Shorthanded Cyclones Take Out #10 Cornell

On Monday, the Iowa State wrestling team reached the Blue Pool finals at Collegiate Duals with wins over #10 Cornell and Oregon State. The college wrestling world had their eyes on the top ten battle against the Big Red and it delivered.

Corey Cabanban, in for an injured Kysen Terukina, got things started at 125. He used a 2nd period takedown to beat #21 Brett Unger 3-1. Not bad for a guy who went through senior day last season before deciding to use another year of eligibility. At 133, Ramazan Attasauov took on Cornell’s phenom #3 Vito Arujau. Attasauov was extremely close to finishing on a couple of shots, but in the end Arujau’s mat wrestling gave him a slight edge. This was one of the most fun matches I’ve ever watched that ended without a takedown or back points . Although he didn’t win, Attasaouv showed to me that he is a bona fide All-American threat.

Zach Redding took the mat at 141. He’s been at 133 this year, but bumped up with Casey Swiderski unable to compete. Redding took a 6-1 loss to #16 Vince Cornella, who placed 5th at U20 Worlds this past offseason. Swiderski’s absence was not widely known beforehand, but the Des Moines Register’s Cody Goodwin said last week on his “In The Room” podcast that it is a minor injury and Swiderski is expected back in January.

In the highlight match of the event, superstar freshman Paniro Johnson took on generational talent Yianni Diakomihalis. Yianni is already a 3x NCAA Champion and World Silver Medalist. Nearly all this match took place in neutral, as both wrestlers escaped right away. While Diakomihalis controlled the center of the mat and brought wrestling where he wanted it, it was Johnson who got closest to scoring in regulation. Despite getting in deep on shots multiple times, he couldn’t convert. Diakomihalis then got the winning takedown in Sudden Victory. Wrestling fans across the country are looking forward to seeing that one again.

At 157 Iowa State got a comeback victory from Jason Kraisser. After falling behind 4-0 to Colton Yapoujian, Kraisser got a pair of reversals before using a good old fashioned go-behind to win in Sudden Victory. This match was an absolute roller coaster, complete with extended scrambles and nearly a defensive pin. David Carr followed that up with a 10-5 victory over #8 Julian Ramirez. The Cornell wrestler made it interesting when he scrambled for a takedown to give him a 3-2 lead after one period. In the end Carr’s leg attacks couldn’t be stopped and he used 4 takedowns to secure the win. With four matches to go the dual was tied 9-9.

174 saw Julien Broderson fall to #6 Chris Foca. It was scary for awhile as Foca used a pair of tilts to jump out to a 10-0 lead in the first period. But Broderson settled down and used a body lock to pick up a takedown of his own late in the third, keeping the match to a major decision. Then things got very interesting. Rather than Marcus Coleman coming out looking to match Foca’s bonus points at 184, it was Joel Devine who stepped on the mat for the Cyclones. Devine bumped up from 174 and got a 5-1 win over Evan Canoyer, powered by a workmanlike performance on top.

When Devine stepped out Cyclone fans feared the hometown kid Coleman was hurt, but then he stepped on the mat at 197 to take on #23 Jacob Cardenas. Don’t let the ranking fool you, 197 is deep and Cardenas took silver at U23 Worlds in October. He’s no push over. Coleman used a first period takedown, second period rideout and third period escape to put together a hard-fought 4-1 victory.

Completing the lineup shift, Yonger Bastida moved up to heavyweight to take on #15 Lewis Fernandes in a winner-take-all matchup. Despite giving up 60 pounds in this match, Bastida secured two takedowns to win the match 4-2 and the dual 18-13. The effort from Bastida to get the winning score with four seconds left was out of this world.

Prior to the Cornell dual, Iowa State rolled through a plucky Oregon State team. The Cyclones defeated the Beavers 26-6 to start the day. Ramazan Attasauov beat #16 Jason Shaner, Zach Redding beat #18 @ 141 Cleveland Belton, and Yonger Bastida beat #12 Tanner Harvey. Marcus Coleman was upset by #8 Trey Munoz, who used a crosswrist tilt to score 4 backpoints that were the difference. Also in New Orleans, fellow Big 12 wrestling team UNI knocked off #4 Ohio State. That’s got some people talking.

The Cyclones are poised to take on #1 Penn State at 7 PM on Saturday. It will be the first meeting between the two programs since the Nittany Lions hired away Cyclone legend Cael Sanderson from Ames. With today’s shift there’s certainly some question marks about what lineup Iowa State will send out there. Here’s the assumed reasoning for Monday’s shakeup:

My initial thought is that the Cyclones will wrestle Penn State straight up, and forfeit heavyweight if the meet is already decided. But if Sam Schuyler wrestling is what determines if Iowa State knocks off #1, I think he goes. Schuyler scored 5 takedowns in the last minute of his match against Oregon State. While that’s a much different caliber opponent, it seems like an injury he can wrestle through if needed. And as Jacob England and I discussed on the most recent episode of Sudden Victory — the path for an Iowa State upset win is by taking 6 matches and limiting bonus points in the other four. Penn State will be heavily favored. Sanderson has turned them into an absolute buzzsaw, winning 9 NCAA Team Titles. They’ve got FOUR top-ranked wrestlers and another guy who won NCAAs last season. But I’m telling you there’s a chance. So here are the expected matchups.

WHAT: #7 Iowa State vs. #1 Penn State

WHERE: Collegiate Duals in New Orleans, Louisiana

WHEN: 7 PM Tuesday, December 20th

HOW TO WATCH: Rokfin ($)

HOW TO LISTEN: Varsity App or Cyclones.com

LIVE SCORES: TournaFlex

LIVE CHAT: WRNL Wrestling Discord — Whether a diehard wrestling fan or just a Cyclone interested in learning more about the sport, join us on Discord!

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Projected Matchups

Individual rankings from FloWrestling. Iowa State listed first.

125: Corey Cabanban or Ethan Perryman vs. Gary Steen or Marco Vespa

• I’m pretty sure it’ll be Cabanban and I’m absolutely sure he’s capable of winning this match. In fact, Cabanban will be favored. Steen was not supposed to be the starter for Penn State this year but he’s been the guy since they lost Robbie Howard for the season.

133: #19 Ramazan Attasauov vs. #1 Roman Bravo-Young

• I love how Attasauov competed against Cornell’s Arujau and he’ll have to repeat that performance here. RBY is a 2x NCAA Champion and hasn’t lost since 2020. Let’s see what Ramazan can do.

141: Zach Redding vs. #4 Beau Bartlett or David Evans

• This one seemed a lot more doable when Casey Swiderski was in the lineup. That being said, Bartlett miiiight have a fraud ranking. He’s 8-0 this season, but his best win is 5-3 over the same Cleveland Belton that Redding beat on Monday. Bartlett also went 0-2 at NCAAs last season up at 149. Zach Redding has at least gone to overtime at that tournament. That’s it, I’ve talked myself into it.

149: #5 Paniro Johnson vs. #13 Shayne Van Ness or Connor Pierce

• Van Ness is from the same recruiting class as Johnson and was much higher rated. He’s been solid so far in his career, but hasn’t had the big match opportunities the Paniro has used to make his name known. I think Johnson is favored, but if you told that to the recruiting gurus two months ago, they’d call you crazy. Should be a good one.

157: Jason Kraisser or Isaac Judge vs. HM Terrell Barraclough or Levi Haines

• Jason Kraisser is wrestling like he gets commission on defibrillator sales. I don’t expect that to change. Barraclough is in the same tier as the two guys Kraisser has beaten. Haines is a true freshman who skipped his senior year of high school to wrestle in college level opens, so yeah he’s good. He beat Barraclough in a close match earlier this year, but will probably redshirt. Cyclones need this if they stand a chance in the dual.

165: #3 David Carr vs. #17 Alex Facundo or Matt Lee

• As expected with freshman in Penn State’s lineup, Facundo was a blue chip recruit. I don’t think he’s ready for Carr yet. Expect this to be much like Carr’s match in the Iowa dual against Patrick Kennedy, but with more urgency for bonus points for Carr.

174: Julien Broderson or MJ Gaitan or Joel Devine vs. #1 Carter Starocci or Konner Kraeszig

• This is the “limit bonus points” portion of the program. Starocci is a 2x NCAA Champion and thanks to today’s eligibility rules, could be the first ever 5x Champion. He’s good and he knows it. I don’t have a clue what the game plan would be here.

184: #5 Marcus Coleman vs. #1 Aaron Brooks or Donovon Ball

• Aaron Brooks is a 2x NCAA Champion with a chance to match his coach with 4 titles. His all-star match against UNI’s Parker Keckeisen was amazing to watch. Brooks is just seeing things on another level compared to the rest of the field this year. However, there is a chance that the calm, collected Coleman wrestles the perfect match and shocks the world here.

197: #2 Yonger Bastida vs. #6 Max Dean or Lucas Cochran *KEY MATCHUP*

• This will be one of the most watched matches of the event. Dean was an NCAA Champ last season, but has dropped two close matches already this year. He may even be favored against Bastida. This match will certainly have implications on NCAA seeding and is one Iowa State needs if to get to six match wins.

285: #9 Sam Schuyler vs. #1 Greg Kerkvliet or Seth Nevills

• Kerkvliet is a 2x All-American in what has been a loaded heavyweight division in the past few years. With Gable Steveson gone, Kerkvliet has set himself apart as the favorite to take the crown. If this match even happens will entirely depend on the dual score at this point.