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Iowa State wrestling's Anthony Echemendia to enter the transfer portal
TL;DR
Anthony Echemendia, a two-time NCAA All-American wrestler from Iowa State, is entering the transfer portal after two seasons with the Cyclones. He faced injuries that affected his performance, including a fifth-place finish in 2024 and a sixth-place finish in 2026 at the NCAA Championships.
Iowa State wrestling's Anthony Echemendia to enter the transfer portal
Iowa State wrestling had another major piece from its 2025-26 roster declare their intentions of entering the transfer portal.
Two-time NCAA All-American Anthony Echemendia will be departing the Cyclones and entering the transfer portal, he confirmed to the Des Moines Register on Wednesday, April 15. Cyclone Fanatic first reported the development.
Echemendia joined the Cyclones for the 2023-24 season and took fifth at the 2024 NCAA Championships. The following year, Echemendia suffered an ankle injury at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational and went on to miss the rest of the season. He returned to take sixth at the 2026 NCAA Championships, but had to medically forfeit due to an arm injury.
He will have one year of eligibility remaining.
Echemendia's loss is a major one, but it is not a loss the Cyclones cannot overcome. The lineup logjam between 141 and 157 has been a conundrum for the last three seasons at Iowa State.
The Frost twins, Evan and Jacob, as well as Paniro Johnson, all return as options to fill the middleweights. Jacob Frost has competed at both 141 and 149 pounds, while Johnson has wrestled at both 149 and 157. Evan Frost has been a career 133-pounder, but managing the weight cut was part of the reason he did not make the lineup in the 2026 postseason.
There have been six portal entries for the Cyclones confirmed by the Des Moines Register, including Christian Castillo, Daniel Herrera, Ethan Perryman, Tate Naaktgeboren and Manny Rojas. Flowrestling also reported the entry of Adrian Meza, but Meza could not be reached for comment.
Those departures and the graduation of others leave work to be done for the Cyclones to build a complete roster, with several weights having question marks following Echemendia's departure.
Eli McKown covers high school sports and wrestling for the Des Moines Register. Contact him at Emckown@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @EMcKown23
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa State wrestling's Anthony Echemendia entering transfer portal
Q&A
Why is Anthony Echemendia entering the transfer portal?
Anthony Echemendia is entering the transfer portal after experiencing injuries that impacted his performance during his time at Iowa State.
What were Anthony Echemendia's achievements at Iowa State?
Echemendia was a two-time NCAA All-American, finishing fifth in the 2024 NCAA Championships and sixth in the 2026 Championships.
When did Anthony Echemendia join Iowa State wrestling?
Anthony Echemendia joined the Iowa State wrestling team for the 2023-24 season.
