Evan Bockman bagged a pheasant in the morning and hoped to find success with his bow in the waning sunlight of an otherwise bleak winter afternoon.

In between his hunts, the well-traveled and high-energy transfer wrestler for Iowa State paused for media interviews — all in a day’s work on a rare day off.

“Honestly, I love it (here),” said the three-time NCAA qualifier at Utah Valley, who has dropped to 184 for his single season in a Cyclone singlet. “We’ve had some setbacks in the lineup. We’ve had a few guys get hurt, a little banged up, but I think it's awesome. I think we’re coming together. I think we’re gonna peak at the right time, so I’m excited for that, excited to be a part of it.”

Iowa State’s season could be defined by its spate of injuries to returning All-Americans such as Casey Swiderksi (out for the season), Anthony Echemendia (out until at least late January), and Yonger Bastida (who’s wrestled just twice this season), but the Cyclones are choosing a different narrative.

Experienced guys like Bockman are stepping up and hoping to show out, while younger wrestlers build confidence by navigating through success and failure until Iowa State’s more complete and potent lineup returns.

“We’re getting healthier and I think if we get some guys in the right places, this is a really good team down the road,” said Cyclones head coach Kevin Dresser, who led his team to its first top-four finish in 14 years at last March’s NCAA Championships. “You know, tournament time.”

Dresser said Bastida, Flo’s #4-ranked heavyweight, will travel eastward with the team this week to Wednesday’s 6 p.m. CT dual at West Virginia and this weekend’s bouts with Rider and Bucknell at the Virginia Duals. Once Bastida’s fully healthy, he’ll give the Cyclones their third top-six-ranked wrestler in the lineup to go along with five who dwell within the top 25.

Bockman (7-3) is sitting at 16th right now but knows he can ascend to podium territory if he wrestles to his potential.

“It’s tough to make it to the next level,” Bockman said. “So I was fortunate. I just worked really hard, you know? Dresser will tell me sometimes (that) I’m tough and I work hard. So that’s probably my best attribute.”

That’s also a pretty good foundation to work from while Iowa State heals up some of its top guys in an effort to be full-strength as March nears.

“Everybody on our team needs to touch him and see if they can get some of that toughness to flow through that touch,” Dresser said. “He’s a tough dude.”

Bockman’s also enjoying wrestling lighter after competing at 197. 

“(184-pounders) might not be as strong, but they’re probably a little bit faster,” he said. “Their hands move a little bit differently. At ’97, they’re a little slower and more powerful, but I’m liking ’84. I feel good. My gas tank feels great.”

So the hunt continues and the quarry’s always elusive. That’s what makes it fun. Nothing comes easily or quickly.

“I’ve gotta be tough,” Bockman said of hunting-wrestling parallels. “I’ve gotta sit out in the cold. I’ve gotta push through when it sucks.”

Pair of Cyclones Swap Weights

Dresser continues to tweak his lineup because of injuries, but he also made a healthy swap, shuffling Aiden Riggins to 165 pounds, while moving MJ Gaitan back up to 174.

Why?

“Well, I think Riggins is probably more of a ’65, and I think with MJ’s personality and style, ’74 might be a little bit better for him,” Dresser said. We’ll find out. We’ll see how both of them do — and obviously MJ got to the round of 12 at 174 last year as a freshman, so he’s proven that. And some guys just by their makeup are better at the discipline of dieting and some guys aren’t. That doesn’t mean the guys that aren’t can’t win, but all my years of doing this, even at the high school level, there are some kids that are just really dialed in on the discipline, and some kids that (aren’t). I’ve had some great wrestlers over the years that couldn’t cut weight worth a hoot. So you’ve just gotta figure them out.”