PRIMER: No. 4 ISU Hosts No. 18 West Virginia & No. 15 UNI

Friday, February 13

Ames, Iowa

7:00 PM

Iowa State

West Virginia

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PRIMER: No. 4 ISU Hosts No. 18 West Virginia & No. 15 UNI

02.11.2026 | Wrestling

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AMES, Iowa - No. 4 Iowa State returns to Hilton Coliseum this weekend for two top-20 Big 12 duals, beginning Friday night against No. 18 West Virginia. The Cyclones will then welcome in-state foe No. 15 UNI for a Sunday night showdown starting at 7 p.m.

THE MATCHUP: No. 4 Iowa State (9-2, 5-1 Big 12) vs. No. 18 West Virginia (9-3, 4-2 Big 12)
WHEN: Friday, Feb. 13, 2026 - 7 p.m.
WHERE: Hilton Coliseum (14,267) - Ames, Iowa
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THE MATCHUP: No. 4 Iowa State (9-2, 5-1 Big 12) vs. No. 15 UNI (10-6, 4-2 Big 12)
WHEN: Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026 - 7 p.m.
WHERE: Hilton Coliseum (14,267) - Ames, Iowa
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The Links
WATCH: ESPN+ (WVU) // ESPN+ (UNI)
OKST - (PxP: J. Tom Kroeschell; Analyst: Kyven Gadson)
LISTEN: Varsity App
(PxP: Ryan Rohlk; PxP: Joe Sinclair; Analyst: Ryan Rohlk)
LIVE STATS (WVU) // LIVE STATS (UNI)
MATCH NOTES: ISU // WVU

PROBABLE MATCHUPS
No. 4 Iowa State (9-2, 5-1 Big 12) vs. No. 18 West Virginia (9-3, 4-2 Big 12)
125: No. 11 Stevo Poulin (9-6) vs. No. 8 Jett Strickenberger (15-3)
133: No. 3 Evan Frost (13-1) -or- Adrian Meza (11-5) vs. No. 19 Gunner Andrick (19-6)
141: No. 3 Anthony Echemendia (13-2) vs. Jordan Titus (11-10)
149: No. 11 Jacob Frost (12-4) vs. TJ Langley (14-10) -or- Willie McDougald (5-6)
157: No. 8 Vinny Zerban (11-3) vs. No. 6 Ty Watters (17-1)
165: No. 15 Connor Euton (13-4) vs. Sasha Gavronsky (11-8) -or- Cole Evans (5-4)
174: No. 13 MJ Gaitan (10-4) -or- Aiden Riggins (17-4) vs. No. 14 Brody Conley (16-4)
184: No. 12 Isaac Dean (15-5) vs. No. 17 Ian Bush (15-8)
197: No. 2 Rocky Elam (12-0) -or- CJ Carter (10-6) vs. No. 18 Rune Lawrence (14-9)
285: No. 1 Yonger Bastida (18-0) vs. Brock Kehler (10-15)

No. 4 Iowa State (9-2, 5-1 Big 12) vs. No. 15 UNI (10-6, 4-2 Big 12)
125: No. 11 Stevo Poulin (9-6) vs. No. 31 Trever Anderson (10-7) -or- Bowen Downey (8-7) -or- Brandon Paez (8-4)
133: No. 3 Evan Frost (13-1) -or- Adrian Meza (11-5) vs. No. 22 Julian Farber (14-5)
141: No. 3 Anthony Echemendia (13-2) vs. Max Brady (17-8)
149: No. 11 Jacob Frost (12-4) vs. No. 32 Caleb Rathjen (5-4) -or- Ethan Basile (12-5)
157: No. 8 Vinny Zerban (11-3) vs. Cael Rahnavardi (6-9) -or- RJ Weston (9-7)
165: No. 15 Connor Euton (13-4) vs. No. 6 Ryder Downey (16-3) -or- Jack Thomsen (9-6)
174: No. 13 MJ Gaitan (10-4) -or- Aiden Riggins (17-4) vs. No. 12 Jared Simma (11-5)
184: No. 12 Isaac Dean (15-5) vs. No. 22 Nick Fox (8-1)
197: No. 2 Rocky Elam (12-0) -or- CJ Carter (10-6) vs. John Gunderson (6-7) -or- Carson Babcock (2-4)
285: No. 1 Yonger Bastida (18-0) vs. Adam Ahrendsen (7-6) -or- Grant Stromberg (9-8)
*InterMat Rankings (2/10/2026)

CYCLONES vs. MOUNTAINEERS
25th Meeting
Overall: 22-2
Home: 11-0
Road: 7-2
Neutral: 4-0
Current Streak: ISU W7
Last Meeting: 1/8/2025 (ISU 24, WVU 18)

Iowa State and West Virginia meet for the 25th time in program history Friday night. The Cyclones have won 13 of the last 14, including seven in-a-row, against the Mountaineers. The Cyclones topped WVU, 24-18, last season in Morgantown.

CYCLONES vs. PANTHERS
84th Meeting
Overall: 62-21
Home: 31-7
Road: 31-13
Neutral: 0-1
Current Streak: UNI W1
Last Meeting: 2/16/2025 (ISU 10, UNI 26)

ISU-UNI is the fifth-most contested series in program history. Sunday marks the 84th meeting between the Cyclones and Panthers, and the eighth-straight meeting as top-20 opponents. The Cyclones have won five or the last six duals against the Panthers. UNI defended its home mat with a 26-10 win last year in Cedar Falls.

Iowa State's strength and conditioning coach Lance Runyon is a UNI grad and wrestled for the Panthers last season.

Most Duals vs. Opponent in ISU History
Oklahoma - 103
Nebraska - 98
Oklahoma State - 90
Iowa - 89
Northern Iowa - 83

No. 27 Daniel Herrera takes out No. 14 Lance Runyon, 3-1!!

🌪️🚨🌪️ pic.twitter.com/lxeOM4KOxo
— Iowa State Wrestling (@CycloneWR) February 16, 2025

SOCIALS
Johnny's MatCYd Club will open 90 minutes prior to the dual, with head wrestling coach Kevin Dresser's pre-match chalk talk taking place approximately 30 minutes prior to the first match. As usual, members must scan their pass to receive the wristband required for entry into Johnny's.

Immediately following the event, all Cyclone fans are invited to attend a social in the auditorium on the first floor of Scheman (the middle floor). Cash bar and dry snacks will be available.

Johnny's MatCyd Club will open 90 minutes prior to the dual against West Virginia. All fans are then welcome to a post-match social in Scheman immediately following the dual.

CYCANS FOOD DRIVE
Iowa State Athletics is partnering with United Way of Story County for the 2026 CyCans Food Drive. Direct donations and all non-perishable food contributions will benefit The SHOP, ISU's on-campus food pantry.

Iowa State student-athletes will be positioned at each entrance of Hilton Coliseum collecting the donations.

Iowa State Athletics is partnering with United Way of Story County for the 2026 CyCans Food Drive. Direct donations and all non-perishable food contributions will benefit The SHOP, ISU's on-campus food pantry. Iowa State student-athletes will be positioned at each entrance of Hilton Coliseum collecting the donations.

TEAM STORYLINES

No. 4 Iowa State looks to rebound after suffering its second dual loss of the season on Feb. 1 at No. 5 Oklahoma State.
Iowa State is 25-4 on its home mat in the last five seasons. The Cyclones are winners of five-straight inside Hilton Coliseum dating back to last season.
The Cyclones have won seven-straight matchups against West Virginia. Friday's dual against the Mountaineers is set to feature six top-20 bouts if both teams wrestle their projected lineups.
Kevin Dresser is fourth all-time in program history with 102 dual wins as ISU's head coach. Along with Harold Nichols (454), Bobby Douglas (198) and Hugo Otopalik (159), Dresser is one of four Cyclone head coaches to surpass 100 wins.

INDIVIDUAL STORYLINES

Yonger Bastida is the No. 1 ranked heavyweight in the country by all major pollsters. Bastida leads the team with 81 takedowns on the season while surrendering only two. He is 18-0 with 10 wins over ranked opponents.
Rocky Elam is 12-0 on the season with wins over five of InterMat's current top-10 197-pounders. Elam has surrendered only one takedown and owns seven bonus-point victories.
Cyclone 133-pounder Evan Frost missed ISU's Oklahoma road trip due to illness but is expected back in the lineup this weekend. Frost is 13-1 on the season with a 2-1 mark against top-10 opponents. On Sunday, Frost could get a rematch against UNI's Julian Farber. He is 4-2 against Farber in his career with two major decisions and a tech fall against the Panther, but Farber won their most recent bout, 14-13, at last year's Big 12 Championships.
Vinny Zerban is 11-3 this season and is 4-2 against ranked opponents. Friday night, Zerban could get a major test against West Virginia's No. 6 Ty Watters. Watters was a 2024 All-American at 149 pounds but missed the majority of last season due to injury.
Stevo Poulin has won five of his last six matches, including three against ranked foes. Friday night, Poulin matches up against West Virginia's No. 8 Jett Strickenberger. Poulin is 0-4 in his career against the Mountaineer, but has closed the gap each time. At the CKLV in December, Poulin fell, 7-4, in overtime.

WEEKLY MEDIA AVAILABILITY
Head coach Kevin Dresser, Yonger Bastida and Anthony Echemendia spoke with the media on Tuesday. Watch their interviews below.