know, I’ve been fortunate. I’ve had two great institutions, Virginia Tech and Iowa State, and three great ADs that have all been supportive.”
Iowa State will have a quick turnaround as it hosts No. 15 Pitt on Sunday at 1 p.m. at Hilton Coliseum. The dual will be streamed on ESPN+ as the Cyclones look to keep building momentum late in the season.
MATCH-BY-MATCH RESULTS
No. 14 Iowa State 26, Arizona State 15
125: #2 Richard Figueroa (ASU) WBF Ethan Perryman (ISU), 1:55
133: #5 Evan Frost (ISU) dec. Julian Chlebove (ASU), 5-1
141: #11 Jacob Frost (ISU) dec. Emilio Ysaguirre (ASU), 6-1
149: #7 Paniro Johnson (ISU) dec. #21 Jesse Vasquez (ASU), 10-4
157: Carter Fousek (ISU) WBF Pierson Manville (ASU), 6:07
165: Aiden Riggins (ISU) MD Javani Majoor (ASU), 21-7
174: #21 MJ Gaitan (ISU) MD Joseph Manfredi (ASU), 15-5
184: Shay Addison (ASU) WBF Nando Villaescusa (ISU), 5:38
197: Nate Schon (ISU) dec. Jacob Meissner (ASU), 7-4
285: #5 Cohlton Schultz (ASU) dec. #26 Daniel Herrera (ISU), 3-0
