Nebraska wrestling lands two-time All-American transfer Anthony Echemendia of Iowa State
Nebraska wrestling has landed Iowa State transfer Anthony Echemendia, he confirmed on Instagram.
The two-time All-American (2024, 2026) at 141 pounds has one year of eligibility remaining. Echemendia confirmed to HuskerOnline that he will bump up to 149.
The Sunnyside, Arizona, native also won the Big 12 tournament as a sophomore and took second place this past season.
Echemendia brings a 59-15 (26-6 dual) record to Lincoln. Of his 59 victories in Ames, 37 of which came with bonus points.
Head coach Mark Manning’s team culture stood out to Echemendia on his official visit.
“I love Nebraska, man,” he told HuskerOnline. “The coaches, the team culture and everything else was wonderful. Great place!”
Following his commitment, he added, “I got there, and right away, coach Manning was such a positive energy, smiling and laughing, and joking around… and making me feel welcome.”
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A look at Echemendia in NU’s lineup
With the emergence of soon-to-be redshirt freshman Jake Hockaday at 141, Echemendia makes an immediate splash for NU’s podium pipeline at 149. Echemendia believes the bump will enable him to maximize his strength.
“I want to be a national champ,” he said. “I feel great at 149 pounds because I’m a very powerful, explosive guy, and I need those extra pounds in me to feel like that.”
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From Ridge Lovett (2025 NCAA champion) and Chance Lamer (fourth place 2026), the Huskers yet again have star power at their middle weights.
RELATED — Nebraska wrestling lands Penn State transfer Lucas Cochran
Interestingly enough, Echemendia has only surrendered 22 takedowns to his 202 scored against opponents in college. Expect that electric nature to carry on the Big Red mat.
Echemendia’s addition now has Nebraska entering 2026-27 with six multi-time All-Americans: Vincent Robinson (125), Jacob Van Dee (133), Antrell Taylor (157), Christopher Minto (174) and Camden McDanel (197).
“This team is special, man. I want to make history,” Echemendia said. I want to win a team trophy, and not just a team trophy… and I want Nebraska to be national champs. I’m sure that all the guys on the team right now feel the same way.
“They feel that Nebraska can win a team title, and that’s what we’re coming for.”
He added, “We got six All-Americans coming back, and we believe in this team. We think that we can beat Penn State, which has been the top team in the country for a lot of years, and we think we’re ready for that.”
A look at NU’s 2026-27 projected lineup…
| 125 | Jr. | Vincent Robinson (2025 NCAA champ, 2x All-American) |
| 133 | Sr. | Jacob Van Dee (2x All-American) |
| 141 | R-Fr. | Jake Hockaday (7-2, 0-1 dual record over redshirt season) |
| 149 | Sr. | Anthony Echemendia (2x All-American) |
| 157 | Sr. | Antrell Taylor (2025 NCAA champ, 2026 runner-up, 3x All-American) |
| 165 | So. | LJ Araujo (2026 NCAA qualifier) |
| 174 | Jr. | Christopher Minto (2026 NCAA runner-up, 2x All-American) |
| 184 | Sr. | Lucas Cochran (Penn State transfer) |
| 197 | Jr. | Camden McDanel (2x All-American) |
| HWT | R-Fr. | Cade Ziola (16-3, 2-1 dual record over redshirt season) |
