Oklahoma State transfer Brayden Thompson is headed to Ames.

• 184 pounds
• 2024 NCAA qualifier as a true freshman
• Redshirted in 2024-25, went 9-0 in open tournaments
• Three years of eligibility remaining
• Former No. 3 pound-for-pound recruit in the 2023 class

More on the Illinois native in update below:

Jake Brend and Brent Blum dive into the first mailbag episode of the offseason, hitting on topics in all four major sports. Who leads Iowa State in rushing in 2026? What will the rotation look like in men’s basketball? What’s next for Bill Fennelly in the portal? What makes a Cyclone a true Cyclone? Presented by Mechdyne in the Northwest Bank Studios.

Anyone heard if going to be Tailgate Tour this year? Any dates being mentioned? Know has usually been in mid to late May time period. Especially important with new coaches in FB, MW, and WW.

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Man that's sad. I used to listen everyday untill about the time Bob retired.

Consolidating general information into one place.

First and most notably, women's college wrestling is freestyle, as opposed to men's college, boys HS and girls HS.

Weight classes: 10
103, 110, 117, 124, 131, 138, 145, 160, 180, 207

Scholarships available: 10

Roster limit: 30

At present, there are no divisions in NCAA Women's Wrestling. A total of 112 teams -- not counting future additions -- are listed on the NCAA sport sponsorship site for 2025-26 (up from 76 in 2023-24). If we were to count them by their "typical" division, however, the breakdown would be:
Division I - 6
Division II - 39
Division III - 67

Number of NCAA programs in Iowa and nearby states (2025-26):
Iowa - 10
Illinois - 8
Wisconsin - 4
Missouri - 3
North Dakota - 2
Kansas - 1
Minnesota - 1
Nebraska - 1
South Dakota - 1

How the Postseason Works (for 2025-26 and 2026-27):
*Teams are split into 6 geographic regions of 17-20 teams each
*Each region gets 30 qualifiers (top 3 at each weight)
*Regional competition is held two weeks before nationals
*A total of 180 qualifiers (18 at each weight) at nationals

Recent Timeline:
2020 - Women's wrestling becomes an NCAA "emerging sport"
2022-23 - Minimum sponsorship count met
January 2025 - NCAA announces that women's wrestling will have an official championship, starting in 2025-26
December 2025 - Kent State (D-I #7) announces addition of program, starting 2027-28
January 2026 - NCAA approves establishment of a D-3 championship, starting in 2027-28
January 2026 - Mercyhurst (D-I #8) announces addition of program, starting 2026-27
March 2026 - The inaugural NCAA women's championship is held in Coralville
April 2026 - Iowa State (D-I #9) announces addition of program, starting 2027-28

We get focused on our own adds and subtractions from the portal, but it is interesting to see what conference foes are experiencing. Massive turnover at some stops. Kansas for instance:

Lost both Bedunga and Tiller from their front line. Paul Mbyia, a 7" Center also left, as have Elmarko Jackson, Jamari McDowell, Samis Calderon, Jayden Dawson and Corbin Allen. They have picked up Keanu Dawes from Houston. I believe out of eligibility inclues Tre White and Melvin Council. Darryn Peterson to the NBA draft. Of course you have to look at their HS class to finish the roster as they got 5* PF Taylen Kinney, 4* big Davion Adkins, 4* wing Trent Perry and another top recruit already for 2027.

Someone want to tackle an update for others in the conference?

I know they have a lot going on with all the announcements. I would like to see the Roster updated on the Cyclones site. I count 14 wrestlers that have either left or graduated. It would be nice to know who we have to work with. I think T.J. Koester Gray shirted? So hopefully he is still with us plus the in coming freshman. Hopefully we add some transfers.

Curious on who St. John will target to field our first roster? I assume she will recruit the rosters at the Grand Views, Simpson, Dubuque, North Central (IL) program's for ready talent through the transfer portal who would want to wrestle for a big D1 brand like Iowa State. I know many girls on those rosters from the state of Iowa whose dream would be to wrestle for the Cyclones (so long as they're talented enough). Also curious on who she will add to her coaching staff?

Now that the roster is finalized for the most part, who do you think will be the starters?

G: Toure
G: Johnson
G: Batemon
F: Singleton
F: Buchanan

Rotational Players:
G: Bond
G: Prather
F: Manning
F: Pleta

Bench (limited Minutes):
Mitchell
Rinaldo-Komlan
Wiggins
Kiss

Possible Redshirt (due to injury):
Gray

I think Bond is a starting candidate, but not sure who that pushes to the bench.

With yesterday's rumors of the LIV Golf League perhaps in financial trouble:

What are your thoughts and have you watched any of their events?

Would you welcome the LIV players back to the PGA tour, or make them requalify / pay a penalty?

If anyone sees or hears of any women’s wrestling gear dropping, let us know!! Would love to get a bunch!!

What are some weird movies that just flopped or are generally not loved by the public that you enjoy?

Hey everyone,

Below is the link where you can find today's full press conference plus 1:1 media scrums with Brent Metcalf and Alli St. John!

I read this book when it came out and when I found out Ridley Scott was directing and the cast I was all in. This looks great. And the book is fantastic.

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Jake Brend, Ben Hutchens, and Rob Gray react to Iowa State officially adding Women’s Wrestling and naming Alli St. John as the program’s first head coach. Kevin Dresser’s new role, Metcalf takes over on the men’s side, and how it all fits together. Talking basketball portal and more, courtesy of Kelderman Manufacturing.

Hi!

New column from Randy Peterson as he dives into the impact of Kevin Dresser.

Iowa State Athletics makes four massive announcements regarding wrestling. Women's wrestling is added and Alli St. John is the head coach, Kevin Dresser steps into a new role and Brent Metcalf is promoted to head coach of the men's program. Plus, Jamie Pollard explains the logistics of adding a new program, their separate facility and he shares more of what led to the gymnastics program getting cut. Presented by Wyffles Hybrids in the Northwest Bank Studios. Login to view embedded media

I know it was announced earlier this morning but its never too early to start thinking about assistants. I don’t know much about women's wrestling but I'm excited to learn!

Anyone have any ideas or early leads on who could be on Coach St. John's staff?

Official Coaching Staff
Head Coach - Alli St. John
Associate Head Coach - TBD
Assistant Coach - Jake Kadel

He used wigs and fake IDs to try to swindle millions of dollars? I'm hoping to eventually see pictures of this guy in the disguises. This story isn't complete without that.

Here are pictures of the guys he was pretending to be as well as a picture of the upcoming defendant:


David Njoku
Xavier McKinney

Michael Pennix Jr.

Luther Davis - the guy trying to impersonate them:

Hi everyone!

Big day in Ames. Four major announcements from Iowa State Athletics today:

• Women’s wrestling is officially coming to Iowa State as the 18th sport.
• Kevin Dresser will serve as Director of Men’s and Women’s Wrestling.
• Brent Metcalf named head coach of men’s wrestling and Derek St. John the Associate head coach.
• Alli St. John becomes the first head coach in Cyclone women’s wrestling history

Official releases below:

Alli St. John/Women’s wrestling: https://ow.ly/fexc50YKzk8
Metcalf named head coach: https://ow.ly/ACPk50YKzka
Kevin Dresser becomes Director of Wrestling: https://ow.ly/kcZx50YKzkb

After a storied 20-year collegiate coaching career that saw Iowa State and Virginia Tech return to national prominence, Kevin Dresser will transition into a new role within the Iowa State Athletics Department as Director of Men’s & Women’s Wrestling, Endowed Cyclone Director of Athletics Jamie Pollard announced Thursday. In his new position, Dresser will provide mentorship, leadership and fundraising acumen to both the ISU men’s and newly launched women’s wrestling programs.

Brent Metcalf, who has spent the past nine seasons helping Kevin Dresser methodically return the proud Cyclone program to national prominence, has been selected as the ninth head coach of the Iowa State men’s wrestling program, Endowed Cyclone Director of Athletics Jamie Pollard announced today.

Two-time World Wrestling Championships silver medalist Alli St. John (Ragan) has been selected as the first head coach of the Iowa State women’s wrestling program, ISU Endowed Director of Athletics Jamie Pollard announced today. The Cyclones will begin competing in the sport during the 2027-28 academic year; however, St. John’s program is open for business as it begins to build a roster for its debut season.