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Iowa looks to continue two-decade dominance in Cy-Hawk rivalry

by: Tanner Lafever12 hours agoTannerLafever

It’s that time of year once again in the state of Iowa – a wrestling state, above all else.

It’s time for the latest edition of the Cy-Hawk rivalry.

#3 Iowa versus #6 Iowa State.

And once again, the prevalent question surrounding this dual is, “Can the Cyclones finally knock off the Hawkeyes?”

If you’re Tom Brands, his 10 wrestlers who will take the mat this Sunday in Ames, or the entirety of the Iowa fanbase the answer is an emphatic “absolutely not.”

Why? Because that’s borne out each of the last 20 Cy-Hawk meetings (incl. Brands’ entire run as head coach).

It’s also borne out in 34 of the past 35 editions of the rivalry – and 59 of the past 63.

Since the series’ first dual way back in 1912, Iowa has built a commanding 70-16-2 lead because it hasn’t worried about history, or streaks or any pent-up motivation from its rival to the west.

The Hawkeyes have won – again and again and again – because when it’s time to toe the line and get the job done that’s exactly what they do. And that’ll be the same task in front of them this go around.

So, how might it all play out on Sunday?

I’m ready to dive into the matchup if you are.

Meet the teams

Based on this week’s probable lineups, fans are almost exclusively in store for highly ranked matchups on Sunday.

The lowest ranked Hawkeye listed is #12 Jordan Williams at 157 pounds.

As for Iowa State, only Connor Euton (#22 at 165) sits outside the top 11 in his weight class.

According to InterMat’s latest rankings, the two teams are favored in five matches apiece – on paper anyway.

(And as we all know, matches/duals are usually settled on paper – especially this one.)

With no obvious weak spots in either lineup, there’ll be little opportunity to take a breath outside of intermission.

There is also some familiarity amongst the likely starters – and even more if you include an Iowa state championship rematch.

At 125, #7 Dean Peterson and #9 Stevo Poulin met in the blood round of the 2025 NCAA Championships while at their former schools (Rutgers and Northern Colorado respectively). Poulin prevailed in that one, 6-4, to secure a spot on the podium.

Meanwhile, a quartet of rematches harken back to Cy-Hawk duals of years past.

  • (133) – #3 Drake Ayala beat #6 Evan Frost, 11-7 in 2024
  • (165) – #3 Michael Caliendo beat #22 Connor Euton, 12-7 in 2024
  • (174) – #2 Patrick Kennedy beat #11 MJ Gaitan, 14-13 in 2023
  • (285) – #6 Ben Kueter lost to #1 Yonger Bastida, 7-2 in 2024

And at 149, #10 Ryder Block and 2025 All-American Jacob Frost last met at the 2022 IHSAA State Championships – where Block (Waverly-Shell Rock) prevailed over Frost (Dowling Catholic), 2-0 in the state final at 138 pounds.

So yeah, buckle up, folks – from start to finish.

How to watch

November 30th (Sun) – @ #6 Iowa State

  • Location: Ames, IA (Hilton Coliseum)
  • Time: 12:00 p.m. (CT)
  • TV/streaming: ESPN
  • Radio: AM 800 KXIC, the Hawkeye Radio Network, YouTube (see below)

Not that those in the know needed any outside validation that this was a big dual, but it should tell the general public something about its magnitude that ESPN has slotted it immediately following its “Sunday NFL Countdown” program.

They know the Cy-Hawk rivalry can draw eyeballs even beyond engrossed home state viewers, and they want to take advantage of it.

Shawn Kenny (play-by-play), Rock Harrison (analyst) and familiar Big Ten voice Shane Sparks (reporter) will be on the call.

And while that’s a great crew, Hawkeye fans will also have radio stalwarts Steven Grace and Mark Ironside on the call – accessible by any of the avenues listed above, or the YouTube stream below:

What to watch for (125-141)

So far this season, 125-pounder Dean Peterson hasn’t scored more than five points in any single match.

That said, he’s also shown the big match comfortability (incl. a last second, 5-4 win over #2 Troy Spratley) that was his calling card at Rutgers.

I’m sure Iowa fans would like to see him put more points on the board, but in a dual like this, getting your hand raised is all that matters.

If he does – much like his win against Oklahoma State at National Duals – it’ll put Iowa in the early driver’s seat.

At 133, Drake Ayala just needs to do Drake Ayala things.

A career 2-0 in Cy-Hawk matchups, Ayala used a pair of third-period takedowns to put away Evan Frost last season. Frost, a 2024 All-American, will be making his season debut at 133 pounds after using the past month to get his weight down.

Might that be a factor in an adrenaline heavy, raucous environment as the bout progresses?

 As for 141, intrigue abounds in a matchup between 2024 All-Americans Nasir Bailey and Anthony Echemendia.

Both have explosive offense – when they use it.

However, Bailey has scored zero takedowns in half of his six matches as a Hawkeye. And 17/21 career bonus-point wins for Echemendia all took place during the 2023-24 season – his lone time reaching the national tournament while bouncing between schools (Ohio State/Iowa State) and weight classes (141/149).

I’d expect a tight, low-scoring bout in this one – with the victor providing a jolt to his team’s dual chances.

What to watch for (149-165)

More mystery awaits at 149, although this time pertaining to whom Iowa State will send out on the mat.

Ironically, second-ranked Paniro Johnson may be the less likely option.

Amidst an unusual career to date, Johnson is 39-11 in competition (incl. 27-5 in duals) but has yet to advance beyond the Round of 16 at NCAAs. This, despite a winning a pair of Big 12 titles.

As such, Iowa State coach Kevin Dresser may could very well give the nod to Jacob Frost – ISU’s lone All-American in 2025 (7th at 141).

Whomever Dresser chooses, they’ll face an in-form Ryder Block – who continues to look the part this season despite facing nothing but top-20 ranked foes thus far.

Is ISU considered a slight favorite here, regardless of who it goes with? Probably. But it wouldn’t shock me in the least if Block added another huge win to his resume.

Meanwhile, 157 will offer another transfer-laden matchup.

Does Iowa go with #12 Jordan Williams – whom we haven’t seen since his 11-2 loss against current #7 Kannon Webster at National Duals? Or will Victor Voinovich III (1-2) get his third-consecutive nod following his first win of the season against Pittsburgh?

Either way, #3 Vinny Zerban awaits – last year’s Big 12 champion and an All-American (sixth) for Northern Colorado.

Zerban is tough, no doubt. And his 72-24 career record (all of it spent in the Big 12) supports that.

But last season was also his first time making a deep run in March. And this year’s 157-pound weight class (like 149) is void of multiple proven stars at the top of the rankings.

So, while he’s the favorite entering this dual, I don’t think the gap is nearly as wide as the rankings might suggest.

Of course, that’s just my view of the matchup. Whereas we don’t know how the Iowa staff looks at it.

  1. Is Jordan Williams healthy?
  2. If so, do they think he’s a higher risk/reward option than Voinovich?
  3. Regardless of that opinion, what do they think this dual requires for Iowa to get the team win?

We’ll just have to wait and see.

As for 165 – #3 Michael Caliendo vs. #22 Connor Euton – this too, could be closer than the rankings would suggest.

A year ago, Euton scored the first takedown in Iowa City, and led 6-5 early in the third period before Caliendo scored a pair of takedowns to get the 12-7 win. Euton was also injured midway through the match – and wouldn’t wrestle again in 2024-25.

If Caliendo – who hasn’t always looked his sharpest this season – is operating at full capacity, bonus points could be a possibility on Sunday. But if he’s a notch or two below that, things could be in the balance – especially with how high some folks are on Euton’s ability.

What to watch for (174-285)

Bonus points are on the table at 174.

There, #2 Patrick Kennedy will face #11 MJ Gaitan for the second time in this rivalry.

Two years ago in Ames, the Hawkeye – only just back from injury – piled up four early takedowns before uncharacteristically gassing and gutting out a 14-13 win.

Well, PK isn’t dealing with an injury this time. And as Iowa fans well know, that means fatigue isn’t about to be an issue on Sunday (for him anyway).

As for Gaitan, his other Cy-Hawk appearance was a 13-5 major decision loss to Nelson Brands back in 2022.

In a dual that could easily be split five matches apiece, expect Kennedy to chase those critical bonus points. Look no further than a week ago, when he secured an 11-2 major decision against similarly ranked Luca Augustine.

Another opportunity for bonus points could come at 184, depending on how quickly/consistently #1 Angelo Ferrari can crack the defenses of #10 Issac Dean.

Dean – a 2025 NCAA qualifier at Rider – is known as a tough nut to crack. And Ferrari, for all his winning ways, will wrestle some lower-scoring bouts himself.

But with bonus points at a premium, I’m not ruling out the redshirt freshman if he smells blood in the water. Heck, he nearly earned some in his Cy-Hawk debut last year.

When it comes to 197 pounds, my analysis is pretty simple:

What does Mo Endene have in store next?

The Division III superstar continues to pass each test set in front of him at this level, including his greatest yet last Friday – when he chased down returning Pittsburgh All-American Mac Stout.

The Cy-Hawk dual represents another step up – both in terms of a hostile road environment and his opponent.

Standing across from Endene will be four-time (Missouri) All-American Rocky Elam, now finishing his college career as a Cyclone.

Look, I’m already reticent to put any sort of ‘ceiling’ on Endene based on his trajectory so far. But if he goes out and beats Elam, I might start predicting some wild accomplishments for the rest of his season as opposed to merely no longer being surprised when something happens in his favor.

And at 285, a tall task awaits Ben Kueter in Yonger Bastida.

Not only is the long-time Cyclone currently ranked #1 in the country at heavyweight, but he’s 4-0 in Cy-Hawk matchups – including last year’s 7-2 win over Kueter in Iowa City.

A victory here would be a landmark result in Kueter’s still-young Iowa career. It’s not going to be easy though – given both the opponent and Kueter’s recent return to the mat after sitting out National Duals.

At the very least, the Hawkeye heavyweight got the chance to shake some rust off during last Friday’s 2-0 win over #12 Dayton Pitzer (Pittsburgh).

Meanwhile, Bastida (4-0) has faced a pair of ranked opponents this season. At the NWCA All-Star Classic he defeated #4 Taye Ghadiali (Michigan), 8-2. And in his most recent outing – November 8 at the Cyclone Invitational – the sixth-year senior topped #18 Braxton Amos (Wisconsin), 5-4, thanks to a takedown with 0:38 left.

If this dual comes down to heavyweight, Iowa State will be feeling good about its position. But much like the ‘favorite’ (if there is one) in so many of the other nine projected matchups, neither team should probably feel too good about its win probability given the caliber of the wrestler in the opposite corner.

Short time

Look, I don’t typically make predictions for regular season events – but in this specific instance I will predict one thing:

This dual is going to be a whole lot of fun.

If you’re an Iowa fan, I think 125/141/149/157/197 are some of the key weights to watch.

(And yes, I realize I just listed half of the 10 matchups.)

A win at any of those weights – much less multiple – could be exactly what the Hawkeyes need to tilt things in their favor. That’s assuming seemingly more favorable bouts at 133/165/174/184 go their way, of course.

That, along with a bonus point here or there feel like the biggest keys as these two programs meet for the 89th time on Sunday afternoon.

And who knows, a giant wrench will probably get thrown into proceedings at some point or another, too – because that’s just what happens in this rivalry.

Regardless, I’ll be covering it all from start to finish. So, feel free to follow along on social media – or if that’s not your thing, I’ll have my full recap story published on the site after everything has wrapped up at Hilton Coliseum.

As always, thank you guys for tuning in to our coverage of Iowa wrestling. Enjoy the heck out of Sunday’s dual – from wherever you’re watching. And I’ll catch you again real soon.

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