This weekend was a true rollercoaster, with plenty of highs and lows. There’s a lot to unpack. Let’s dive into this special edition wrestling mailbag and tackle a few questions!
From Twitter, @PetersburgrKing writes: My question/slightly critique: wtf with all the injuries?! Where do we go from here so this postseason is setting us up for future success?
This question prompted me to revisit our weekly media availabilities with Coach Kevin Dresser, which led me down quite the rabbit hole.
In one interview, Dresser shared that nothing had changed to explain the growing injury list, which became increasingly discouraging. He mentioned that he feared this season might mirror one he had at Virginia Tech, where injuries to key wrestlers derailed the year. I came across an article in the Virginia Tech archives that reads, “Bruce is the third heavyweight to go down for the Hokies this year.” Imagine losing three heavyweights in a single season? On top of a bunch of other injuries!
The thing to remember is that this year’s struggles shouldn’t affect the potential success for next season. Hypothetically, all the Cyclones who were injured this year will be back—though we still need to wait on Yonger Bastida’s medical redshirt decision. Next year’s team should look completely different and more like the team you saw last March.
From Twitter, @timmer52342 said, “MJ has to big the biggest surprise of the Big12s for ISU right? Maybe Riggins. Both wrestled their asses off.“
I think Aiden Riggins was the biggest surprise this weekend. He’s a guy I’ll admit I completely overlooked going into Tulsa. Wrestling for third place is never easy, especially when you start the day as the No. 8 seed and lose 2-0 to No. 1 Terrell Barraclough (UVU). But Riggins battled his way through the back of the bracket, ultimately facing Barraclough a second time in the third-place match. He showed the growth I’d been hearing about. Riggins even earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Wrestling Championships.
Riggins, if you’re reading this, my bad for not recognizing your game sooner!
That said, MJ Gaitan definitely deserves credit for his third-place finish.
Dresser shared that Gaitan was actually close to not competing due to an injury. But Gaitan worked with the team trainer and came out on fire. His pin over No. 5 Cade DeVos (SDSU) had to be one of my favorite moments from the weekend.
It’s honestly fitting that both Riggins and Gaitan had such gutsy performances after swapping weights in the middle of the season and taking some time to find their groove.
MJ Gaitan brings out that funky and wild style we love so much to turn the match in his favor and win by fall. He needed that. Iowa State needed that.
Gaitan will wrestle for third place. 😤 pic.twitter.com/hA5AYNXtYe
— Jacqueline (@JacquelineCord) March 9, 2025
From Twitter AND the forums, several people wrote asking for insight into the controversial story of the weekend regarding weigh ins and lack of disqualifications.
The most concrete information I gathered was that two wrestlers, from Oklahoma and Oklahoma State, broke rules during weigh-ins on Saturday morning. Weigh-ins happen two hours before the competition starts, and the two main infractions I heard about were that one wrestler was “sitting” on a workout bike and another had a cut underwear band. Both of these things are against the rules and should result in disqualification, as clearly stated in the rulebook.
Regarding the @Big12Conference weigh-in controversy, I was not in the weigh-in area at the time of the issue in question. I did speak with five coaches who were. Below are rules 9.2 15 and 3.22.1.b from the rulebook, and you can draw your conclusion(s). pic.twitter.com/7P0nsYmPAJ
— Rock Harrison (@rockreax) March 8, 2025
The report from Big 12 is that underwear was altered for weigh ins and that weight loss activity (riding bike) was occurring during weigh ins.
If that is the case, by rule disqualification is the stated penalty. pic.twitter.com/j4LPatikr4
— Christian Pyles (@CPyles8) March 8, 2025
Allegedly, the two wrestlers were disqualified, but that decision was later overturned, allowing them to compete.
From my personal experience, when I arrived at the BOK Center that morning, I saw several coaches pacing with frustrated expressions. Honestly, I can’t blame them. Rumors were running rampant as we headed into the first session, and Air Force tweeted about a match delay that further speculated about who was involved. On Sunday night, I met an Air Force parent in the elevator who asked if I had any insight. They still didn’t understand what had happened and expressed frustration at the lack of information.
After a delay and official meeting, Jamison and Nogle will meet at mat 3. #FlyFightWin https://t.co/Vv8jaXmkyg
— Air Force Wrestling (@AF_Wrestle) March 8, 2025
Dresser was pretty clear about his frustration surrounding the lack of transparency with the coaches.
The Big 12 Conference has yet to publicly address the issue, which I think has only made things worse. They can try to ignore it, but it will remain a stain on the 2025 tournament. Especially considering who was involved, the team race, it sets a concerning precedent.
If you’re bold enough to make this call as a conference, then be bold enough to back it up.
My thoughts: 1. This isn’t good for the sport. 2. Rules are rules.
We’re not talking about a controversial celebration, a questionable judgment call from a ref, or a coach stepping too far on the mat. We’re talking about athletes who’ve gone through, at minimum, five months of official weigh-ins. The process and rules didn’t magically change. Certain fans of a certain team were arguing on Twitter that disqualifying them would’ve hurt the sport, claim they weren’t actually breaking any rules, or say people are just being soft or looking for reasons to target a dominant program. But let’s be real.
I asked Dresser to give insight into the situation. His response ruffled some feathers, of course. Here’s what he had to say:
“There were some shenanigans pulled in a back room today.”
I asked Coach Dresser if he could give any insight into the situation that broke at the beginning of the day regarding certain wrestlers breaking rules around weigh ins. He shared that coaches received zero communication… pic.twitter.com/vifvXdQSYx
— Jacqueline (@JacquelineCord) March 9, 2025
From Twitter, @bwernimont11 said, “What do you think the starting lineup looks like next year and do you think we beat Iowa and Okie State?”
The lineup: I think we’re in for some serious déjà vu when we find ourselves asking the same questions we asked at the 2024 Media Day: What is Dresser going to do with all the middleweights?
125: Adrian Meza, Garrett Grice, Ethan Perryman
133: Evan Frost
141: Jacob Frost, Anthony Echemendia
149: Casey Swiderski, Paniro Johnson
157: Cody Chittum
165: Aiden Riggins, Connor Euton, Manny Rojas
174: MJ Gaitan
184: ??
197: ??
HWT: Yonger Bastida
I’ll be honest, I have no idea what the lineup is going to look like. If the Cyclones enter next fall without injuries, I expect wrestle-offs to be a bloodbath. Plus, what will the transfer portal bring? Will anyone transfer out of the program? Personally, I’m most curious about what happens at 125, 184, and 197 pounds.
Can they beat Iowa? Can they beat Oklahoma State? Well, both teams will be losing a lot of talent. Ask me again closer to August, after we see how the offseason unfolds. I’ll have a much clearer picture then.
