Dresser Named Big 12 Coach of the Year
AMES, Iowa – Iowa State head coach Kevin Dresser has been named the Big 12 Wrestling Coach of the Year. It marks the second time in his seven seasons Dresser has received the honor.
Dresser led Iowa State to its first Big 12 team title since 2009 and a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Championships, its highest placement since 2010, this season. The Cyclones accumulated a program-record 152.5 team points at the Big 12 Championship, the fourth-most in the tournament in league history.
At nationals, four Cyclones reached All-America status as Iowa State tallied 68.5 team points – its most since 2009. Aided by blue-chip recruit David Carr, who won his second national title in 2024, Dresser has led the resurgence of a program which finished with one team point and tied for 57th at the 2017 NCAA Championships.
Fan support has been crucial to Dresser’s revival of the program and Cyclone fans are once again turning out in droves to watch wrestling in Hilton Coliseum. Iowa State averaged 6,690 fans per dual in Hilton during 2023-24, its highest average home attendance in the Big 12 era.
A catalyst for rising interest in Cyclone wrestling has been the fun, entertaining and high-paced brand of wrestling Dresser has injected into the program. No longer are Cyclone wrestlers satisfied with just winning, they want to push for more.
Bonus points were critical in Iowa State’s Cliff Keen Invitational and Big 12 titles, as well as the Cyclones’ top-five NCAA finish. Nearly 45 percent of dual/tournament matches wrestled by Cyclones this season resulted in a bonus-point win (125-of-285). At the Big 12 Championship, thanks to its bonus-point tally, ISU still managed to out-pace Oklahoma State despite the Cowboys having one more placewinner.
In Dresser’s seven seasons, Iowa State has produced eight individual Big 12 champions, 13 All-Americans and two individual national titles.
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