Yonger Bastida Earns Big 12 Wrestler of the Year Honors
Iowa State heavyweight Yonger Bastida was named the Big 12 Wrestler of the Year, the conference office announced Thursday. He is the second Cyclone to receive the award since its 2016 inception.
Season overview
Bastida entered the NCAA Championships with an unblemished 25-0 record. He collected 11 victories over top-15 opponents during the regular season.
He is a two-time Big 12 heavyweight champion. His title-match win over Oklahoma State’s Konner Doucet marked the 100th victory of his collegiate career.
Career milestones
The 100th win made Bastida the 40th wrestler in program history to reach that mark. He is the first Cyclone to reach the milestone since David Carr.
Bastida has won 53 of his last 55 matches dating back to the 2023-24 season. That run underlines his recent consistency and dominance.
Bonus-point dominance and rankings
He led the nation with 15 technical falls through conference-tournament weekend. In total, he posted 18 bonus-point victories this season.
- Technical falls: 15
- Pins: 2
- Major decisions: 1
Bastida entered the national tournament ranked No. 7 nationally. He also led the Big 12 in the NCAA’s Most Dominant Wrestler Award standings, averaging 4.48 team points per match.
Next stop: NCAA Championships
Bastida and the Cyclones will compete at the NCAA Championships in Cleveland, Ohio. The tournament runs March 19–21.
| Stat | Value |
|---|---|
| Record entering NCAAs | 25-0 |
| Wins vs. top-15 | 11 |
| Bonus-point wins | 18 (15 TF, 2 pins, 1 MD) |
| National ranking | No. 7 |
| Team points average | 4.48 |
| Career wins | 100 |
Yonger Bastida was named Big 12 Wrestler of the Year and earned conference honors for his performance. Filmogaz.com will follow his progress at the NCAA Championships.
