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Wrestlers trying to stop Iowa’s reign
By Bobby La Gesse
Date Posted: 2010-03-17
So what will it take for No. 2 Iowa State to top No. 1 Iowa at the NCAA wrestling championships this weekend?
“Ten All-Americans,” ISU coach Kevin Jackson said.
That’s quite a task.
But one Jackson believes his team must undertake if its to end the Hawkeyes’ two-year reign as champions and win its first title since 1987.
“What it is going to take is all-out, complete wrestling,” Jackson said. “It’s going to take our best effort, most tactical wrestling that we’ve done all year.”
To challenge for the title, the Cyclones will need to wrestle better at nationals, which starts today and runs through Saturday in Omaha, Neb., than they did at the Big 12 championship.
They lost to Oklahoma State by 1.5 points on March 6.
Jackson said some of his wrestlers “lost sight” of the program’s philosophy of being complete wrestlers, wrestling in every position and scoring in the first period at the conference meet.
“Scoring in the first period is going to be huge for us going into this NCAA tournament,” Jackson said. “There is a tendency in these events for guys to get tight and wrestle a little conservative.”
ISU also spent the last two weeks working on riding and escaping. ISU heavyweight David Zabriskie thinks it will help the Cyclones when they hit the mat this weekend.
“This team certainly has the ability if everyone can compete to their seeds or better,” Zabriskie said. “We have a really good shot. We just have to have every man on the mat compete, and I think we are going to be OK.”
Zabriskie, along with Jake Varner (197 pounds) are top seeds. Jon Reader (165) is the fourth seed while Andrew Long (125) is seeded fifth. Mitch Mueller (149) earned the seventh seed and Nick Fanthorpe (133) is the No. 10 seed.
ISU will also bring Dalton Jensen (141), Andrew Sorenson (157), Duke Burk (174) and Jerome Ward (184) to nationals. It’s the fourth straight year the Cyclones have taken 10 wrestlers to the tournament.
Varner is looking for his second consecutive 197-pound title. He also was a finalist at 184 his first two years on campus and could become the only four-time NCAA Tournament finalist other than Cael Sanderson in ISU history.
“It’s time to strap up and go to war,” Varner said.
Zabriskie, who took fifth last season, has had a string of overtime matches this season. Jackson said he would like to see Zabriskie win in regulation, but has faith in his senior heavyweight pulling out matches in extra time.
Zabriskie would prefer to avoid any sudden victory situations this weekend, but knows the depth of talent in the heavyweight class may make that tough to do.
“I don’t want it to come down to overtime,” Zabriskie said. “It happens here and there against tougher competition, but this is one tournament where you don’t want to leave it up to fate. I don’t get taken down often, but I don’t want that to be in overtime.”
And Jackson hopes that the Cyclones’ title hopes aren’t taken down before Saturday night’s finals.
“If the tournament falls out correctly, we might control our own destiny when it comes to Iowa-Iowa State,” Jackson said.
Bobby La Gesse can be reached at (515) 663-6929 or rlagesse@amestrib.com.
By Bobby La Gesse
Date Posted: 2010-03-17
Iowa State's Jake Varner (right) controls Iowa's Chad Beatty in the Dec. 6 dual at Hilton Coliseum in Ames. Varner is vying four his second straight title at 197 pounds.
Tribune photo by Nirmalendu Majumdar
Tribune photo by Nirmalendu Majumdar
So what will it take for No. 2 Iowa State to top No. 1 Iowa at the NCAA wrestling championships this weekend?
“Ten All-Americans,” ISU coach Kevin Jackson said.
That’s quite a task.
But one Jackson believes his team must undertake if its to end the Hawkeyes’ two-year reign as champions and win its first title since 1987.
“What it is going to take is all-out, complete wrestling,” Jackson said. “It’s going to take our best effort, most tactical wrestling that we’ve done all year.”
To challenge for the title, the Cyclones will need to wrestle better at nationals, which starts today and runs through Saturday in Omaha, Neb., than they did at the Big 12 championship.
They lost to Oklahoma State by 1.5 points on March 6.
Jackson said some of his wrestlers “lost sight” of the program’s philosophy of being complete wrestlers, wrestling in every position and scoring in the first period at the conference meet.
“Scoring in the first period is going to be huge for us going into this NCAA tournament,” Jackson said. “There is a tendency in these events for guys to get tight and wrestle a little conservative.”
ISU also spent the last two weeks working on riding and escaping. ISU heavyweight David Zabriskie thinks it will help the Cyclones when they hit the mat this weekend.
“This team certainly has the ability if everyone can compete to their seeds or better,” Zabriskie said. “We have a really good shot. We just have to have every man on the mat compete, and I think we are going to be OK.”
Zabriskie, along with Jake Varner (197 pounds) are top seeds. Jon Reader (165) is the fourth seed while Andrew Long (125) is seeded fifth. Mitch Mueller (149) earned the seventh seed and Nick Fanthorpe (133) is the No. 10 seed.
ISU will also bring Dalton Jensen (141), Andrew Sorenson (157), Duke Burk (174) and Jerome Ward (184) to nationals. It’s the fourth straight year the Cyclones have taken 10 wrestlers to the tournament.
Varner is looking for his second consecutive 197-pound title. He also was a finalist at 184 his first two years on campus and could become the only four-time NCAA Tournament finalist other than Cael Sanderson in ISU history.
“It’s time to strap up and go to war,” Varner said.
Zabriskie, who took fifth last season, has had a string of overtime matches this season. Jackson said he would like to see Zabriskie win in regulation, but has faith in his senior heavyweight pulling out matches in extra time.
Zabriskie would prefer to avoid any sudden victory situations this weekend, but knows the depth of talent in the heavyweight class may make that tough to do.
“I don’t want it to come down to overtime,” Zabriskie said. “It happens here and there against tougher competition, but this is one tournament where you don’t want to leave it up to fate. I don’t get taken down often, but I don’t want that to be in overtime.”
And Jackson hopes that the Cyclones’ title hopes aren’t taken down before Saturday night’s finals.
“If the tournament falls out correctly, we might control our own destiny when it comes to Iowa-Iowa State,” Jackson said.
Bobby La Gesse can be reached at (515) 663-6929 or rlagesse@amestrib.com.
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