Placing 4th in the tournament with 68.5 points to beat out Iowa last year, was an amazing finish for the Cyclones. Here is our projected lineup, always subject to change by the day,
125- Kysen Terukina being the evident senior, has shown promise in the past, looking specifically last year into his victory against No. 6 Eric Barnett was a statement. A 3 time NCAA qualifier placing 4th last year in the Big 12 Tournament, hopefully a case of senioritis hasn’t kicked in. Could they possibly try out Ethan Perryman or Garrett Grice? Tell us what you think.
133- Evan Frost is arguably the teams best returner, the 2024 Big 12 runner up made waves last season upsetting No. 8 Brody Teske (Iowa) and No.4 Dylan Shawver. Barely losing to No.1 Daton fix 2-1 in the NCAA tournament. Frost finished his freshman campaign by placing 6th at the 2024 NCAA tournament. He could definitely runner up or take the title this year. Regardless he will carry the team points this year.
141- Jacob Frost and Zach Redding will be competing for the 141 lb spot. Frost is 19-4 so far in his career, while Redding is a 2X NCAA qualifier. I expect both to get mat time this season, with Frost getting the nod for the end of the season. I could see Frost qualifying for nationals.
149- Anthony Ecemendia finished 5th last year at 141 and is now bumping up in weight. Casey Swiderski is also listed at 149 and is also a returning all-american finishing 7th at 149. Swiderski has battled injuries throughout his college career. I expect Ecemendia to get the nod and Swiderski to use a redshirt on the season. Ecemendia is a serious force and I expect a top 4 finish from him in March.
157-Paniro Johnson is back after “red-shirting” last season. Johnson was the 2023 BIG 12 Champion at an NCAA qualifier at 149 lbs. Johnson has quality wins over all-americans Max Murin, Austin Gomez, and Brock Mauller. With his speed and aggressiveness, I expect him to reach the podium in March.
165-Cody Chittum I look for Chittum to move into the 165 lb slot, after finishing 2nd at Big 12s and qualifying for the NCAA tournament as a true freshman. While Cody seemed to of under performed at nationals, he does have a quality win over NCAA finalist Jacori Teemer. I expect a more experienced Chittum to find his way to the podium. Connor Euton will also see action at the weight.
174- MJ Gaitan being the clear choice here, racked 10 pins which was the most on the team and ranked 17th most nationally showcasing a 22-9 record looks really good. The problem is, is that the 174 is absolutely stacked this year. MJ will really have to step up to the plate this year.
184- Evan Bockman the transfer from Utah Valley will take this weight, a 3X national qualifier and went 1-2 at the NCAA Championships posted a win against Levi Hopkins (Campbell) in the first round was ranked No.13. He defeated three ranked opponents in the Big 12 last year, the obvious choice coming through the portal. Tate Naaktgeboren is a talented freshman who went 9-4 last year. He will also see time on the mat this season.
197- Christian Carroll redshirted last year at Oklahoma State going 1-4. While these results don’t look promising, he was the number 2 P4P recruit coming out of high school. On the freestyle scene Carroll is a dominate force having wins over Tony Cassioppi, Jacob Warner, and Trey Munoz at the Olympic Trials. If he can transition to folkstyle he could do well. Their is a ton of hype on this kid, but the question of him making weight remains.
285- Yonger Bastida along with Evan frost, we believe will carry this team. Bastida is a returning all-american and has all the potential to win the whole dang tournament in March. If healthy he is a force in the heavyweight division. I expect a top 3 finish from him. He was 26-2 last year.
I see this team with 7 potential all-americans! It will be hard to replace the points David Carr scored at last years tournament, but with a solid team effort, I could see a top 5 finish.