No. 2 ISU Falls to No. 1 Iowa, 20-15

IOWA CITY, Iowa ? No. 1 Iowa prevailed over No. 2 Iowa State Saturday, 20-15 before a record-breaking crowd in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The meet attendance, 15,955, set a new NCAA record for wrestling dual attendance. The Cyclones won four of the ten contested matches on the evening.

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“This was a great experience for our kids, getting a chance to wrestle in this kind of environment,” said Iowa State head coach Cael Sanderson. “There were a couple matches where we didn't take our best shots. It was great to see Nick Fanthorpe has success tonight. He is a guy who works very hard and it is good to see that hard work rewarded.”

The top-ranked 197-pounder in the country, Jake Varner, did not disappoint in his matchup with Iowa's Luke Lofthouse. Varner showed off his offensive prowess with five takedowns over the three periods and locked in a 13-3 major decision for the Cyclones. Varner improves to 7-0 on his junior campaign.

One of Iowa's top-ranked grapplers was topped by a Cyclone in the 133-pound match. ISU's Nick Fanthorpe, ranked fifth, major decisioned Joe Slaton, 12-2. Slaton was a runner-up in the 133-pound weight class at last year's NCAA championship. Fanthorpe was down early to the Hawkeye All-American, giving up a first period takedown before notching one of his own at the 0:14 mark to take the lead 3-2. Fanthorpe used a three-point nearfall in the second period to build his lead and rode Slaton out in the third period to secure the victory. The Cyclone 133-pounder now stands at 9-0 on the season.

Cyler Sanderson racked up points for the ISU wrestlers against his opponent, Iowa's Matt Ballweg. Sanderson tallied ten takedowns against the Hawkeye as he did not give an offensive point in the match. The Cyclone's seventh ranked 157-pounder improved to 3-0 by recording a major decision with a score of 22-9.

In the final match of the dual, Cyclone David Zabriskie was able to improve to 8-0 on the season by decisioning Iowa's Dan Erekson 5-1. Zabriskie fought off several early shots by the Hawkeye and was able to land a couple of his own. Zabriskie brought in a high-crotch single-leg attempt finished with a shoestring grab near the edge of the mat at 0:55 in the third period.

The ISU continues its 2008-09 campaign in Fargo, N.D. Dec. 13 with North Dakota State (3 p.m.) and Dickinson State (5 p.m.). It is then on to the Midlands Championship in Evanston, Ill. Dec. 29-30 where the Cyclones brought home the team title in 2006.

IOWA STATE 15, IOWA 20
125 pounds ? Charlie Falck (UI) dec. Tyler Clark (ISU), 4-2
133 pounds ? Nick Fanthorpe (ISU) major dec. Joe Slaton (UI), 12-2
141 pounds ? Alex Tsirtsis (UI) dec. Nick Gallick (ISU), 4-2
149 pounds ? Brent Metcalf (UI) tech. fall Mitch Mueller (ISU), 25-10 (6:24)
157 pounds ? Cyler Sanderson (ISU) major dec. Matt Ballweg (UI), 22-9
165 pounds ? Ryan Morningstar (UI) dec. Jon Reader (ISU), 2-0
174 pounds ? Jay Borschel (UI) dec. Duke Burk (ISU), 5-1
184 pounds ? Phillip Keddy (UI) dec. Jerome Ward (ISU), 3-2
197 pounds ? Jake Varner (ISU) major dec. Luke Lofthouse (UI), 13-3
HWT ? David Zabriskie (ISU) dec. Dan Erekson (UI), 5-1

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Players Mentioned

Duke Burk

Tyler Clark

Tyler Clark

Nick Fanthorpe

Nick Fanthorpe

Nick Gallick

Nick Gallick

Mitch Mueller

Mitch Mueller

Cyler Sanderson

Cyler Sanderson

Jake Varner

Jake Varner

Jerome Ward

Jerome Ward

David Zabriskie

David Zabriskie

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