CLEVELAND, Ohio – Iowa State heavyweight Yonger Bastida, fresh off being named the Big 12 Conference Wrestler of the Year, has advanced to the national semifinals at the 2026 NCAA Wrestling Championships. The top-seeded Bastida defeated No. 8 Ben Kueter of Iowa in the 285-pound quarterfinals on Friday, March 20, continuing his dominant pursuit of a national title.
The announcement of Bastida’s Big 12 Wrestler of the Year award was made by the conference office on Thursday, March 19, recognizing his perfect 25-0 regular season record, Big 12 title, and national lead in technical falls. This caps a season where he has won 53 of his last 55 matches dating back to the 2023-24 season.
Bastida, a native of Cuba who came to Iowa in November 2020, opened the tournament in Cleveland with two decisive victories on Thursday. He began with a 22-5 technical fall and followed with another dominant win to reach the quarterfinals. His victory over Kueter on Friday morning secured his spot in tonight’s semifinal round.
“Just seven minutes of hard wrestling, that’s what they can expect,” Bastida said in a pre-tournament press conference. “For seven minutes I just have that fight. It’s going to be a war.”
Bastida’s journey to becoming a national title favorite involved adapting to life in the United States and mastering folkstyle wrestling. Since arriving in Ames, his focus has been intensely on wrestling, attending class, and improving his English.
Three other Iowa State wrestlers remain alive in the consolation “blood round” as of Friday afternoon, keeping the Cyclones in contention for team honors. The tournament concludes on Saturday, March 21, at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.