Iowa State wrestling took yet another blow, with Anthony Echemendia out for the rest of the season with an injury. As confirmed by head trainer Kevin Dresser, the loss is the Cyclones’ fourth key season-ending injury, and it raises real questions about them competing at full strength for the current season.

The All-American at 141, Echemendia, fought for a starting position in the lineup after starting at 149 at the beginning of the season. In early December, he injured himself at the Cliff Keen Invitational in Las Vegas, and it kept him out for a period of several weeks before a decision actually did occur. Echemendia was inserted in the bout sheet for the dual with Oklahoma State last weekend, and hope for a return seemed renewed, but in the end, he saw no competition. According to Dresser, they considered starting him off slow in an open tournament over the weekend, but new information prompted them to shut him down for the duration of the season.

Echemendia will seek a medical redshirt, one that, when approved, will allow him two years of added eligibility. That will allow him a chance to return even stronger for next season, but for Iowa State, its concern in the near future is—how it will plug yet one more hole in its lineup. With him out, Jacob Frost will start at 141 pounds, accompanied by twin Evan Frost (133 pounds). Jacob comes off a big win over No. 4-ranked Tagen Jamison of Oklahoma State, and it showed that he can deliver under big-game pressure.

The Cyclones started strong, determined to build off a fourth-place performance at last spring’s NCAA Championships. With four significant injuries and a whole lot of minor ones, a repeat top performance is a whole lot less feasible these days.

Iowa State’s injury woes: can a trend be stopped?

The Cyclones have gone through a long sequence of violent setbacks, and Echemendia’s loss is Cyclone’s fourth, with Casey Swiderski (141-149), Connor Euton (165), and Yonger Bastida (285) out for the season as well. All four wrestlers were touted to make a contribution in a significant role, and their loss will hurt even deeper for a Cyclones’ unit that could not have a deeper loss in championship aspirations.

Aside from these critical injuries, Cyclones have experienced a spate of minor ailments at other weight classes, including Kysen Terukina (125), Cody Chittum (157), MJ Gaitan (174), and Evan Bockman (184), all of whom have sat out part of this campaign with a variety of ailments. To join them, Christian Carroll (197) departed early this month, and first-year Sawyer Bartelt’s medical was forfeited over the weekend at Oklahoma State.

The bug of injuries has necessitated them having to make constant shuffles in terms of lineup, and with that, it is not an ideal scenario for a national championship-contending group to have to make such a constant shuffling in its lineup, even with admirably filled gaps such as with Jacob Frost.

Step back and view it in a larger context, and one can’t help but wonder—is it a matter of poor luck, or is something else in motion? Certain programs have altered training regimens in a quest to try and counteract injury risks in years past, but Iowa State seems to be in a cycle of having its key wrestlers go down at critical times. It carries over the past season, too—injuries have a bearing on recruiting, long-term development, and overall morale in a program.

Iowa State, with four wrestlers out for the season, will face a long ascent for the rest of the campaign. What appeared to be yet another strong stretch at an NCAA Championship no longer looks anywhere near reality, and a top-10 finish will have to become a new reality for them. However, there’s still hope. If key contributors like Jacob Frost and Evan Frost continue to rise to the occasion, and if Iowa State’s coaching staff can make the right adjustments, they can still make noise in the postseason. The Cyclones’ ability to adapt and overcome adversity will define their season—and perhaps set the stage for a stronger, healthier comeback next year.