Eli McKown | Des Moines Register

NASHVILLE — In the final event for Iowa State wrestling before 2026, the Cyclones split duals against Ohio State and Lehigh in the Journeyman Collegiate Duals in Nashville, Tenn., on Dec. 21.

The Cyclones opened with a 21-13 loss to No. 2 Ohio State, losing six of 10 bouts. They bounced back with a 26-11 win over No. 12 Lehigh, winning seven of 10 matches while getting some mat time for a few non-starters.

Iowa State heavyweight Yonger Bastida was the star of the event, securing a pair of top-10 wins.

The Buckeyes opened with three consecutive wins by decision against Iowa State, with No. 3 Nic Bouzakis (9-2 decision) beating Stevo Poulin at 125 pounds, No. 2 Ben Davino (4-2 decision) defeating Evan Frost at 133 and two-time NCAA champion Jesse Mendez earning a victory (5-1 decision) over Anthony Echemendia at 141 pounds.

Jacob Frost got the Cyclones on the board with a well-earned win over No. 6 Ethan Stiles, finally getting a takedown in overtime after several scrambles to get a 4-1 sudden victory. To finish the first half of bouts, however, the Cyclones were without Vinny Zerban. Kane Naaktgeboren suffered a loss by fall in his place to No. 4 Brandon Cannon.

Iowa State closed the dual well, as Connor Euton secured a 4-2 win by decision at 165 over No. 16 Paddy Gallagher, Rocky Elam notched a 9-0 major decision over No. 14 Luke Geog and Bastida got a 4-2 decision over No. 3 Nick Feldman. Losses by decision from Aiden Riggins at 174 to No. 4 Carson Kharchla and Isaac Dean’s at 184 to No. 6 Dylan Fishback stifled a shorthanded Iowa State squad.

Against Lehigh, the Cyclones did not put out their usual starters at 141, 157 or 174 but were able to get the victory nonetheless. Poulin fell to 0-2 on the day with a 9-6 loss by decision to No. 5 Sheldon Seymour, but Evan Frost countered with a 14-3 major decision over Mason Ziegler at 133. Echemendia sat out the next match at 141, giving way to Osmany Diversent, who lost in a 15-0 technical fall to Carter Bailey.

Iowa State closed the first half of the dual with a 5-0 decision over Owen Reinsel at 149 and a dominant 20-5 technical fall for Naaktgeboren, who had a strong third period with several takedowns against Griffin Gonzalez.

Euton dropped his second bout of the day at 165 to No. 7 Max Brignola in a 6-1 decision, but the Cyclones closed the dual soundly from there. Riggins got a takedown and four near-fall swipes to get a late 17-9 major decision against Richie Grungo, followed by a 5-2 win in tiebreakers from Isaac Dean vs. No. 22 Rylan Rogers and a 10-1 major decision win for Elam over Remy Brancoto-Roed. In the biggest matchup of the dual, Bastida took down No. 6 Nathan Taylor in a 4-2 decision.

Iowa State concluded the 2025 portion of its schedule with a 3-1 dual record and a Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational title. The Cyclones will return from winter break on Jan. 4 with a dual vs. Stanford.

Iowa State wrestling vs. Ohio State results

• 125: Nic Bouzakis (OSU) over Stevo Poulin (ISU) (Dec 9-2)
• 133: Ben Davino (OSU) over Evan Frost (ISU) (Dec 4-2)
• 141: Jesse Mendez (OSU) over Anthony Echemendia (Dec 5-1)
• 149: Jacob Frost (ISU) over Ethan Stiles (OSU) (SV 4-1)
• 157: Brandon Cannon (OSU) over Kane Naaktgeboren (ISU) (Fall 6:53)
• 165: Connor Euton (ISU) over Paddy Gallagher (OSU) (Dec 4-2)
• 174: Carson Kharchla (OSU) over Aiden Riggins (ISU) (Dec 7-3)
• 184: Dylan Fishback (OSU) over Isaac Dean (ISU) (SV 4-1)
• 197: Rocky Elam (ISU) over Luke Geog (OSU) (MD 9-0)
• 285: Yonger Bastida (ISU) over Nick Feldman (Dec 4-2)

Iowa State wrestling vs. Lehigh results

• 125: Sheldon Seymour (LEH) over Stevo Poulin (ISU) (Dec 9-6)
• 133: Evan Frost (ISU) over Mason Ziegler (LEH) (MD 14-3)
• 141: Carter Bailey (LEH) over Osmany Diversent (ISU) (TF 15-0)
• 149: Jacob Frost (ISU) over Owen Reinsel (LEH) (Dec 5-0)
• 157: Kane Naaktgeboren (ISU) over Griffin Gonzalez (TF 20-5)
• 165: Max Brignola (LEH) over Connor Euton (ISU) (Dec 6-1)
• 174: Aiden Riggins (ISU) over Richie Grungo (LEH) (MD 17-9)
• 184: Isaac Dean (ISU) over Rylan Rogers (LEH) (TB-2 5-2)
• 197: Rocky Elam (ISU) over Remy Brancoto (LEH) (MD 10-1)
• 285: Yonger Bastida (ISU) over Nathan Taylor (LEH) (Dec 4-2)