Northern Colorado Drops Road Dual at No. 3 Iowa State

Friday, January 23

Ames, Iowa.

6 p.m. MST

University of Northern Colorado

Iowa State

Iowa State Athletics

1/23/2026 7:49:00 PM | Wrestling

By: Elian Soto, Assistant Director of Strategic Communications

AMES, Iowa – Northern Colorado wrestling traveled to Hilton Coliseum on Friday night to take on No. 3 Iowa State in a Big 12 Conference dual. The Bears came up short in the matchup, dropping to 2–5 on the season.

The dual opened at 125 pounds, where Bryson Valdez faced No. 13 Stevo Poulin. Poulin secured a first-period pin to give Iowa State an early 6-0 team lead. At 133, No. 12 Dominick Serrano battled No. 3 Evan Frost in a slow, technical bout. After a scoreless first period, Serrano earned an escape point, but Frost responded with a late take down before adding points in the third period to claim a 7-1 decision and extend the Cyclones lead to 9-0.

At 141, Ramon Salazar took on Anthony Eschemendia in a fast-paced match. Eschemendia struck early with a takedown and continued to build momentum, piling up points in the opening period to take an 18-6 lead. A second-period take down sealed the technical fall, pushing Iowa State's advantage to 14-0. The Cyclones added to their lead at 149, as No. 6 Jack Frost secured takedowns against KJ Evans, finishing with a 19-4 technical fall to make the score 19-0.

Daishun Powe competed at 157 against No. 8 Vinny Zerban. Zerban collected take downs in each period and closing out an 18-3 technical fall to give Iowa State a 24-0 lead. At 165, Kilian Schultz showed resilience against No. 17 Connor Euton, earning an early takedown and fighting through all three periods. Despite Schultz's effort, Euton pulled away late to secure a 19-7 major decision, extending the Cyclones lead to 28-0.

The Bears saw another competitive bout at 174, where Murphy Menke faced No. 15 Aiden Riggins. Menke carried a slim 1-0 lead into the third period, but Riggins earned a reversal and riding time to escape with a 3-1 decision. At 184, Mahonri Rushton kept things close against No. 12 Issac Dean, but a late take down and riding time point allowed Dean to claim an 8-2 decision, making the score 34-0.

At 197, Tyler Perry and CJ Carter battled through regulation tied after three periods. Carter earned an escape point in the second period, while Perry responded with an escape in the third, but Carter ultimately claimed the match with a sudden victory score. The night concluded at heavyweight, where Enzo Cappabianca faced No. 1 Yonger Bastida. Bastida recorded back-to-back takedowns and finished a first-period technical fall to cap the dual.

UP NEXT: Northern Colorado will remain on the road, heading to Columbia, Missouri, to take on No. 15 Mizzou on Sunday.

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