#13 Iowa StateMatScouts Crystal Ball projected 2027 NCAA top 15 (Willie Saylor), mid-summer update
Iowa State finished twenty seventh in 2025 and eighth in 2026. That is the biggest one year climb of any team on this page, and they did it with a roster the portal rebuilt in a single offseason: five wrestlers arrived in 2025 and eight left.
The churn cuts both ways. Yonger Bastida's runner up finish and 20 points are gone, along with Rocky Elam and Stevo Poulin, so 28 of 52 points return. Anthony Echemendia was sixth and MJ Gaitan eighth, and both are back. Iowa State won 43 percent of its matches by bonus. Thirteenth depends on the next portal class landing like the last one.
Of the 52 team points Iowa State scored at the 2026 NCAA Championships, wrestlers accounting for 28 points (54%) are back in the room this season. 24 points walked out the door. Hover over the bar for the breakdown.
2026 NCAA team points: returning vs. leaving
Where Iowa State actually finished at the NCAA Championships each year (solid green line), next to where our development model expected a roster with these ratings to finish (dashed gray line). Hover over a point for the score.
Team finish at the NCAA Championships, 2021 to 2026
Impact score is our model’s one-number rating of a wrestler’s season, earned in the conference tournament and the NCAA bracket: the deeper the March run, the higher the score. Anthony Echemendia’s 107 was the best returning score on this roster last season.
Add up every season this roster wrestled in 2025-26 and it comes to 615 impact. 321 of it (52%) is already back in the room, 294 walked out the door through the portal.
Career impact score entering 2026-27
Jacob Frost149 lbs
93Every weight, who is projected to hold it, what they did in the 2025-26 postseason, and who held the spot last March. All numbers are conference-tournament and NCAA matches only. Impact score is our model’s rating of a season: the 2025-26 number is what they earned, the 2026-27 number is what the model expects next.
No 2025-26 postseason matches. Stats begin when they reach a bracket.
Stevo Poulin (5th year)DNP at NCAAs (13 seed)
Eligibility exhausted
No postseason data yet.
No 2025-26 postseason matches. Stats begin when they reach a bracket.
Garrett Grice (Sr)DNP at NCAAs (28 seed)
Back in 2026-27
No postseason data yet.
No 2025-26 postseason matches. Stats begin when they reach a bracket.
Anthony Echemendia (Jr)6th at NCAAs
Back in 2026-27
No postseason data yet.
Jacob Frost (Sr)DNP at NCAAs (16 seed)
Back in 2026-27
No 2025-26 postseason matches. Stats begin when they reach a bracket.
Vinny Zerban (5th year)DNP at NCAAs (12 seed)
Eligibility exhausted
No postseason data yet.
No 2025-26 postseason matches. Stats begin when they reach a bracket.
Connor Euton (Sr)DNP at NCAAs (15 seed)
Back in 2026-27
No postseason data yet.
No 2025-26 postseason matches. Stats begin when they reach a bracket.
MJ Gaitan (Sr)8th at NCAAs
Back in 2026-27
No postseason data yet.
No 2025-26 postseason matches. Stats begin when they reach a bracket.
Isaac Dean (5th year)DNP at NCAAs (13 seed)
Eligibility exhausted
No postseason data yet.
No 2025-26 postseason matches. Stats begin when they reach a bracket.
Rocky Elam (6th year)DNP at NCAAs (2 seed)
Eligibility exhausted
No postseason data yet.
No 2025-26 postseason matches. Stats begin when they reach a bracket.
Yonger Bastida (5th year)2nd at NCAAs
Eligibility exhausted
No postseason data yet.
The 2026 signing class, ranked by final big-board position. Expected entry score is the impact our model projects for a recruit’s first college season, set by where they finished on the board.
Jake Millerexpected entry score 5#44 board
Liam Kellyexpected entry score 3#64 board
David Perezprojected at 165 · expected entry score 1#116 board
Valentine Popadiucprojected at 141 · expected entry score 1#141 board
Thunder Lewisexpected entry score 1#241 boardThe 2026 cycle, in and out.
Adrian Meza125/133 · out to an undeclared destination · undeclared
Out
Ethan Perryman125 · out to an undeclared destination · undeclared
Out
Manuel Rojas165 · out to an undeclared destination · undeclared
Out
Tate Naaktgeboren174/184 · out to an undeclared destination · undeclared
OutThe full portal history, cycle by cycle, is in the Development section below.
What this roster did in the 2026 bracket, and where that ranks among every team that scored at the tournament.
Medians across the 70 programs that scored at the 2026 NCAA Championships.
2026 postseason pace, projected lineup only.
Jacob Frost149 lbs
2.0No 2026 postseason scoring events on file for this projected lineup.
Every signee and every portal move this program has made since 2020, and what came of them. Expected is the rating our model projects: a first college season is measured against the wrestler’s big-board entry score, later seasons against the development model. Actual is the rating they earned. Click a wrestler to open their score card: the season-by-season receipt behind those career totals.
Zach Redding #54 boardno NCAA points yet
expected19actual80
Nate Schon #31 boardno NCAA points yet
never reached a postseason bracket
Paniro Johnson #45 boardno NCAA points yet
expected68actual88
Casey Swiderski #3 board’24: 7th · ’26: 8th
expected89actual126
MJ Gaitan #14 board’26: 8th
expected89actual178
Manuel Rojas #19 boardno NCAA points yet
expected11actual0
Connor Euton #77 boardno NCAA points yet
expected16actual42
Ethan Perryman #85 boardno NCAA points yet
expected1actual0
Tate Naaktgeboren #27 boardno NCAA points yet
expected5actual0
McCrae Hagarty #87 boardno NCAA points yet
expected1actual0
Garrett Grice in from Virginiano NCAA points yet
expected16actual35
Sawyer Bartelt #15 boardno NCAA points yet
expected11actual0
Daniel Herrera #35 boardno NCAA points yet
expected42actual24
Adrian Meza #68 boardno NCAA points yet
expected3actual0
Kane Naaktgeboren #90 boardno NCAA points yet
expected1actual0
Christian Carroll in from Oklahoma Stateno NCAA points yet
no postseason matches at Iowa State on file
Christian Castillo #14 boardno NCAA points yet
expected11actual0
Carter Pearson #107 boardno NCAA points yet
expected1actual0
Isaac Dean in from Riderno NCAA points yet
expected36actual26
Rocky Elam in from Missourino NCAA points yet
expected36actual48
Stevo Poulin in from Northern Coloradono NCAA points yet
expected75actual51
Vinny Zerban in from Northern Coloradono NCAA points yet
expected75actual21
Casey Swiderski out to Oklahoma State’24: 7th
left with career impact 149
Christian Carroll out to Wyomingno NCAA points yet
left with career impact 56
Nate Schon out to Drexelno NCAA points yet
left with career impact 10
Zach Redding out to NC Stateno NCAA points yet
left with career impact 54
Jake Miller #44 boardno NCAA points yet
incoming freshman · expected entry score 5
Liam Kelly #64 boardno NCAA points yet
incoming freshman · expected entry score 3
David Perez #116 boardno NCAA points yet
incoming freshman · expected entry score 1
Valentine Popadiuc #141 boardno NCAA points yet
incoming freshman · expected entry score 1
Thunder Lewis #241 boardno NCAA points yet
incoming freshman · expected entry score 1