Iowa State Wrestling’s Dynamic Duo – Iowa State Daily

AMES — Evan and Jacob Frost are no strangers to the sport of wrestling. As children, the two would hold WWE-style mock tag team matches with their older brother, Cameron Frost.

The two grew up in Louisiana with parents who didn’t like fighting against each other. Respectively, this is one of the reasons why they fight in two different weight classes. Although they don’t fight each other directly in competition, they have a bond that is unbreakable.

“Our older brother Cameron and our mom were the first to introduce us to the sport,” Evan Frost said. “We started going with one of (Cameron’s) friends and the rest is history.”

At Holy Cross High School in New Orleans, the Frost twins won three state titles, highlighted by a runner-up finish in 2021, before moving to Iowa and enrolling at Dowling Catholic in West Des Moines.

The pair again won individual state titles at Dowling under former Holy Cross assistant Ryak Finch, a former Iowa State wrestler. Dowling placed sixth as a team in the 2021-22 season at the 3A level.

As their high school careers ended, one thing became abundantly clear. Evan and Jacob Frost wanted to wrestle at the collegiate level, but not in separate gyms for different programs.

The twins currently live together; have their entire lives. What’s surprising is that the twins are enrolled in the same major and even have the exact same class schedule, helped in part by Iowa State’s early enrollment plan for student-athletes. Their classes, along with their daily lives, are mirrored.

“Usually we wake up, work out, eat breakfast and go about our day,” Evan Frost said. “We’re going the full nine meters. Everything from our class schedule to our daily routine is the same.”

The Frost twins, both majoring in mechanical engineering, initially set their sights on Columbia University. They switched their commitment to Iowa State in May 2022 and decided to stay local after learning about Iowa State’s mechanical engineering program.

“There was never a scenario where we didn’t end up at the same school,” Evan Frost said. “This is not something we would ever let happen.”

Several awards have highlighted Evan Frost’s career at Iowa State through his first two seasons. He won three Open titles and defeated No. 15 Kyle Biscoglia at the Daktronics Open and appeared in the UNI Open and North Country Open. He added a second-place finish at the Grand View Open before redshirting for the remainder of the 2022-23 season.

This season, the Frost brothers both competed for starting spots in the Cyclone lineup. Evan Frost won the starting role at 133 and Jacob Frost won a battle against middleweight contender Zach Redding to claim the starting spot at 141 ahead of the Cliff Keen Invitational in Las Vegas.

The twins appeared in Las Vegas at the double Cliff Keen Invitational on Friday. It hosted the debut of Jacob Frost alongside his twin brother. The tour was Evan Frost’s second appearance in Las Vegas and featured a moment the Frost brothers wouldn’t soon forget.

“That’s nice to see,” Evan said. “To see (Jacob) compete like he did, fight as hard as he did at Cliff Keen and get that experience, it was something I’ll never forget.”

Neither saw the other compete because of their warm-up, but the overwhelming sense of gratitude for each other was evident.

“I didn’t really have time to watch (Evan’s) games because I was warming up most of the time,” Jacob said. “In the past I’ve been more focused on his matches than mine and it was great to get out there and compete.”

The brothers are the first pair of identical twins in Iowa State wrestling history to make the starting lineup at their respective weights and the first pair of brothers to compete since Gabe and Michael Moreno took the mat in 2014 at 149 and 165.

“Those two do everything well,” Iowa State head coach Kevin Dresser said. “Jacob’s debut at the Cliff Keen Invitational confirms this. (Jacob) has made some good strides in his last few games and I’m very proud of him.”

Along the way, the two share hotel rooms, meals and bond over the smallest things. Even when they weren’t in the starting lineup together last season, there were still some colorful conversations between the two.

“We had moments where Jacob was beaten and Evan was in the room, and I think now that they’re both out there competing, it’s become easier for them,” Dresser said. “Hell, any pair of twins that can fight as well as they can compete for a spot on this team.”

Social media plays a role in how the two enjoy their time on the road. When one of them travels and the other doesn’t, they communicate and encourage each other regardless of the distance.

“We’ll send out Instagram Reels or TikToks when one of us is on the road,” Evan said. “Other than that, we’re just like everyone else. It’s been that way since we were young.”

Fans aren’t the only ones having trouble telling the two apart. Dresser often confuses the two in practice. In fairness, it’s hard not to, considering they’re identical twins just seven pounds apart.

“I can’t tell these guys apart until they get off the ladder,” Dresser said. “They’re two guys who do everything well and I think that dynamic has been a big part of their success so far this season.”