Wrestling Preview: Army and Cal Baptist

WHAT: Iowa State Wrestling vs. Army, Cal Baptist

WHERE: Hilton Coliseum

WHEN: Iowa State vs. Army @ 1 PM; Iowa State vs Cal Baptist @ 2:30 PM

HOW TO WATCH: Big 12 Now on ESPN+

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Two programs will make their Hilton debut at the wrestling home opener on Saturday. The Cyclones wrestle the Army Black Knights at 1 PM, followed by a dual with the Cal Baptist Lancers. Iowa State is currently ranked #13 in the NWCA Coaches Poll and #17 by FloWrestling. Coach Dresser told the media on Monday to expect to see a different lineup for each of these duals. He also said Ian Parker will weigh in and may see the mat. He missed last weekend’s Daktronics Open due to being “dinged up”, so I’d guess we see him in the Cal Baptist dual, if at all.

Army

This will be the Cyclones first dual against Army since 2011. The Black Knights are 0-1 on the season after starting with a dual against Penn State. This squad is full of seniors. They definitely have the ability to cause some fits in certain matchups, but the dual should never be in doubt. Army is coached by Kevin Ward. Interestingly, David Carr’s NCAA finals opponent from last season, Jesse Dellavecchia, is a volunteer assistant for Army this season.

Projected Lineups

Iowa State listed first. Individual rankings from InterMat.

125: Kysen Terukina (#21) or Corey Cabanban vs. Ryan Chauvin

133: Ramazan Attasauov vs. Dominic Carone

141: Zach Redding (#19) vs. Corey Shie (#26)

149: Jarrett Degen or Ian Parker (#10) vs. PJ Ogunsanya (#22)

157: David Carr (#1) vs. Markus Hartman (#29)

165: Isaac Judge or Grant Stotts or Austin Kraisser vs. Christian Hunt

174: Joel Devine (#33) vs. Ben Pasiuk (#24)

184: Marcus Coleman (#16) vs. Brad Laughlin (#29)

197: Yonger Bastida vs. JT Brown (#20)

285: Sam Schuyler (#29) vs. Brandon Phillips

Key Matchup

I expect to see All-American Jarrett Degen at 149 in this one. He’s the healthiest he’s been in literal years and wrestled great at the Daktronics Open last weekend. Ogunsanya is a returning EIWA champion who went 2-2 at NCAAs last season, with his losses being to eventual All-Americans. Degen told the media this week not to expect more leg attacks this year. I’m excited to see what new unorthodox method he uses to win this match.

Cal Baptist

While the Cyclones will be wrestling Cal Baptist for the first time ever, they will become a familiar foe. The Lancers are currently in the process of reclassifying from Division 2 to Division 1. When they become eligible for postseason competition next season, they will join the Big 12 as a wrestling-only affiliate member. The Lancers posted 3rd place finishes in their final two seasons competing in the D2 national tournament. I think they will fill the void left by Fresno State dropping their program, but this team is still a few years off from being there. The roster is HEAVY with freshmen and sophomores, thanks to the postseason ban while reclassifying. Look for the Cyclones to outgun them and rack up bonus points. Cal Baptist is coached by Iowa Wrestling Hall of Famer Lennie Zalesky.

Projected Lineups

Iowa State listed first. Individual rankings from InterMat.

125: Kysen Terukina (#21) or Corey Cabanban vs. Devin Garcia

133: Ramazan Attasauov vs. Hunter Leake or Antonio Saldate

141: Zach Redding (#19) vs. Christian Nunez

149: Jarrett Degen or Ian Parker (#10) vs. Chaz Hallmark

157: David Carr (#1) vs. AJ Raya

165: Isaac Judge or Grant Stotts or Austin Kraisser vs. Josh Grant

174: Joel Devine (#33) vs. Louis Rojas

184: Marcus Coleman (#16) vs. Caden Gerlach

197: Yonger Bastida vs. Arick Lopez

285: Sam Schuyler (#29) vs. Chris Island

Key Matchup: The most accomplished Lancer is senior 157-pounder AJ Raya, but we’ve got a pretty good guy there. I’m most looking forward to seeing who gets the match at 165. There’s three guys listed and only two matches Saturday, so someone will have to wait until the Harold Nichols Cyclone Open on Sunday to hit the mat. None of the three have set themselves apart yet, so the pressure to perform when they do get matches will be big.