PRIMER: Iowa State at the NCAA Wrestling Championships

Thursday, March 19

Cleveland, Ohio

11:00 AM

Iowa State

NCAA Championships (Session 1)

PRIMER: Iowa State at the NCAA Wrestling Championships

03.13.2026 | Wrestling

Brackets TV/Streaming Guide Listen Live Stats NCAA Championship Hub Match Notes

AMES, Iowa - Iowa State is on the hunt for its second team trophy finish in the last three years at the 2026 NCAA Wrestling Championships held March 19-21 in Cleveland, Ohio in Rocket Arena.

What: 2026 NCAA Championships
Where: Cleveland, Ohio // Rocket Arena
When: March 19-21
Live Stats: TrackWrestling // FloWrestling
Watch: TV & Streaming Guide
Listen: Varsity App
Championship Central: NCAA.com

CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE (all times central)
Thursday, March 19
Session 1: Pigtails & First Round - 11 a.m. (ESPN2)
Session 2: Second Round & Consolations - 6:00 p.m. (ESPN)

Friday, March 20
Session 3: Quarterfinals & Consolations - 11 a.m. (ESPNU)
Session 4: Championship Semifinals & Round of 12 - 7 p.m. (ESPN2)

Saturday, March 21
Session 5: Placing Matches - 10 a.m. (ESPNU)
Session 6: Finals - 5:30 p.m. - (ESPN)

IOWA STATE FIRST ROUND MATCHES
125: No. 13 Stevo Poulin (15-7) vs. No. 20 Diego Sotelo (MICH, 13-12)
133: No. 28 Garrett Grice (6-3) vs. No. 5 Kyler Larkin (ASU, 18-2)
141: No. 4 Anthony Echemendia (19-3) vs. No. 29 Jordan Titus (WVU, 16-14)
149: No. 16 Jacob Frost (17-7) vs. No. 17 Lucas Kapusta (LH, 25-4)
157: No. 12 Vinny Zerban (15-4) vs. No. 21 Charlie Millard (MINN, 18-9)
165: No. 15 Connor Euton (17-7) vs. No. 18 Gunner Filipowicz (ARMY, 19-6)
174: No. 11 MJ Gaitan (16-6) vs. No. 22 Brody Baumann (PUR, 16-8)
184: No. 13 Isaac Dean (17-7) vs. No. 20 Brian Soldano (OKLA, 13-8)
197: No. 2 Rocky Elam (18-0) vs. No. 31 Kael Bennie (UVU, 15-16)
285: No. 1 Yonger Bastida (25-0) vs. No. 32 Emmanuel Ulrich (AU, 21-14) or No. 33 Mason Rebuck (BLOO, 22-8)

To read a match-by-match breakdown of ISU's 10 First Round matches, CLICK HERE.

Jacob Frost - 2025 NCAA Wrestling Championships

CHAMPIONSHIP NOTES
Team Championships: 8
Team Trophies: 45
Individual Champions: 71
All-Americans: 311
Last Team Championship: 1987
First Team Championship: 1933
Last Team Trophy: 2024
Last Individual Champion: David Carr (2024)
First Individual Champion: Arthur Holding (1928)

Iowa State looks to improve upon last year's disappointing 27th-place finish during an injury-riddled 2025 season. The Cyclones are only two years removed from a 2024 fourth-place finish with three wrestlers from that lineup back in this year's lineup (Echemendia, Bastida, Gaitan).
Iowa State is one of six teams nationally, and one of two in the Big 12, to qualify 10 wrestlers (Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Penn State, Virginia Tech, Nebraska). This marks the eighth-consecutive season under head coach Kevin Dresser Iowa State has sent eight-plus qualifiers to the national tournament.
Six wrestlers in Iowa State's lineup have reached the podium in their career: Stevo Poulin, Anthony Echemendia, Jacob Frost, Vinny Zerban, Rocky Elam and Yonger Bastida. Two Cyclones - Garrett Grice and Connor Euton - will make their NCAA Championship debut.
Iowa State has won eight national titles in program history, the fourth-most all-time.
ISU has 59 top-10 finishes in program history, fourth-most behind Oklahoma State (89), Iowa (70) and Oklahoma (62).
Kevin Dresser is one of six NCAA Division I coaches, and one of two active head coaches, to win an NCAA Trophy (top four finish) at two different schools.

Coaches with a Top-4 NCAA Finish at Two Different Schools
Bill Koll (Northern Iowa & Penn State)
Bobby Douglas (Arizona State & Iowa State)
*Cael Sanderson (Iowa State & Penn State)
Dave McCuskey (Northern Iowa & Iowa)
*Kevin Dresser (Virginia Tech & Iowa State)
Ray Swartz (Central Oklahoma & Navy)
*Denotes active head coach

Kevin Dresser - Fourth-Place Trophy

KEY STORYLINES

Yonger Bastida is the top-seeded heavyweight in Cleveland. Bastida, a two-time Big 12 champion, leads the nation with 15 tech falls. He has 119 takedowns and has only allowed two this season. Bastida is 25-0 and owns a 12-0 record against the 285-pound field.
Rocky Elam, the No. 2 seed at 197 pounds and a two-time Big 12 champion, is 18-0 on the season with eight wins by bonus-point margin. Elam holds a 12-0 mark against the 197-pound field.
Anthony Echemendia is the No. 4 seed at 141 pounds and has his sights set on his second All-America finish. He placed fifth at the 2024 NCAA Championships. He owns an 8-3 record against the 141-pound field this season.
Vinny Zerban did not place at the Big 12 Championships after suffering a concussion in his first round match but has cleared protocol and is ready for action in Cleveland. Zerban, the No. 12 seed in Cleveland, has only lost four times this season with two of those coming as medical forfeits. Zerban, a four-time NCAA Qualifier, aims to achieve All-America status for the second-straight year after placing sixth a season ago.
It was a bumpy start to the season for Stevo Poulin, who started with a 4-5 record through his first nine matches wrestling perhaps the most difficult first semester schedule of any Cyclone. He saw five top-15 opponents in those first nine matches. Since the rocky start, Poulin has won 11 of his last 13 and is now 15-7 on the season.
Jacob Frost, who was an All-American last season at 141 pounds, is 17-7 on the season with nine bonus-point victories (1 WBF, 5 TF, 3 MD). Frost is the No. 16 seed and will open the tournament against Lock Haven's Lucas Kapusta in the First Round. Frost is 5-6 against the 149-pound field this season.
The No. 11 seed at 174 pounds, MJ Gaitan's third appearance at the NCAA Championships will begin against Purdue's No. 22 Brody Baumann, also a three-time NCAA Qualifier. Gaitan is 8-5 against the 174-pound field this season. Gaitan once again placed above his seed at the Big 12 Championship, placing third as the No. 4 seed.
Connor Euton, the No. 15 seed at 165 pounds, makes his NCAA Championships debut against Army's Gunner Filipowicz, a junior three-time NCAA Qualifier from Army. Euton placed third at the Big 12 Championship as the No. 5 seed and avenged a regular season loss to UNI's No. 6 Ryder Downey in the third-place match.
Isaac Dean, who suffered a knee injury in the ISU-OKST dual on Feb. 1 and missed the final month of the regular season, made his return to the mat for the Big 12 Championship where he placed sixth. Dean reached the semifinals as the No. 7 seed before medically forfeiting out of the tournament. Dean, a two-time NCAA Qualifier, will begin his final NCAA Championships against a familiar opponent in Oklahoma's No. 20 Brian Soldano, a three-time qualifier. Dean and Soldano have met twice in their collegiate careers, including once earlier this season, with the Sooner winning by decision both times.
Garrett Grice was given the postseason nod for ISU at 133 pounds in place of Evan Frost. Grice, a transfer from Virginia now in his third season in Ames, is making his NCAA Championship debut. Grice will see star Arizona State freshman No. 5 Kyler Larkin in the First Round. The pair have not met.

NCAA Wrestling Socials Graphic

SPIRIT PACKAGES & SOCIALS
This year's spirit packages, available to those who purchased championship tickets through Iowa State, includes a t-shirt to wear each day of the tournament and admission wristbands for the ISU wrestling socials Friday and Saturday night.

Cleveland Marriott East Address: 26300 Harvard Rd. Warrensville Heights, OH 44122

Social I - Friday, March 20

Social Location - Atrium at the Cleveland Marriott East
Social begins upon the conclusion of Session 4 Friday Night
Wristband Color: White

Social II - Saturday, March 21

Social Location - Atrium at the Cleveland Marriott East
Social begins upon the conclusion of Session 6 Saturday Night
Wristband Color: Red

Socials will include a complimentary light snack, keg beer (while supplies last) and a cash bar. You must wear your provided wristband for access into the social.

Note: Admission to the socials for fans who did not purchase tickets through the ISU package is $20 per person per social.

Fans will wear their cardinal shirts Thursday, natural shirts Friday and military green on Saturday.

NCAA Wrestling T-Shirt Graphic

WEEKLY MEDIA AVAILABILITY
Head coach Kevin Dresser, Stevo Poulin and Rocky Elam spoke with the media on Monday prior to leaving for Cleveland. Watch their interviews below.