No. 9 Iowa State Tops Bucknell for First Win of Metcalf Era

Sunday, November 1

Ames, Iowa

6:00 PM

Iowa State

Bucknell

11.01.2026 | Men's Wrestling

Metcalf Presser Stats Highlights

AMES, Iowa – No. 9 Iowa State defeated Bucknell, 29-12, Sunday night inside Hilton Coliseum in Brent Metcalf's first dual as head coach. The Cyclones won 7-of-10 matches and tallied bonus points in four bouts.

Brent Metcalf is the seventh Cyclone head coach to win his dual debut. It is ISU's second-straight season-opening dual win and its eighth in its last nine tries.

Iowa State (1-0, 0-0 Big 12) won the takedown battle against Bucknell (0-1, 0-0 EIWA), 22-3.

The middle of ISU's lineup got the job done as Evan Frost (141) and Jacob Frost (149) both won by tech fall and Paniro Johnson (157) won via major decision. Tate Naaktgeboren (174) also put bonus points on the board after he won by injury default.

Naaktgeboren, Coby Merrill (285) and Dru Ayala (125) all earned their first career dual match victories.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Ayala, a sophomore transfer from Iowa, notched his first win as a Cyclone with a 5-2 decision against Jackson Heslin at 125 pounds. Ayala got in on a first-period takedown and tallied 1:09 of riding time for his first-career dual victory.

No. 15 Garrett Grice looked solid in his season debut against Blue Stiffler. The Cyclone finished with two takedowns and 1:06 of riding time in the win and is now 34-13 in his career.

The Frost brothers delivered back-to-back tech falls at 141 and 149 pounds to blow the team score open, 16-0, after four matches. At 141 pounds, No. 2 Evan Frost was clinical in a 19-3 result over Bryce Manera in which he recorded five takedowns. No. 19 Jacob Frost had four first period takedowns against Cade Wirnsberger as he cruised to a 21-3 victory in 3:35, his 23^rd career tech fall.

At 157 pounds, Paniro Johnson wasted no time getting to his attacks as he put his first of five takedowns on the board in the opening seconds of the match. He defeated Ryan Lawler by major decision, 16-5, in his first match back after missing the majority of last season due to a neck injury.

In the dual's featured bout at 165 pounds, No. 13 Connor Euton led No. 15 Noah Mulvaney, 10-3, at the beginning of the third period but the Bison locked up a cradle for a fall to get Bucknell on the scoreboard.

At 174 pounds, Tate Naaktgeboren earned a win by injury default over No. 17 Myles Takats. Naaktgeboren was leading, 4-1, over Takats when the match was stopped at the 6:42 mark.

Sawyer Bartelt made his return to the mat for the first time in 644 days after recovering from multiple knee injuries. He squared off against No. 29 Tyler Bienus in a match that went the distance plus more. The pair were tied, 1-1, at the end of regulation and sudden victory period. In the tiebreakers, Bartelt rode Bienus in the first 0:30 before Bienus got the winning takedown in the closing moments of the second 0:30.

It was another overtime match at 197 pounds where No. 21 Dillon Bechtold got the best of Brayden Thompson, 4-1, in sudden victory.

Only two weeks removed from his U23 World Bronze medal, heavyweight No. 15 Coby Merrill made his highly anticipated Cyclone debut. He put his first collegiate takedown on the board in only eight seconds before earning an escape and two stalling points later in the match for a 6-2 decision over Lucas Lawler.

UP NEXT
No. 9 Iowa State is back in action Friday at Utah Valley for its Big 12 dual opener. That match is set to start at 8 p.m. (CT).

MATCH-BY-MATCH RESULTS
No. 9 Iowa State 29, Bucknell 12
125: Dru Ayala (ISU) dec. Jackson Heslin (BU), 5-2
133: No. 15 Garrett Grice (ISU) dec. Blue Stiffler (BU), 8-2
141: No. 2 Evan Frost (ISU) TF Bryce Manera (BU), 19-3 (5:05)
149: No. 9 Jacob Frost (ISU) TF Cade Wirnsberger (BU), 21-3 (3:35)
157: No. 13 Paniro Johnson (ISU) Maj. Dec. Ryan Lawler (BU), 16-5
165: No. 15 Noah Mulvaney (BU) WBF No. 13 Connor Euton (ISU), 6:12
174: Tate Naaktgeboren (ISU) Inj. Def. No. 17 Myles Takats (BU), 6:42
184: No. 29 Tyler Bienus (BU) dec. Sawyer Bartelt (ISU), 4-1 TB-1
197: No. 21 Dillon Bechtold (BU) dec. Brayden Thompson (ISU), 4-1 SV-1
285: No. 15 Coby Merrill (ISU) dec. Lucas Lawler (BU), 6-2