Iowa

The Cy-Hawk wrestling dual meet on Sunday will be one for the history books in a few different ways.

The rivalry matchup inside Hilton Coliseum will not only feature two top-10 teams but will also be the first regular season college wrestling meet to be televised on ESPN. 

The Hawkeyes have won 18 in a row over the Cyclones, and with the current state of Iowa’s starting lineup because of sports gambling suspensions, this season is probably the best shot for Iowa State to break that streak.

But despite the loss of a few starters, I think the Hawkeyes will head back to Iowa City victorious. 

The Iowa wrestling program under head coach Tom Brands has never been one to throw in the towel when adversity strikes. 

When the gambling investigation started in May, the Hawkeyes didn’t wait around and hope for the best. 

Instead, Brands went out and recruited three top-10 wrestlers — Victor Voinovich III, Jared Franek, and Michael Caliendo. Those three competitors are past NCAA qualifiers and have shown their ability to come out on top in tight situations. 

The match I am most excited for is at 165 pounds between Caliendo and second-ranked, four-time All-American David Carr. Caliendo doesn’t necessarily need to win this bout, but he can’t give up bonus points. In Iowa’s 18-15 win over Iowa State last season, the Hawkeyes’ three major decision victories were the difference. 

While the only guaranteed wins for Iowa in my mind are top-ranked Real Woods over 19th-ranked Anthony Echemendia and true freshman Gabe Arnold over MJ Gaitan at 174 pounds, the Hawks will show their depth and next-man-up mentality en route to a close victory on national television. 

Iowa State

Despite the 18 straight losses the Hawkeyes have given the Cyclones, I think that this is the year Iowa State finally ends the drought. 

The Cyclones are off to a dominant start to their season. They are 3-0 with wins over Cleveland State, Davidson, and No. 24 Wisconsin. In those wins, the Cyclones have outscored their opponents, 135-3.

It’s safe to say that this is about as good of a start to a season as you could ask for, but admittedly none of Iowa State’s prior opponents are on the same level as the Hawkeyes. 

At 125 pounds, the Cyclones will be glad to see someone other than Spencer Lee. For Iowa State, No. 8 Kysen Terukina is off to a hot start, knocking off Wisconsin’s then-No. 5 Eric Barnett last week. I believe that Terukina will beat Drake Ayala and secure bonus points to start things off. 

At 165 pounds, there is no doubt in my mind that Iowa State’s David Carr (No. 2) will take the victory over Iowa’s Michael Caliendo (No. 5). Caliendo is a very impressive wrestler, but I simply can’t see Carr losing his final Cy-Hawk match. 

 I believe that Will Feldkamp (No. 6) will take care of business against Iowa’s Brennan Swafford (No. 30) and secure bonus points for the Cyclones.

The closest matchup by seeding is at 197 pounds, and I think that Iowa State’s Julian Broderson (No.24) and Iowa’s Zach Glazier (No.22) will have a match that reflects their rankings. I expect the match to be extremely competitive and the possible deciding factor of the meet. 

And finally, at 285 pounds, I expect No.7  Yonger Bastida to secure bonus points for the Cyclones and defeat Iowa’s Bradley Hill. 

Ultimately, I think this dual meet will come down to who can secure the crucial bonus points, and behind an energized home crowd, I think the Cyclones will be the team to do it.