AMES — Following an injury-riddled season complemented by breakout stars, veteran absence and star-studded young talent, Iowa State gets set for the Big 12 Tournament this weekend in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

It’s safe to say that this season hasn’t gone as head coach Kevin Dresser pictured. What was at one point a hopeful start to the season in November quickly got shaken up by a handful of injuries that took place before December. 

In the season opener against Stanford and the second home dual against Navy, Iowa State set the bar with freshman Adrian Meza. Since then, the expected starter, senior Kysen Terukina, has seen a fair share of ups and downs. 

Terukina is expected to make a resurgence in the lineup against Tristan Daugherty of North Dakota State in the first round after battling injury after injury this season. The time has finally come for the senior to return. 

“It feels like this is where I belong,” Terukina said. “Being out there, competing, giving it my all, I’m just a competitor, and I’m ready to give it my all.”

At 133, the lighter weight of the Frost duo, sophomore Evan Frost, is expected to wrestle. Before the second-to-last dual of the season against Northern Iowa, Frost racked up a double-digit win streak. Evan Frost’s win streak extended with a win over Northern Iowa’s Julian Farber. 

Frost enters the tournament as the top overall seed in the 133 bracket. He is one of two Cyclone wrestlers to secure the top seed in any competition bracket. 

“There are a lot of ways to interpret pressure,” Dresser said. “There are many ways to look at pressure, and when you interpret it the right way, success will come.”

When the season started, Frost’s twin brother Jacob was unlikely to end up wrestling in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament. Before this season’s Cliff Keen Invitational in Las Vegas, no pair of identical twins had ever competed in the same starting lineup at the Division I level. 

Things changed, however, when senior Zach Redding went down with an injury, opening the door for Jacob Frost. Now, in the first round he’s set to wrestle Arizona State’s Daniel Miranda.

“We’ve seen a lot of growth out of him,” Dresser said. “[Jacob Frost] is always quiet and composed, and that’s part of why I think he’s so good.”

Similar to the success of the Frost brothers, redshirt sophomore Paniro Johnson will wrestle in the first round at 149 for Iowa State. Unlike the pair, however, Johnson’s success took an unconventional route into the postseason. 

Having drawn the No. 2 seed, Johnson takes to low-scoring affairs on the mat. Unlike the high-scoring and pin-heavy Frost brothers, Johnson’s approach is unconventional. Wins against Oklahoma’s Willie McDougald and Pittsburgh’s Kade Brown came by single-digit margins, with the matchup against Brown ending in a sudden victory. 

The strategy, however, has not always worked for Johnson. He lost against Northern Iowa’s Colin Realbuto after giving up a late takedown that ended the matchup. Drawing South Dakota State’s Avery Allen, Johnson’s No. 2 seed will be tested. 

“This is the best I’ve felt in a long time,” Johnson said. “I feel good about my training, but things could go south at any moment, and I have to be ready for anything.”

The story of the first round, however, comes at 157. Following the trend of this season’s injuries, sophomore Cody Chittum has been thrust into the lineup with the team’s second top seed. 

Chittum was expected to redshirt the remainder of the season after the Cliff Keen Invitational, but hiccups in the starting lineup kept him primed and ready to go. 

Following a loss to Missouri’s James Conway, Chittum is expected to fire on all cylinders in Tulsa. 

“He’s responded well to the loss,” Dresser said. “It’s helped him prepare, manage his weight and stop taking shortcuts. In our simulations this weekend, he felt good.” 

Two Cyclone starters drew opening-round byes in the tournament. No. 7 seed sophomore MJ Gaitan at 174 and No. 8 seed sophomore Aiden Riggins 165 are set to advance with no competition.

Unlike Gaitan, Riggins was unable to find success until later in the season. Once he dropped down from 174 to 165, the change in weight classes has come naturally to the Cyclone sophomore. 

“Not everyone is going to feel perfect,” Dresser said. “Regardless of where you end up, not everything will go according to plan. At this point in the season, it’s time to go.”

Gaitan has seen significantly less mat time compared to last season. As it turns out, changes were in the works. 

“Nobody knew much about him when he came in,” Dresser said. “Having as much video as people have now and adapting to his style, his opponents have been able to adjust and better prepare to face [Gaitan] on the mat. 

Senior heavyweight Evan Bockman is the final senior to enter the lineup at 184. After missing two duals due to illness, Bockman returned against Northern Iowa’s Wyatt Voelker on Feb. 16. 

Unlike his dual matchup against Voelker, Bockman is back to wrestling at 184, a weight he has comfortably wrestled at all season. Barring some issues with illness, he’s set to wrestle as the No. 4 seed against Air Force’s Gabe Musser.

“As a coach, you can tell when your athletes are ready to go, and I see it in his eyes that he’s ready,” Dresser said.

Another unfamiliar face, sophomore Nate Schon, was thrust into the lineup after the departure of redshirt freshman Christian Carroll ahead of the Cyclone Open. 

Schon’s recent win against Missouri’s Jesse Cassatt came from a 4-2 decision, as he is hopeful that the experience is enough to propel him to an opening-round victory as the No. 6 seed against Arizona State’s Jacob Meissner.

“Mentally, you have to believe,” Johnson said. “You have to be thankful to be healthy, especially this time of year. Every match has to be in your hand.”

Rounding out the Cyclone lineup is freshman heavyweight Daniel Herrera, who earned a No. 6 seed and is scheduled to take on North Dakota State’s Andrew Blackburn-Frost in the tournament’s first round. 

Like Chittum and Jacob Frost, Herrera was not expected to wrestle early in the season. That plan went out the window following an injury to senior Yonger Bastida. 

“At this point in the season, it’s time to go,” Dresser said. “You have to be ready, and we’ll roll with whoever is healthy and prepared to win.” 

Following the Cy-Hawk series on Nov. 7, Bastida has consistently been in Herrera’s corner, coaching him on handling big moments, none more significant than this weekend’s sessions in Tulsa. 

“We’ve got guys who have worked hard this year,” Dresser said. “You’ve got to wrestle, and that’s becoming easier with the event’s growth.”

Sessions one and two are set for 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Saturday, with sessions three and four at 12 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Sunday. All sessions will stream live on ESPN+.