Iowa State 174-pound junior MJ Gaitan celebrates after his upset of Iowa’s Patrick Kennedy in Sunday’s dual meet between the Cyclones and the Hawkeyes at Hilton Coliseum. ISU won, 20-14, to snap a 20-match skid in the series. Photo by Jacqueline Cordova/Cyclone Fanatic
AMES — Every time Iowa State’s 174-pounder MJ Gaitan competes, he struts onto the mat to the iconic 1995 Hip-Hop anthem, “California Love.”
But it’s Hilton Magic the Golden State native craves — and, boy, did he conjure it in Sunday’s electric dual meet against Iowa.
Gaitan’s funky and frenetic 9-8 upset of Iowa’s No. 2 Patrick Kennedy helped the No. 6 Cyclones exorcise their Cy-Hawk demons, as they beat the No. 3 Hawkeyes, 20-14, to end a 20-match skid in one of the sport’s most storied series.
“It was really fun, since wrestling in (this dual) my freshman year, my sophomore year, and being one match, one match away, (and) it was almost like, ‘Dang, it’s almost like a nightmare,” Gaitan said. “Like, we can’t win it — and we finally get it done. It’s just surreal out there. Crazy.”
Four-time All-American and Missouri transfer Rocky Elam fully sealed the long-awaited victory with an 8-2 win over Iowa’s Massoma Endene in a top-five matchup at 197.
The Cyclones won six of the ten bouts. ISU’s 141-pounder, Anthony Echemendia, and its 157-pounder, Vinny Zerban, both racked up bonus points. Top-ranked heavyweight, Yonger Bastida won his match comfortably, and sixth-ranked 133-pounder Evan Frost surged past No. 3 Drake Ayala, 11-5.
“There (are) a lot of matches these guys will forget in their careers,” Cyclones head coach Kevin Dresser said. “But they’re not gonna forget today. So I think that’s the cool part of sports, and I think that should propel (us).”
It’s only November, of course, so if this is ISU’s signature moment of the 2025-26 season, that would be cause for concern. March is what matters, but it sure feels good to win against Iowa for the first time since Dec. 6, 2004.
“That’s kind of one of the moments that you live for,” said Frost, whose twin brother, Jacob, could’t compete at 149 Sunday because he’s dealing with an illness. “We were going crazy.”
Especially Gaitan, who came into the match with a chip on his shoulder that only grew larger after a chance encounter at a local Casey’s on Saturday.
An Iowa fan saw him and a couple of his teammates. He asked if they were wrestlers. Gaitan said, “Yes, we are.” The man then asked who he’d be wrestling and Gaitan told him.
“Ouch,” the guy in Iowa garb said.
Gaitan paused and thought, “What?”
“Whatever,” the Temecula, Calif., native said one triumphant day later. “Extra fuel. All the media was saying I was gonna get majored. … Nobody had me winning except myself. Doesn’t matter. I’m the only one stepping out there, so why should I listen to them? I shouldn’t. And that’s what I did — I went out there and performed.”
He did so with panache and his trademark “funky” moves, though with more precision and less unpredictability — much to the delight of most of the 12,292 fans at Hilton Coliseum.
“What MJ brings to the table is, he’s got roll-around ability, so when somebody’s always trying to pin you, or put you on your back, that’s a whole different level of cardio needed when you’re trying to survive,” Dresser said. “And MJ brings that to the table. But I like the fact that he’s getting a little more basic and he’s not like a tornado out there every time. It’s just half a tornado, so there’s a fine line there.”
And it’s one Gaitan will still probably cross a time or two.
“I’ve been wrestling like this since I was five years old,” he said. “You can’t take the funk out of me. Like, it just happens naturally. When I go out there and I feel something and it’s there, I’m gonna hit it. I’m not scared to hit it.”
