Iowa State wrestling hit with probation and a $25,000 fine over booster contact

AMES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa State's men's wrestling program has been placed on a year of probation and fined $25,000, among other penalties, after the NCAA Division I Committee on Infractions ruled that a booster had impermissible contact with two transfers, one that was not yet in the transfer portal.

The NCAA announced its findings Tuesday and identified Chris Perry, who was working as a regional training center assistant at the time, as the booster in question. Iowa State and the NCAA agreed that the violations occurred in spring 2025 after then-head coach Kevin Dresser communicated with the exiting coach of another school and expressed interest in recruiting two of its athletes.

Dresser, who was also the head coach of the training center's team, then had a conversation with Perry. Perry contacted the prospective transfers. Both athletes, who committed to Iowa State on the same day they entered the transfer portal, told investigators that Perry was their first point of contact and primary recruiter.

“We cooperated fully with the NCAA enforcement staff to thoroughly investigate and resolve the infraction. We accept responsibility and the associated penalties,” Iowa State's athletic department said in a statement.

Additional penalties included two weeklong bans on recruiting communications for the next two years, disassociation of Perry as a booster for two years and a two-contest suspension this season for Dresser, who now serves as Iowa State's director of men's and women's wrestling.

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