MINNEAPOLIS - The second-ranked Iowa State wrestling team put up the points early and went on to beat No. 6 Minnesota, 19-16. Bonus points, including a last-second victory by fall from NCAA 197-pound champion Jake Varner, were the difference as Iowa State won for the second straight time on the Gophers' mat. The last time that ISU claimed back-to-back wins at Minnesota was in victories in the 1982 and 1985 seasons. The Cyclones won despite missing All-Americans Nick Gallick at 141 pounds and David Zabriskie at heavyweight in the match at the Sports Pavilion.
"Overall, the effort was there," Iowa State head coach Kevin Jackson said. "We've still got some areas we need to improve on. We've got some guys that need to get our tactical philosophy and once we've got that going we're going to be fine."
The top-ranked Varner came through in the final second of his match with Minnesota's Sonny Yohn. The Cyclone led 8-0 with 10 seconds in the match but didn't let up. Varner turned his Gopher opponent in the final five seconds and secured the fall at the 6:59 mark for six important team points.
"Jake Varner did what the top guy in the country is supposed to do," Jackson said. "He kept wrestling until the end and that was the difference in the dual."
Cyclone redshirt freshman Andrew Long is having a good holiday break. The Iowa State 125-pounder had a breakout performance at the Midlands Championships, upsetting top-seeded Brandon Precin (Northwestern-Unatt.) en route to a runner-up finish. Long's good tidings continued Sunday as he brought the heat against Minnesota's third-ranked Zach Sanders. Long, ranked 13th, didn't let Sanders score an offensive point en route to an 8-4 decision.
Long was happy to be the victorious wrestler at the conclusion of the match.
"This was a good win for me," Long said. "I knew (Sanders) had a good gas tank. It was good to push through that and get him tired. I kept wrestling the whole match. There were definitely some good scrambles in the match, but I felt strong in all of the positions."
Jackson was impressed by the Cyclone redshirt freshman's efforts.
"Andrew (Long) is a competitor," Jackson said. "He's getting better every time he's out there. He's starting to learn and understand what it takes to win."
Sophomore Andrew Sorenson snatched up bonus points for the Iowa State team effort with a shutout major decision of Luke Mellmer of Minnesota, 12-0. Sorenson notched a three-point nearfall at two different points in the bout.
Iowa State 149-pounder Mitch Mueller decisioned Minnesota's David Zilverberg, 6-3. Mueller kept the Gopher at a distance by allowing just three escape points.
ISU's Jerome Ward picked up a decision against UM's Kaleb Young at 184 pounds. Ward, ranked 12th, blanked his opponent for a 4-0 win.
ISU wrestlers fell in both of the top-10 individual matchups of the evening. No. 5 Nick Fanthorpe dropped a decision to third-ranked Gopher, Jayson Ness, 6-1. Third-ranked Cyclone 165-pounder Jon Reader was unable to finish a takedown attempt in the closing seconds to hold off Minnesota's fifth-ranked Dustin Schlatter. The Gopher prevailed by decision, 3-2.
The Gophers struck first as the match started at 174 pounds. Cyclone Duke Burk fell to Minnesota's Scott Glasser by decision, 8-2.
Cyclone Eric Thompson, filling in for teammate David Zabriskie, fell to 10th-ranked heavyweight Ben Berhow by decision, 6-4. Also stepping in for the Cyclones was sophomore Dalton Jensen at 141 pounds. Jensen dropped a major decision to Minnesota's sixth-ranked Mike Thorn, 11-3.
The Cyclones return to action at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The event, hosted by Northern Iowa, is Jan. 9-10 with action beginning Saturday morning.
IOWA STATE 19, MINNESOTA 16
174 - Scott Glasser (UM) dec. No. 11 Duke Burk (ISU), 8-2
184 - No. 12 Jerome Ward (ISU) dec. Kaleb Young (UM), 4-0
197 - No. 1 Jake Varner (ISU) pinned Sonny Yohn (UM), 6:59
HWT - No. 10 Ben Berhow (UM) dec. Eric Thompson (ISU), 6-4
125 - No. 13 Andrew Long (ISU) dec. No. 3 Zach Sanders (UM), 8-4
133 - No. 2 Jayson Ness (UM) dec. No. 5 Nick Fanthorpe (ISU), 6-1
141 - No. 6 Mike Thorn (UM) major dec. Dalton Jensen (ISU), 11-3
149 - No. 14 Mitch Mueller (ISU) dec. David Zilverberg (UM), 6-3
157 - Andrew Sorenson (ISU) major dec. Luke Mellmer (UM), 12-0
165 - No. 4 Dustin Schlatter (UM) dec. No. 3 Jon Reader (ISU), 3-2
"Overall, the effort was there," Iowa State head coach Kevin Jackson said. "We've still got some areas we need to improve on. We've got some guys that need to get our tactical philosophy and once we've got that going we're going to be fine."
The top-ranked Varner came through in the final second of his match with Minnesota's Sonny Yohn. The Cyclone led 8-0 with 10 seconds in the match but didn't let up. Varner turned his Gopher opponent in the final five seconds and secured the fall at the 6:59 mark for six important team points.
"Jake Varner did what the top guy in the country is supposed to do," Jackson said. "He kept wrestling until the end and that was the difference in the dual."
Cyclone redshirt freshman Andrew Long is having a good holiday break. The Iowa State 125-pounder had a breakout performance at the Midlands Championships, upsetting top-seeded Brandon Precin (Northwestern-Unatt.) en route to a runner-up finish. Long's good tidings continued Sunday as he brought the heat against Minnesota's third-ranked Zach Sanders. Long, ranked 13th, didn't let Sanders score an offensive point en route to an 8-4 decision.
Long was happy to be the victorious wrestler at the conclusion of the match.
"This was a good win for me," Long said. "I knew (Sanders) had a good gas tank. It was good to push through that and get him tired. I kept wrestling the whole match. There were definitely some good scrambles in the match, but I felt strong in all of the positions."
Jackson was impressed by the Cyclone redshirt freshman's efforts.
"Andrew (Long) is a competitor," Jackson said. "He's getting better every time he's out there. He's starting to learn and understand what it takes to win."
Sophomore Andrew Sorenson snatched up bonus points for the Iowa State team effort with a shutout major decision of Luke Mellmer of Minnesota, 12-0. Sorenson notched a three-point nearfall at two different points in the bout.
Iowa State 149-pounder Mitch Mueller decisioned Minnesota's David Zilverberg, 6-3. Mueller kept the Gopher at a distance by allowing just three escape points.
ISU's Jerome Ward picked up a decision against UM's Kaleb Young at 184 pounds. Ward, ranked 12th, blanked his opponent for a 4-0 win.
ISU wrestlers fell in both of the top-10 individual matchups of the evening. No. 5 Nick Fanthorpe dropped a decision to third-ranked Gopher, Jayson Ness, 6-1. Third-ranked Cyclone 165-pounder Jon Reader was unable to finish a takedown attempt in the closing seconds to hold off Minnesota's fifth-ranked Dustin Schlatter. The Gopher prevailed by decision, 3-2.
The Gophers struck first as the match started at 174 pounds. Cyclone Duke Burk fell to Minnesota's Scott Glasser by decision, 8-2.
Cyclone Eric Thompson, filling in for teammate David Zabriskie, fell to 10th-ranked heavyweight Ben Berhow by decision, 6-4. Also stepping in for the Cyclones was sophomore Dalton Jensen at 141 pounds. Jensen dropped a major decision to Minnesota's sixth-ranked Mike Thorn, 11-3.
The Cyclones return to action at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The event, hosted by Northern Iowa, is Jan. 9-10 with action beginning Saturday morning.
IOWA STATE 19, MINNESOTA 16
174 - Scott Glasser (UM) dec. No. 11 Duke Burk (ISU), 8-2
184 - No. 12 Jerome Ward (ISU) dec. Kaleb Young (UM), 4-0
197 - No. 1 Jake Varner (ISU) pinned Sonny Yohn (UM), 6:59
HWT - No. 10 Ben Berhow (UM) dec. Eric Thompson (ISU), 6-4
125 - No. 13 Andrew Long (ISU) dec. No. 3 Zach Sanders (UM), 8-4
133 - No. 2 Jayson Ness (UM) dec. No. 5 Nick Fanthorpe (ISU), 6-1
141 - No. 6 Mike Thorn (UM) major dec. Dalton Jensen (ISU), 11-3
149 - No. 14 Mitch Mueller (ISU) dec. David Zilverberg (UM), 6-3
157 - Andrew Sorenson (ISU) major dec. Luke Mellmer (UM), 12-0
165 - No. 4 Dustin Schlatter (UM) dec. No. 3 Jon Reader (ISU), 3-2
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