Iowa State head coach Kevin Dresser listened to Evan and Jacob Frost’s ideas about next season’s living arrangements and nodded.

Then, he offered a suggestion.

“I said, ‘Have you guys ever thought about adding an extra roommate or something?’” Dresser said of the talented sophomore twins on his team. “They’re like, ‘Nope. No, no, no. Just the two of us.’ So they’re pretty inseparable.”

Just one weight class separates Evan, an All-American at 133 pounds last season, from Jacob, a 141-pounder trying to break into the lineup on an Iowa State team loaded with middleweight talent.

They share the same dogged work ethic. They often take the same classes. They sometimes confuse Dresser when he’s trying to tell them apart.

“Right off the scales,” said Evan, who took sixth at nationals last season. “That’s when he can tell the difference.”

Dresser’s sixth-ranked team enters Friday’s 7 p.m. season-opening dual with #18 Stanford banged up but excited about the opportunities their youngest wrestlers will enjoy. Eight of the 11 Cyclones in the projected lineup are freshman or sophomores. Three true freshmen — Adrian Meza at 125, Kane Naaktgeboren at 157, and Daniel Herrera at heavyweight — will make their Iowa State debuts.

“Coming off a fourth-place finish (at the NCAAs) last year, we’re becoming a contender team,” said Evan Frost, the nation’s fifth-ranked 133-pounder. “I think all of our guys believe it. Obviously, the younger guys believe it. Those guys wrestle with a chip on their shoulder, and they wrestle really, really hard every time, throughout all the positions they get put in. So I’m excited for those guys.”

Frost’s also hyped about showing that he’s improved enough to make a steeper climb up the podium in March. He’s part of the field at this year’s NWCA All-Star Classic, and will face # 2 Nasir Bailey of Little Rock on Nov. 17. Bailey beat Frost by technical fall in a dual meet last season.

“I’m excited to go in this year and see where I’ve gotten,” Frost said. “(I’ll) try to prove myself and prove that wasn’t really my best showing. I improved a lot as a wrestler, so that’s what I’m excited to go out and do.”

Dresser’s noticed Frost’s improvement — even as he finds it difficult to tell him apart from his twin, Jacob.

“The goal is to always get better at wrestling, so hopefully his skill set’s a little higher this year,” Dresser said. “We know the toughness is there, and he’s having to watch his weight. He’s a big 133. On a normal team, he’s probably at 141, but this isn’t a normal team this year.”

Chittum Could Redshirt

Dresser said highly-touted 157-pounder Cody Chittum has sustained two concussions since the Cyclones began training this season and he’s “leaning towards” redshirting him.

“We got him evaluated and the evaluation was good, but they’re going to want to sit him for about four or five more weeks,” Dresser said of Flo’s pound-for-pound #1 recruit two years ago.

If Chittum — an NCAA qualifier as a freshman — does redshirt, the lineup at the middle weights sorts itself out. Casey Swiderski, an All-American at 149 last season, is cutting weight to compete at 141. Anthony Echemendia, an All-American at 141 last season, will compete at 149. And that frees up Paniro Johnson, a Big 12 champion at 149 in the 2022-23 season, to wrestle at 157.

“Everything could change in a month, but right now it’s gonna be Anthony at ’49, Paniro at ’57,  Cody will redshirt, and next year we’ll probably look at redshirting Casey,” Dresser said. “But right now it looks like we’ve got ’41, ’49, and ’57 figured out.”

Bastida Out With Injury

Iowa State’s sixth-ranked heavyweight Yonger Bastida suffered what Dresser deemed “a minor knee sprain” in practice and will be out until at least the Navy dual on Nov. 15. 

“He’s able to do everything except for really hard wrestling right now,” Dresser said. “He’s drilling, he’s biking, he’s doing everything but, so we’re probably being a little extra cautious because we’re early and everybody’s got that Nov. 23 (dual at Iowa) circled, whether they want to admit it or not. I know he’s got that circled so he’s gonna try to be the best version of himself by the time we get to that.”

Echemendia Eschews Film

The Cyclones’ sixth-ranked 149-pounder Anthony Echemendia could face #10 Jaden Abas on Friday, but he’s not studying his opponent’s tendencies. That’s not how the senior from Cabaiguan, Cuba, rolls.

“I know that he’s a good wrestler, but I never watch any of the guys I have to wrestle against because when I go out there, I’m focused on doing my style,” Echemendia said. “I’m chasing you, I’m wrestling hard, and that’s what I always do. Just try to go out there and put on a show. He’s a really good guy and I respect him but he’s gotta be ready for a dogfight.”