Iowa State wrestling defeats Arizona State on the road, wins 7 of 10

Iowa State’s MJ Gaitan, seen here during a November 30 dual against Iowa, took down Arizona State’s Leo Tukhlynovych at 174 pounds during a BIg 12 Conference dual on Jan. 6, 2026, in Tempe, Az. (Photo/Nirmalendu Majumdar, Ames Tribune

Eli McKown |Des Moines Register

Iowa State wrestling continued its winning ways in 2026, securing a 29-14 win on the road against Arizona State on Jan. 6 in the program’s Big 12 season opener.

The Cyclones won seven of 10 bouts, including the final five from 174 to 125 after starting the dual at 133 pounds. Iowa State had three technical falls in the dual from Antony Echemendia at 141, Jacob Frost at 149 and MJ Gaitan at 174. They closed the dual with two major decisions from Yonger Bastida at 285 and Stevo Poulin at 125.

Arizona State got off to a fast start, beginning the dual at 133 pounds with a win by fall. Former Valiant College Preparatory teammates Adrian Meza of Iowa State and Kyler Larkin of Arizona State squared off, but Larkin got the win by fall in the second period by locking up a cradle.

Iowa State didn’t waste time taking the lead from the Sun Devils, however, winning the next two bouts at 141 and 149. Echemendia gave up the first takedown vs. Benji Alanis at 141, but rallied for a 24-8 technical fall in the third period. Frost rolled Daniel Miranda in a 16-1 technical fall with just two takedowns but several tilts to back points to end the match early in the second period.

In the biggest bout of the night at 157, Arizona State got another win from a Larkin brother. Bumping up from 149 pounds, Kaleb Larkin (ranked No. 3 at 149) won in a 4-1 decision over Iowa State’s Vinny Zerban. Larkin got a takedown in the first period and held on to win from there. In a top-20 bout at 165, Arizona State retook the lead at 14-10 as No. 14 Nicco Ruiz put on a takedown clinic in a 19-3 technical win over No. 18 Connor Euton.

The Cyclones closed the dual strongly from there, winning all bouts from 174 to 125 pounds. Gaitan earned a 20-5 technical fall over Leo Tukhlynovych at 174, followed by a comeback 8-5 win for Isaac Dean over Azizbek Fayzullaev at 184, a 4-3 upset victory by decision for CJ Carter over three-time NCAA qualifier Colton Hawks and a dominant 18-6 major decision for Bastida over No. 19-ranked David Szuba to secure the dual victory. Stevo Poulin added salt to the wound with a 12-1 win over Damian Moreno.

Iowa State will return to the mat on Jan. 11 for another road dual vs. North Dakota State, where the Cyclones are projected to be heavy favorites.