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The Thanksgiving break has made for a light week of collegiate action. That being said, one of the most anticipated duals of the season will go down on Sunday afternoon as #7 Iowa travels across the state to take on rival #8 Iowa State, live on ESPN’s main channel. This is one of those duals where you can throw the records out the window as some unexpected results are sure to arise and typically the team score is very close. Both are expected this year. While unexpected individual results have been commonplace, one constant is Iowa’s team dominance in this series. The Hawkeyes have won the last 18 iterations of this matchup and have never lost with Tom Brands at the helm. Iowa State’s last win came in 2004, at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, when Bobby Douglas was the Cyclones head coach. Kevin Dresser took over the reins at the end of the 2016-17 season and injected new life into the rivalry; however, he’s still searching for his first win over Iowa. This dual took an unexpected turn during the offseason as the athletic departments of both schools were at the center of a sports gambling probe. While both wrestling teams were impacted, the Hawkeyes felt the brunt of this scandal much more than the Cyclones. In anticipation of possible sanctions, Brands and the Iowa staff hit the transfer portal hard and added three starters; two of whom are All-Americans. Between transfers, sanctions, and graduation, this is a very “new-look” Hawkeye team. With a few starters lacking postseason experience, it appears as if this is the best chance in over a decade for Iowa State to snap its losing streak versus the Hawks. Even if Iowa looks more vulnerable than at any time since year one of the Brands-era, you can’t count out Iowa. There’s still plenty of talent, combined with pride and a mental edge over their in-state foes. Can Iowa State snap the streak? Absolutely! Will they? Well, that remains to be seen. We’ve gone match-by-match through the dual and previewed the action along with making predictions for each of the ten bouts, which are below. 125 lbs: #17 Drake Ayala (Iowa) vs. #8 Kysen Terukina (Iowa State) As is typically the case between these two rivals, the dual should start at 125 lbs. That’s fine because 125 presents one of the best matchups of the duals, despite the current disparity in the rankings. Both wrestlers moved significantly after their most recent dual. Kysen Terukina jumped sharply as he posted a one-sided major decision over Wisconsin All-American Eric Barnett. It was the second consecutive season in which Terukina easily defeated the Badger star. Terukina will get the call in his second Cy-Hawk dual. In 2022-23, he defeated Jesse Ybarra, 8-2. Later that year, he qualified for his second national tournament. Terukina didn’t get to add to that total last season, as he suffered a season-ending injury in late-November. Drake Ayala dropped in this week's rankings after a one-point loss to Oregon State All-American Brandon Kaylor. Ayala entered the Oregon State match with a 6-0 record and bonus points in all six of his bouts. An injury to Spencer Lee led Ayala to get the call and start as a true freshman in 2021-22. He responded by earning the #13 seed at nationals and went 1-2. Last year, Ayala redshirted and went 13-1 with the lone loss coming to Lee. This match is gigantic since it should set the tone for the rest of the dual. A win by Ayala could make the home crowd restless and think this year is “more of the same.” Pick: Ayala by decision (Iowa 3-0) 133 lbs: #8 Brody Teske (Iowa) vs. #19 Evan Frost (Iowa State) We mentioned momentum. Against a solid Oregon State team, Brody Teske put a quick halt to any potential upset thoughts from the Beavers as he put together an 18-8 major decision against promising redshirt freshman Gabe Whisenhunt. One of the differences in that bout was Teske’s skills from the top position. With another freshman in his sights; Iowa State’s Evan Frost, that could be the case again. Teske is starting to show the form that made him a two-time Big 12 finalist for Northern Iowa and even the fifth seed at the 2021 NCAA Championships. In a relatively light 133 lb field, Teske has already elevated himself to All-American contender status. He’s yet to reach the NCAA podium after falling a match shy in 2021. Frost started the preseason behind fellow redshirt freshman Garrett Grice in many people’s minds. He took the early lead with a win in Iowa State’s intersquad match and has done nothing to indicate he should relinquish the starting role. Frost has put up double digits in each of his first three matches and most recently downed the dangerous Nicolar Rivera (Wisconsin), 11-7. Last year, while redshirting, Frost defeated a pair of Hawkeye wrestlers (Ybarra and Jace Rhodes), but hasn’t met Teske yet. Once again, if Frost can avoid any point-scoring situations on the mat and get out before riding time is secured, this could be a toss-up. For now, I think the veteran has the edge. Pick: Teske by decision (Iowa 6-0) 141 lbs: #1 Real Woods (Iowa) vs. #19 Anthony Echemendia (Iowa State) This is one of the more intriguing matches of the afternoon, more so than most 1 vs 19 matchups typically are. Returning national runner-up, Real Woods, has been really great in his two 2023-24 appearances. In both of Iowa’s duals thus far, he’s turned in tech fall performances. The most recent came over #21 Cleveland Belton in Iowa’s win over Oregon State. This will be Woods’ second year in Iowa City after placing sixth for Stanford in 2022. There appeared to be no adjustment period as Woods jumped into the Hawkeye lineup and won all the way up until the national finals. A Big Ten title gave him the top seed at the 2023 national tournament. Woods comes into this match with a 64-9 career record. Attempting to hand Woods his first regular-season loss in a Hawkeye singlet is Anthony Echemendia. Echemendia started the year at 149 lbs, but dropped for the Wisconsin match. In his first bout of the year at 141 lbs, Echemendia teched the Badgers Felix Lettini. It marked his third tech in as many matches. He’ll be one of the more explosive and dynamic neutral wrestlers at this weight. That makes sense because Echemendia grew up wrestling exclusively freestyle in Cuba. Despite being dangerous from his feet, Echemendia’s mat work will get tested against a high-caliber mat wrestler in Woods. I’d expect a relatively even match on the feet between the two, but Woods separating himself on the mat. And just one takedown from Woods could end up pushing the match into bonus point range. Pick: Woods by major decision (10-0 Iowa) 149 lbs: #9 Victor Voinovich (Iowa) vs. #14 Casey Swiderski (Iowa State) Over the offseason, the Iowa staff hit the transfer portal hard in case some projected starters were unavailable due to the gambling probe. That has proven to be a wise decision by Tom Brands. One of those transfers is Victor Voinovich who comes over from bitter rival Oklahoma State. Voinovich was a big-time recruit from the Class of 2021 (#15 overall) and had a decent redshirt freshman year for the Cowboys. Voinovich was 17-13 and sixth in the Big 12, but did his best work in Tulsa, at nationals, going 2-2. This year, Voinovich is officially 6-0 and pulled out a clutch victory in extra time against Oregon State his last time out. Similar to some of the Hawkeye wrestlers we’ve already discussed, Voinovich should have the edge from the top position, if that becomes available to him. Since Voinovich spent a year in the Big 12, expect the Cyclone staff to have a “book” on him already. Last year, he fell to Paniro Johnson, 3-1. This year, Voinovich should face Casey Swiderski. Swiderski got the call in year one from Kevin Dresser and immediately showed promise with wins over two ranked opponents in his collegiate debut. In the 2022 version of this dual, Swiderski pushed Woods to the limit in a chippy, 3-2 loss. Though he had a bit of an up-and-down freshman season, Swiderski had an excellent national tournament, coming in as the 24th seed at 141 lbs and making it to the Bloodround before his elimination. In the offseason, Swiderski moved up to 149 lbs. He lost in the ISU wrestle-off to Echemendia, but slid back into the starting role at 149, when Echemendia dropped to 141. If the dual plays out as predicted above, winning this bout is critical for the Cyclones. A potential 13-0 deficit heading into a bout where Iowa has the number-two-ranked wrestler in the nation is not a recipe for a win. Swiderski appears to be a wrestler who feeds off the crowd and emotions. I think that works in his favor here and he gets ISU on the board. Pick: Swiderski by decision (10-3 Iowa) 157 lbs: #2 Jared Franek (Iowa) vs. #18 Cody Chittum (Iowa State) Another transfer and the first of two All-Americans to make the trek from Fargo (North Dakota State) to Iowa City is Jared Franek. For the bulk of his career, Franek was a borderline All-American threat who twice lost in the NCAA bloodround. Last year, Franek took a huge step forward and threw himself into the national title contention. In 2022-23, Franek lost his first bout of the year then started a 25-match winning streak with extended into the NCAA quarterfinals. During that time, Franek claimed a title at the Southern Scuffle and his first Big 12 crown. He was a conference runner-up in each of the two previous seasons. Since moving to Iowa, Franek has been perfect with a 7-0 record. Both of his matches this year against DI opposition have ended in regular decisions. That isn’t unusual as he wrestles plenty of close, low-scoring matches. Opposing Franek will be someone who is no stranger to Iowa fans, Cody Chittum. At one time, Chittum was regarded as one of the top prospects in the high school Class of 2023; however, he reclassified and graduated in 2022. Upon graduation, he moved to Iowa City and trained with the Hawkeye Wrestling Club, though he never enrolled at Iowa or signed a national letter of intent. That allowed him to change plans and sign with Iowa State in the offseason. Chittum has seen action in two duals for ISU and majored good competition in both bouts. That being said, a bout with an opponent who finished fourth in the nation last season is a huge step up. I think that Chittum can hang with Franek for now, the veteran may be too polished for the freshman. While this dual takes place in Ames, I’d expect a decent contingent of Hawkeye fans. They might be the most vociferous during this bout, which could lead to the type of chippiness we’ve come to expect (and love) from this rivalry. Pick: Franek by decision (13-3 Iowa) 165 lbs: #5 Michael Caliendo (Iowa) vs. #2 David Carr (Iowa State) The second half of the transfer tandem from North Dakota State is sophomore Michael Caliendo. Caliendo was named the Big 12 Freshman of the Year by InterMat after finishing seventh in the nation in a stacked 165 lb weight class. In early January of last season, Caliendo announced he was for real after taking out 2021 NCAA champion Shane Griffith in dual meet competition. Almost two weeks earlier, Griffith had beaten Caliendo by a point in the Southern Scuffle finals. Wrestling in a Big 12 weight class that featured a pair of returning NCAA champs, Caliendo took third. In fact, of his five losses last season, four came to wrestlers who have won NCAA titles at some point in their careers. Interestingly enough, despite wrestling in the Big 12 last season, Caliendo never crossed paths with David Carr. Since Carr defeated Keegan O’Toole in the regular season, Caliendo was the third seed at the Big 12 tournament and met O’Toole in the semis. When we last saw Carr he was coming off a 2-0 win over two-time All-American Dean Hamiti during the Cyclones shutout of Wisconsin. Carr’s top game was the difference, riding Hamiti for the entire third period and nearly getting backpoints on three different occasions. Carr comes into this match having not lost a regular season bout since December of 2019 and he has never fallen in a collegiate dual meet. I’d guess that the streak extends through this dual. The 2021 national champion is unbeaten during limited action this year and sports a 94-3 career record with three top-three finishes. Pick: Carr by decision (13-6 Iowa) 174 lbs: Gabe Arnold (Iowa) vs. #21 MJ Gaitan (Iowa State) Last week’s dual with Oregon State featured the dual debut of highly-touted freshman Gabe Arnold. And what a debut it was. Arnold got by All-American Travis Wittlake 4-2 in front of an excited Carver-Hawkeye crowd. In his first taste of collegiate action, Arnold captured a title at the Luther Open tallying bonus points in all five of his matches, the “closest” being an 11-3 major decision. It remains to be seen how Arnold is employed by Brands for the remainder of the season. A win over an opponent like Wittlake clearly shows Arnold can compete with almost anyone at this weight; however, they may still sit him if/when Patrick Kennedy is ready. Until that is settled, I’d expect Arnold to be strategically used for important duals. Last season, Kevin Dresser used MJ Gaitan in a similar fashion. Gaitan went 1-1 in his collegiate debut, at the Battle at the River City and even participated in this dual - he was majored by Nelson Brands. Gaitan stayed in redshirt and ended up with a 9-5 record. This season, Gaitan has been unleashed and has responded with two pins and a tech in three matches. Obviously, none of his opponents have been of Arnold’s caliber, but it’s an impressive start nonetheless. Arnold currently is not ranked; however, that’s related to the uncertainty surrounding his status for the remainder of the year, not his actual ability. On paper, this would be looked at as an “upset,” but it isn’t truly one. Pick: Arnold by decision (16-6 Iowa) 184 lbs: #30 Brennan Swafford (Iowa) vs. #6 Will Feldkamp (Iowa State) One of the new starters this year for Iowa is Brennan Swafford at 184 lbs. Swafford isn’t new to the program, he transferred in from Graceland prior to the 2021-22 year; however, he has not competed in a dual for the Hawkeyes before this year. In his Iowa dual debut, Swafford majored a tough Nathan Haas of California Baptist. A week later, he bonused his way through the Luther Open. As one may have expected, Swafford has his hands full in the Oregon State dual, as he was majored by returning All-American Trey Munoz. It’ll be another All-American for Swafford this time out. Surrendering bonus points this time could potentially put the Cyclones back in the match. That All-American is Will Feldkamp a Clarion graduate transfer. Feldkamp’s somewhat surprising run to the podium included wins over Big Ten and EIWA’s runner’s-up Isaiah Salazar (Minnesota) and Jacob Nolan (Binghamton), respectively, along with a fall over #13 seed Lenny Pinto (Nebraska). Once his All-American status was confirmed, Feldkamp pinned North Carolina’s Gavin Kane for seventh place. Last week, Feldkamp made his Iowa State debut and had an exciting first-period pin over Wisconsin’s Shane Liegel. Feldkamp has proven to be a pinner as almost half (14) of his 29 wins last season came via fall. However the dual plays out, it’s likely within reach at this point. If that’s the case, I see Feldkamp really feeding off the crowd and pushing for the fall. Pick: Feldkamp by major decision (16-10 Iowa) 197 lbs: #22 Zach Glazier (Iowa) vs. #24 Julien Broderson (Iowa State) We’ve got a true toss-up match at 197 lbs to swing the bout one way or the other. Iowa could seal the deal with a Zach Glazier win; however, Julien Broderson could keep the Cyclones in it if he gets his hand raised (under these circumstances, of course). Again, we expect this to be a very close dual, so either way, this match should have major implications. Glazier is a fifth-year junior who had seen action in four career duals heading into this season. Early returns are very encouraging for Glazier as he’s posted major decisions against quality opponents in both of his 2023-24 duals. Also, a longtime veteran of his respective program is Julien Broderson. Broderson has seen significant time as Iowa State’s starter, but is still looking for his first trip to the national tournament. He has participated in two Big 12 Championships, but hasn’t been able to break through just yet. Broderson has bounced between 174 and 184 for the Cyclones but appears to have found a home at 197 lbs. Broderson is unbeaten in both of his duals this year, most recently beating Wisconsin’s Josh Otto, 5-2. During his career, Broderson is 1-2 against Hawkeye opponents. He defeated Abe Assad at 184 lbs as a true freshman, but was 0-2 against Swafford at 174 lbs. With the Cyclones having the edge at heavyweight, all they need here is a win from Broderson to keep their hopes of an upset alive. Pick: Broderson by decision (16-13 Iowa) 285 lbs: Bradley Hill (Iowa) vs. #7 Yonger Bastida (Iowa State) Redshirt freshman Bradley Hill will get his first taste of the Cy-Hawk dual and could have the hopes of his team riding on his shoulders. In previous seasons, Iowa had Tony Cassioppi as an excellent closer in these types of situations. Whether or not Hill can progress into that type of figure remains to be seen. So far this season, Hill has a 5-2 record. He was one of the few Hawkeye starters to drop a match at the Luther Open, then suffered a dual loss to Oregon State’s #22 Boone McDermott. Hill, who has been excellent on the freestyle scene, was able to amass a 13-6 record while redshirting in 2022-23. Iowa State will counter with 2022 All-American Yonger Bastida. Bastida spent his first two years in Ames at 197 lbs, but has moved up for this season. Like his fellow countryman, Echemendia, Bastida has a long history in freestyle and it shows with his point-scoring abilities. In three matches this season, Bastida has compiled 74 points (all tech falls). His first match was the most impressive as it came against #25 Daniel Bucknavich (Cleveland State). If it comes down to Bastida, Coach Dresser and crew should feel very confident. Bastida has notched Cy-Hawk wins over Jacob Warner in each of the last two seasons. Last year, at the Collegiate Duals, with their heavyweight injured, Dresser bumped up Bastida to take out a ranked opponent a lock up a win over Cornell. Pick: Bastida by major decision (17-16 Iowa State)