No. 9 Iowa State Wins Big 12 Opener at Utah Valley, 31-11

Friday, November 6

Orem, Utah

8:00 PM

Iowa State

Utah Valley

Photo by: Randi Yeager

11.06.2026 | Men's Wrestling

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OREM, Utah – No. 9 Iowa State handled Utah Valley on the road, 31-11, Friday night inside a lively UCCU Center. The Cyclones won 7-of-10 bouts, including five via tech fall, as they picked up a win in their Big 12 dual opener.

Iowa State (2-0, 1-0 Big 12) held a 30-9 takedown advantage over Utah Valley (0-1, 0-1 Big 12) in the dual.

Oklahoma State transfers Rin Sakamoto (125) and Brayden Thompson (197) each picked up their first wins as Cyclones. Sakamoto, Evan Frost, Jacob Frost, Connor Euton and Coby Merrill all earned bonus points for ISU. All five notched tech falls.

ISU has now won nine-straight Big 12 dual openers. The Cyclones improve to 9-0 all-time against the Wolverines.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Rin Sakamoto made his Cyclone debut with a 19-1 tech fall over Geronimo Rivera at 125 pounds. Sakamoto had three takedowns and impressed from the top position with multiple turns for near fall points. It was Sakamoto's second collegiate match ever and his first since he wrestled now ISU assistant coach Drake Ayala in the Oklahoma State-Iowa dual on Feb. 23, 2025.

Utah Valley got on the scoreboard with a major decision at 133 pounds before the Frost brothers righted the ship with back-to-back tech falls at 141 and 149 pounds.

At 141 pounds, No. 2 Evan Frost picked up his second-straight tech fall to open the season with a 16-1 result against Smokey McClure in 4:20. He had three takedowns and a pair of turns in the win. No. 9 Jacob Frost had six takedowns in a 19-3 win over Jason Worthley for his second tech fall of the season.

In a tight match at 157 pounds, No. 13 Paniro Johnson prevailed over Ian Fritz, 10-7, thanks to a takedown with 10 seconds remaining in the match. Johnson had three takedowns to Fritz's one, but the Wolverine managed to tie the match late in the third period with a stall call against the Cyclone. Johnson improved to 2-0 on the season.

ISU led the Wolverines, 18-4, at the halfway point.

No. 14 Connor Euton secured his first win of the season out of the intermission with a 19-4 tech fall over Ryker Fullmer at 165 pounds.

Utah Valley would get a decision at 174 pounds and a major decision at 184 pounds before Brayden Thompson earned a ranked win at 197. Thompson defeated No. 23 Kael Bennie, 9-3, for his first victory as a Cyclone. Thompson countered two Bennie shot attempts in the third period to come out on top.

No. 15 Coby Merrill closed out the dual with his first collegiate tech fall. The Cyclone improved to 2-0 on the season with a 22-6 win over Will McCleary. Merrill had seven takedowns in the match, including four in the third period.

UP NEXT
Iowa State travels south for the Sunshine Duals in Bradenton, Fla. on Saturday, Nov. 14. Matchups against North Dakota State and Penn await the Cyclones.

MATCH-BY-MATCH RESULTS
No. 9 Iowa State 31, Utah Valley 11
125: Rin Sakamoto (ISU) TF Geronimo Rivera (UVU), 20-1 (7:00)
133: Layne Kleimann (UVU) maj. dec. No. 14 Garrett Grice (ISU), 13-2
141: No. 2 Evan Frost (ISU) TF Smokey McClure (UVU), 16-1 (4:20)
149: No. 9 Jacob Frost (ISU) TF Jason Worthley (UVU), 19-3 (5:39)
157: No. 13 Paniro Johnson (ISU) dec. Ian Fritz (UVU), 10-7
165: No. 14 Connor Euton (ISU) TF Ryker Fullmer (UVU), 19-4 (4:26)
174: No. 25 Marcus Espinoza-Owens (UVU) dec. Tate Naaktgeboren (ISU), 8-2
184: No. 19 Caleb Uhlenhopp (UVU) maj. dec. Sawyer Bartelt (ISU), 14-2
197: Brayden Thompson (ISU) dec. No. 23 Kael Bennie (UVU), 9-3
285: No. 15 Coby Merrill (ISU) TF Will McCleary (UVU), 22-6 (6:33)