Iowa State vs Iowa

El_Jefe

All-American
Oct 11, 2021
1,769
5,355
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Not disagreeing with anybody's assessment of Iowa. 4 guys have the talent to be finalists, reality will probably be harsher.

Now do Iowa State: only Elam and Bastida have a realistic shot. Both missed last year due to injury, Elam's shoulder and Bastida's knee. Both are SRs, and Elam is 6th year. The next highest returning placer is Echemendia, also a 6th-yr SR, 5th in 2024 but didn't make the starting lineup last year.

Just having a hard time seeing ISU > Iowa at nationals, even if Iowa is held together with duct tape.
 
Jun 26, 2025
124
268
63
Not disagreeing with anybody's assessment of Iowa. 4 guys have the talent to be finalists, reality will probably be harsher.

Now do Iowa State: only Elam and Bastida have a realistic shot. Both missed last year due to injury, Elam's shoulder and Bastida's knee. Both are SRs, and Elam is 6th year. The next highest returning placer is Echemendia, also a 6th-yr SR, 5th in 2024 but didn't make the starting lineup last year.

Just having a hard time seeing ISU > Iowa at nationals, even if Iowa is held together with duct tape.
Whoever gets the spot at 149 has a realistic shot at being a finalist. 149 is so wide open.
 
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Jun 26, 2025
124
268
63
Not disagreeing with anybody's assessment of Iowa. 4 guys have the talent to be finalists, reality will probably be harsher.

Now do Iowa State: only Elam and Bastida have a realistic shot. Both missed last year due to injury, Elam's shoulder and Bastida's knee. Both are SRs, and Elam is 6th year. The next highest returning placer is Echemendia, also a 6th-yr SR, 5th in 2024 but didn't make the starting lineup last year.

Just having a hard time seeing ISU > Iowa at nationals, even if Iowa is held together with duct tape.
Also, Ech was the starting 149 last year, then got injured while moving down to 141 (after Swiderski got injured)
 
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PUR158

Junior
Feb 11, 2025
113
304
63
Caliendo is probably their best chance but Lockett or Blaze could realistically beat him in Semis.

Ferrari is next but Sinclair, Welsh and McEnelly are all potential finalists as well. Could go any direction among those 4.

I actually like Kennedy but think he will take a loss in semis to someone like Ruiz or Kharchla.

I don’t think Ayala makes the Finals (and maybe not even the Semis). Behind Byrd, Davino, Blaze and if they go Crookham and Forrest.

I put odds at 2.5 and am taking the under.
I think they get one into the finals, it will be the old late 70s beat up pick up truck.
 
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AndEEss

Sophomore
Jun 12, 2020
53
120
33
I’m not reading too much into NDI results.

Nebby looked like they came out of a two week bender and everyone on tanOSU looked like a natty finalist. OkSt also wrestled very well but I don’t think Sergio Vega is the 2nd best 141 in the country.

The truth is somewhere in between. Unless tanOSU is able to hold a peak for 5 months and Nebby never, ever gets right, I just don’t believe that Brandon Cannon is MD-ing Antrell Taylor in March.
 

AndEEss

Sophomore
Jun 12, 2020
53
120
33
I’m not reading too much into NDI results.

Nebby looked like they came out of a two week bender and everyone on tanOSU looked like a natty finalist. OkSt also wrestled very well but I don’t think Sergio Vega is the 2nd best 141 in the country.

The truth is somewhere in between. Unless tanOSU is able to hold a peak for 5 months and Nebby never, ever gets right, I just don’t believe that Brandon Cannon is MD-ing Antrell Taylor in March.

Similarly, that wasn’t the best version of a lot of Iowa guys. Do I think a lot of them are overtrained by the postseason? Yes. But I don’t think they are anywhere near that yet.
 

Nitlion1986

All-Conference
Apr 13, 2024
395
1,039
93
I’m not reading too much into NDI results.

Nebby looked like they came out of a two week bender and everyone on tanOSU looked like a natty finalist. OkSt also wrestled very well but I don’t think Sergio Vega is the 2nd best 141 in the country.

The truth is somewhere in between. Unless tanOSU is able to hold a peak for 5 months and Nebby never, ever gets right, I just don’t believe that Brandon Cannon is MD-ing Antrell Taylor in March.
He might not major him again, but Cannon wins that match every time this year. Assuming good health.
 

PSU Mike

All-American
Jul 28, 2001
3,435
5,905
113
Not disagreeing with anybody's assessment of Iowa. 4 guys have the talent to be finalists, reality will probably be harsher.

Now do Iowa State: only Elam and Bastida have a realistic shot. Both missed last year due to injury, Elam's shoulder and Bastida's knee. Both are SRs, and Elam is 6th year. The next highest returning placer is Echemendia, also a 6th-yr SR, 5th in 2024 but didn't make the starting lineup last year.

Just having a hard time seeing ISU > Iowa at nationals, even if Iowa is held together with duct tape.
One of those three ISU guys won’t make it to NCAAs, just based on odds with age and injury.
 

Random4598375

Sophomore
Jan 10, 2020
66
159
33
Caliendo is probably their best chance but Lockett or Blaze could realistically beat him in Semis.

Ferrari is next but Sinclair, Welsh and McEnelly are all potential finalists as well. Could go any direction among those 4.

I actually like Kennedy but think he will take a loss in semis to someone like Ruiz or Kharchla.

I don’t think Ayala makes the Finals (and maybe not even the Semis). Behind Byrd, Davino, Blaze and if they go Crookham and Forrest.

I put odds at 2.5 and am taking the under.
Kharchla? LOL. I would be shocked if he’s even an AA this year.
 

CarolinaFan1

Junior
Jun 7, 2025
101
365
63
Kharchla? LOL. I would be shocked if he’s even an AA this year.

I always enjoy when people respond with the highly clever “lol” response. In this case “LOL” for emphasis. You are certainly entitled to your opinion — maybe you will be proven correct. I don’t care enough because Iowa is no longer relevant to PSU other than to entertain us with their court jester like antics. Okie St is our only rival for the foreseeable future.

I do assume you are aware Kharchla beat Kennedy 2x last year and lost to him this year in SV? Not sure that track record is worthy of an LOL (with emphasis) but that’s up to you. I’ll stick with my under 2.5.
 

Nitlion1986

All-Conference
Apr 13, 2024
395
1,039
93
I was amazed how good da tanOsu looked. They will be a tough match for Penn St
If by tough match up you mean OSU might win a couple bouts and make PSU wrestle hard to win a few others. Yeah. At the end of the meet it will the typical PSU beat down of the Bucks.
However, it will fun to watch because Tom will begin the meet truly believing in a path to victory and as the reality settles in Tom will have gone to yelling and challenging every call to simply sitting fittling with his tie.
 
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zzs006

All-Conference
Mar 27, 2017
353
1,821
93
Yonger is really ******* good. Kueter is good as well but he has never quite lived up to the hype when he came out of hs. I wonder if things would be any different if he never tried doing both sports and committed full time to wrestling from the very beginning
 

King of Poland II

Sophomore
Oct 12, 2021
98
197
33
Can we all agree that Kueter is an athlete? The dude is good enough to be recruited as a major D1 wrestling AND football talent, yet he's spent a few years in that room and has become the most boring heavyweight on earth. Circling away to the edge with a very low activity rate. TnT have ground that culture right into the kid.... or wait, maybe it's the injury rehab and related cobwebs. ;) Way to get the Cyclones on the board, Yonger!
 
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El_Jefe

All-American
Oct 11, 2021
1,769
5,355
113
Bastida looks really good. There is no dominant HWT like Snyder, but he's as good as any to make the finals.

Gotta hand it to Kueter for slipping out for an escape with under 1 sec left to avoid the major. Lots of guys would've conceded there. Though Bastida did almost nothing to keep him down at the end of either period, other than lean on him.