No. 1 Iowa State suffers its first loss in setback to Iowa
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by Iowa State
In a highly anticipated showdown between top-ranked Iowa State and No. 3 Iowa, scoring first proved to be a pivotal aspect as the Hawkeyes handed the Cyclones their first dual loss of the season Sunday in sold-out Hilton Coliseum, 20-13. ISU won four bouts on the afternoon with No. 16 David Bertolino scoring bonus points at 197 pounds. Fourth-ranked Cyler Sanderson (157), seventh-ranked Jon Reader (165) and the nation's top wrestler at 184 pounds, Jake Varner, all picked up wins.
"I think you have to take some positive from a tough situation," head wrestling coach Cael Sanderson said. "Obviously we wanted to win this match. When you get that many fans here, you want to entertain them. We did not give them that much to cheer about, but just like the guys said we have to put this behind us and look to the future."
Today's Hy-Vee Cy-Hawk dual marked the 73rd meeting between the Cyclones and the Hawkeyes. With the win today, Iowa now leads the all-time series, 55-16-2. ISU drops to 6-1 on the season, while Iowa improves to 5-0.
"A few of the guys definitely need to improve on their aggressiveness," Sanderson said. "That's going to fall on my head so I've got some work to do. Most of the guys went out there and fought and hustled, but everyone has areas that they need to work on. This match was great for us, it put the guys under some pressure and that's what we need."
Bertolino tallied a 16-5 major decision over sophomore Hawkeye Chad Beatty at 197 pounds. Only 24 seconds into the first period, Bertolino nearly stuck Beatty's shoulders to the mat after a takedown, but was awarded with a two-point nearfall. The native from Mount Pleasant, Ohio, added two takedowns in the second period for a 9-1 advantage heading into the final two minutes of action. Bertolino scored two more takedowns and an escape before the final whistle blew and was awarded an additional point for 3:56 worth of riding time to win the bout.
"I just went out there and wrestled hard," Bertolino said. "I pushed the pace, and tried to break down my opponent like any match. I was definitely looking for the fall. I tried to give us a chance to make a run."
The major decision gives him three on the year and pushes his record to 9-1 in his senior campaign.
"As a senior, I feel like I need to pick up my team," Bertolino said. "I need tell them to look to the future; look to March and learn from this. We have a lot of tape we can watch, and learn from our mistakes. We're still the same team as we were earlier today and this is just a stepping stone to March."
Sanderson's third period dramatic domination over No. 15 Ryan Morningstar at 157 pounds put the first team points on the board for the Cyclones with a 10-5 decision. Currently ranked fourth, the undefeated sophomore battled back from a 4-2 first period deficit with a reversal to open the second period, tying the bout at 4-4. With 40 seconds remaining in the period, Sanderson notched a takedown to take a 6-5 advantage into the final three minutes. Morningstar opted to start from the down position in the third period, but he could not elude the grasp of the Heber City, Utah, native as Sanderson brought the sold-out crowd to its feet by nearly pinning the Hawkeye on three occasions. Sanderson improves his record to 10-0.
Redshirt freshman Jon Reader kept his spotless record intact at 11-0 with a 7-3 decision over Jake Kerr at 165 pounds. The seventh-ranked grappler scored a takedown at the 2:06 mark and recorded another with 48 seconds remaining in the first period for a 4-1 lead. A native of Davison, Mich., Reader escaped twice and tallied 2:10 worth of riding time for the victory.
Facing a familiar foe, Varner recorded a 4-1 decision over No. 16 Phillip Keddy. The All-American's first-period takedown and an escape in the second period was all that the top-ranked 184-pounder needed to pick up the sixth win of his sophomore season.
"I had the same mindset as always," Varner said. "You just go in there and wrestle your match. You don't worry about the other stuff. I went out there and tried to get the pin, but those things don't happen all the time. It was nice to have all those people in the Hilton Coliseum today. It was really loud in there and you just use it a s a motivator."
Iowa State will be back in action Dec. 16 as the Cyclones travel to Cedar Falls to take on Northern Iowa at 2 p.m. in the McLeod Center. The dual will be televised live on Iowa Public Television. ISU wrestling returns to Hilton Coliseum Jan. 18 to play host to Wisconsin at 7 p.m.
"I think you have to take some positive from a tough situation," head wrestling coach Cael Sanderson said. "Obviously we wanted to win this match. When you get that many fans here, you want to entertain them. We did not give them that much to cheer about, but just like the guys said we have to put this behind us and look to the future."
Today's Hy-Vee Cy-Hawk dual marked the 73rd meeting between the Cyclones and the Hawkeyes. With the win today, Iowa now leads the all-time series, 55-16-2. ISU drops to 6-1 on the season, while Iowa improves to 5-0.
"A few of the guys definitely need to improve on their aggressiveness," Sanderson said. "That's going to fall on my head so I've got some work to do. Most of the guys went out there and fought and hustled, but everyone has areas that they need to work on. This match was great for us, it put the guys under some pressure and that's what we need."
Bertolino tallied a 16-5 major decision over sophomore Hawkeye Chad Beatty at 197 pounds. Only 24 seconds into the first period, Bertolino nearly stuck Beatty's shoulders to the mat after a takedown, but was awarded with a two-point nearfall. The native from Mount Pleasant, Ohio, added two takedowns in the second period for a 9-1 advantage heading into the final two minutes of action. Bertolino scored two more takedowns and an escape before the final whistle blew and was awarded an additional point for 3:56 worth of riding time to win the bout.
"I just went out there and wrestled hard," Bertolino said. "I pushed the pace, and tried to break down my opponent like any match. I was definitely looking for the fall. I tried to give us a chance to make a run."
The major decision gives him three on the year and pushes his record to 9-1 in his senior campaign.
"As a senior, I feel like I need to pick up my team," Bertolino said. "I need tell them to look to the future; look to March and learn from this. We have a lot of tape we can watch, and learn from our mistakes. We're still the same team as we were earlier today and this is just a stepping stone to March."
Sanderson's third period dramatic domination over No. 15 Ryan Morningstar at 157 pounds put the first team points on the board for the Cyclones with a 10-5 decision. Currently ranked fourth, the undefeated sophomore battled back from a 4-2 first period deficit with a reversal to open the second period, tying the bout at 4-4. With 40 seconds remaining in the period, Sanderson notched a takedown to take a 6-5 advantage into the final three minutes. Morningstar opted to start from the down position in the third period, but he could not elude the grasp of the Heber City, Utah, native as Sanderson brought the sold-out crowd to its feet by nearly pinning the Hawkeye on three occasions. Sanderson improves his record to 10-0.
Redshirt freshman Jon Reader kept his spotless record intact at 11-0 with a 7-3 decision over Jake Kerr at 165 pounds. The seventh-ranked grappler scored a takedown at the 2:06 mark and recorded another with 48 seconds remaining in the first period for a 4-1 lead. A native of Davison, Mich., Reader escaped twice and tallied 2:10 worth of riding time for the victory.
Facing a familiar foe, Varner recorded a 4-1 decision over No. 16 Phillip Keddy. The All-American's first-period takedown and an escape in the second period was all that the top-ranked 184-pounder needed to pick up the sixth win of his sophomore season.
"I had the same mindset as always," Varner said. "You just go in there and wrestle your match. You don't worry about the other stuff. I went out there and tried to get the pin, but those things don't happen all the time. It was nice to have all those people in the Hilton Coliseum today. It was really loud in there and you just use it a s a motivator."
Iowa State will be back in action Dec. 16 as the Cyclones travel to Cedar Falls to take on Northern Iowa at 2 p.m. in the McLeod Center. The dual will be televised live on Iowa Public Television. ISU wrestling returns to Hilton Coliseum Jan. 18 to play host to Wisconsin at 7 p.m.
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