No. 4 Iowa State will take on its fifth consecutive top-20 opponent Sunday when it hosts No. 17 Northern Iowa inside Hilton Coliseum. The Cyclones have won four-straight duals against their in-state foe. Sunday’s dual will mark the teams’ first meeting in Ames since 2021.
ISU is looking for its fifth consecutive win in the series against Northern Iowa. The Cyclones are 30-7 in Ames against the Panthers and haven’t lost at home since 2017.
NOTABLE
- Last time out, Iowa State topped No. 17 West Virginia, 29-11, after taking seven of 10 bouts from the Mountaineers. Four Cyclones won with bonus points while Casey Swiderski and David Carr each defeated top-10 opponents.
- The Cyclones have won 12 consecutive Big 12 duals inside Hilton Coliseum dating to the 2020-21 season.
- Six of 10 bouts in Friday’s matchup between ISU and UNI project to feature two ranked wrestlers, including top-15 battles at 141, 157 and 184 pounds if all ranked individuals wrestle.
- MJ Gaitan is on a career-best eight match winning streak with three consecutive wins against a ranked opponent. Last weekend, Gaitan pinned No. 17 Brody Conley in 38 seconds, the fastest pin of his career.
- Swiderski is 3-0 with three ranked wins since making his return to the lineup after missing a month and a half due to injury. The sophomore recently picked up his third top-10 win of the season by defeating West Virginia’s No. 7 Ty Watters, 7-4, in sudden victory.
- Yonger Bastida is still undefeated with an 18-0 record, which includes five victories over top-10 foes. The Cuban has 11 bonus-point wins and has only allowed two takedowns on the year.
- Carr has six wins over top-10 opponents this season. Three of his final four matches of the season will have come against a top-10 adversary.
- Iowa State wrestlers have pushed the pace and been aggressive on their feet this season. The Cyclones own a 421-135 takedown advantage over their opponents this season.
