Iowa State wrestling officially adds two upper-weight transfers

The Iowa State wrestling team welcomed in two key transfers officially on Thursday. Rocky Elam and Isaac Dean put pen to paper and have joined the Cyclones.

Elam competes at 197 pounds and is a four-time All-American from Missouri. Dean, meanwhile, was an NCAA qualifier at 184 pounds for Rider.

“Rocky and Isaac are great additions to bolster the upper half of our lineup,” Iowa State head coach Kevin Dresser said. “They are high-quality individuals on and off the mat and they will bring great competition and depth to our room. We’re looking forward to getting these guys to Ames and getting to work.”

The offseason has been a busy one for the Cyclones. Several wrestlers have entered the transfer portal including Casey Swiderski, Cody Chittum, Kysen Terukina and Zach Redding.

Elam placed third as a sophomore at the NCAA Championships and has won conference titles in both the Big 12 (2023) and MAC (2021). He was also a 2021 Junior World champion.

The Kansas City native owns a career record of 70-17 and is coming off a redshirt season to recover from injuries suffered in 2023-24. At the 2024 NCAA Championships, he was seeded 12th and reached the semifinals.

Dean reached the Round of 16 at the most recent championships, with both of his losses coming in tiebreakers. He owns 45 career wins at the collegiate level after starting wrestling as an eighth grader.