AMES, Iowa – Iowa State head coach Kevin Dresser announced today the addition of Junior World Silver Medalist, Yonger Bastida, to the Iowa State Wrestling program. Bastida comes to Ames by way of Trinidad, Cuba. He projects to wrestle at 197 or heavyweight for the Cyclones and will be eligible this season.

"We obviously are very happy to add Yonger to our 20-21 roster," Dresser said. "He is already a very successful wrestler on the international freestyle wrestling stage and we are very excited to help him learn folkstyle wrestling. I know that Yonger is very excited to experience everything that goes along with being a Division I student athlete." 

"To watch this guy progress toward a U.S. college degree will be very exciting, and dream come true for someone from his native country. Our International Student and Scholars Office at Iowa State works very hard to welcome students from all over the world every day, and they did a wonderful job navigating Yonger's admission process. I know they are also very excited that we have Yonger at Iowa State."

Bastida enters the Cyclone wrestling program as an already decorated freestyle wrestler on both the Junior and Senior Level. In 2019, Bastida won the Pan American Junior Gold Medal at 92 kg. He earned silver medals at both the Junior World Championships and Granma y Cerro Pelado Championship. He competed at the U23 World Championship at 92 kg where he brought home a Bronze Medal for Cuba.

Most recently, Bastida took second at the 2020 Granma y Cerro Pelado Championship, falling to U.S. World and Olympic Team member, J'Den Cox, in the finals. Prior to the postponement of the 2020 Olympics, Bastida projected to be one of the finalists to represent Cuba at 97 kg.

Yonger Bastida Wrestling Accolades
2020 Cerro Pelado Silver Medalist – 97 kg
2019 U23 World Bronze Medalist – 92kg
2019 Junior World Silver Medalist – 97 kg
2019 Pan American Junior Gold Medalist – 92 kg
2019 Cerro Pelado Silver Medalist – 97 kg

Watch Yonger Bastida win U23 World bronze below.