When four-time NCAA All-American Rocky Elam decided he wanted to move programs, he expected it to take a month before he would make a decision.
Elam said the plan was to view all of his options before making such a big move. He never thought he would leave Missouri, so if he was going to, it needed to be the correct choice.
His visit with Iowa State was met with what could have been viewed as a hostile face in Yonger Bastida. The two had a handful of fierce competitions when Bastida was down at 197 pounds a couple of years ago. Yet Bastida was his host for the visit.
Just two days later, Elam was a Cyclone. Teaming up with longtime foes Bastida and the Cyclones.
“That goes to show how quickly I knew this place could become home and how much I knew it was going to be a good fit for me,” Elam said. “It took me two days.”
Now in November, Elam is at the forefront of what the Cyclones hope will be a successful 2025-26 season. He’s one of seven returning All-Americans in Ames, the most Iowa State has had since 1982-83. Ranked No. 2 in the nation at 197 pounds, Elam and Bastida (No. 1 at heavyweight) go from rivals to a strong one-two punch for the Cyclones as they look to earn an NCAA trophy once again.
Elam cited the other wrestlers on the team as a large factor in why he decided to transfer. He said while he and Bastida did have their fair share of fierce battles, the competition only grew the respect he had for him. Now as training partners, Elam is said to be giving pointers to Bastida with technique and Bastida gives a strong challenger to Elam when they want to go live.
“In the match is one thing, outside the match is another thing,” Bastida said. “It’s a good connection with him. He’s a great guy.”
Perhaps the most important point was the ability for Elam to have input on his own training schedule. Having faced several injuries in his career, including missing all of last season, Elam sought the ability to have flexibility in his training schedule.
Iowa State provided that, with Elam having weekly meetings with the coaching staff to decide when and how his training will look, in an effort to keep him healthy. Iowa State coach Kevin Dresser said Elam will be on a “pitch count” with his injury history in mind, using him in pivotal spots rather than necessarily being an everyday wrestler in the lineup.
“March is what we’re training for,” Elam said. “We have the Iowa dual, we have Vegas (Cliff Keen Invitational) that I’ll want to go to, we have some important competitions. Ultimately, the goal is March. We keep that in mind and we keep that at the center of our training. As a competitor, I want to compete in everything. The truth is, I would love to wrestle every single day of the year if I could, but that’s just not ideal.”
Elam is one of the Cyclones’ top hopes for winning an individual national title, along with Bastida. While the depth on the team is strong, the Cyclones will be counting on those two to be NCAA title contenders. The goal is to repeat the fourth-place finish (or better) the Cyclones had in 2024 before an injury-plagued 2025.
Once a thorn in the side in competition for Dresser, the Cyclones coach has tremendous confidence in his 197-pounder.
“Rocky’s been really good in his career because he’s really good. He can wrestle,” Dresser said. “Everybody wins different ways. Rocky Elam can wrestle.”
Eli McKown covers high school sports and wrestling for the Des Moines Register. Contact him at Emckown@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @EMcKown23.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Once an Iowa State foe, 4-time NCAA All-American Rocky Elam brings title hopes to Ames
Reporting by Eli McKown, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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