Sat., March 6, All Day
First Round: 11 a.m.; Second Round: 2:30 p.m.
Norman, Okla. • McCasland Field House
Live Stats: cyclones.com
Television: Fox Sports Net (Tape delay)
Radio: Takedown Radio (Online, 10 a.m. CST)
Cyclone Notebook
• The No. 2 Iowa State wrestling team races into the postseason in search of its fourth-straight Big 12 Conference team championship. ISU finished the regular season with a 13-2 overall record in dual action. The Cyclones tied Nebraska (70 pts) last season for a share of the league trophy.
• Iowa State’s wins at No. 10 Oklahoma (21-12) and No. 3 Oklahoma State (20-18) Jan. 22-24 mark just the second time in Cyclone history (1971) that ISU has won at OU and at OSU in the same season. Iowa State is perfect in the Big 12 (4-0) with a Feb. 14 victory over No. 17 Missouri, 28-10, and a Feb. 21 win over Nebraska, 34-7.
• ISU notched the 1,000th dual victory in program history Feb. 7 at Arizona State with a 30-10 win. ISU is 1,002-263-20 all-time in duals, dating back to 1916.
• The Cyclones posted their best National Duals finish since 2000, earning second place Jan. 10 in Cedar Falls, Iowa. ISU beat Bloomsburg, No. 8 Maryland and No. 3 Ohio State before falling to No. 1 Iowa, 19-12.
• The Cyclones notched earlier dual victories Nov. 12 in Hilton Coliseum over South Dakota State (43-3), Dec. 19 at UNI, 42-0, Jan. 3 at No. 6 Minnesota, 19-16 and Jan. 16 at home over Illinois by a score of 33-9.
• ISU is currently ranked 2/2 in the Intermat and W.I.N. Magazine polls, respectively.
• Three Iowa Staters have at least 24 wins this season. Varner (197) is perfect at a 24-0 mark. ISU’s Mitch Mueller (149) and Andrew Sorenson (157) have both tallied 24 wins, as well.
Iowa State at The Big 12 Championship
• Iowa State has won at least a share of the last three Big 12 Conference Championship team titles (2007-09). ISU tied Nebraska for the title last season in Lincoln, Neb. with a total of 70 points.
• The 2009 Big 12 co-championship marked the first ever conference three-peat for the Cyclones in any sport.
• Iowa State’s Nick Fanthorpe (133) and David Zabriskie (HWT) notched their second individual conference belts at the 2009 edition of the event. ISU’s Jake Varner was the 184-pound winner in 2008.
• Before the 2007 Big 12 team win, the Cyclones previous best performances were second-place showings in 1997, 2000 and 2005.
• Since the first Big 12 Conference championship in 1997, there have been 28 individual Iowa State league champions.
• The Cyclones have won 15 conference team titles. ISU has taken home the first-place trophy in 1933, 37, 41, 47, 58, 70, 76, 77, 79, 80, 82, 87, 2007, 08 and 09.
Scouting The Big 12 Championship
• Three Big 12 Conference wrestling squads reside within the top-10 in rankings. No. 2 Iowa State will clash with fourth-ranked Oklahoma State, as well as No. 8 Oklahoma.
• Five individual Big 12 champions from last season return to defend their titles. Iowa State’s Nick Fanthorpe (133), Oklahoma’s Kyle Terry (149), Missouri’s Nicholas Marable (165), Nebraska’s Craig Brester (197) and ISU’s David Zabriskie (HWT) brought home top-honors last year.
• In Big 12 dual competition, eight grapplers sport undefeated records. Wrestlers with clean league records are: ISU’s Andrew Long (125), 3-0; OSU’s Jordan Oliver (133), 5-0; Oklahoma’s Kyle Terry (149), 5-0; Iowa State’s Jon Reader (165), 4-0; Nebraska’s Stephen Dwyer (174), 4-0; Missouri’s Max Askren (184), 4-0; ISU’s Jake Varner (197), 4-0; and Oklahoma State’s Jared Rosholt (HWT), 5-0.
• Since the inception of the Big 12 Conference in 1997, Oklahoma State leads with 50 individual champions. Iowa State’s count of 29 places second over Oklahoma (22), Nebraska (17) and Missouri (12).
• The Big 12 regularly crowns some of the top-talent in the nation. Since 1997, Big 12 wrestlers have accounted for 38 NCAA individual champion trophies.
Varner Wins, No. 2 Cyclones Dismantle Huskers, 34-7
• No. 2 Iowa State capped off the regular season in dominating fashion Feb. 21 with a 34-7 win over Big 12 foe Nebraska on Senior Day. The highlight match at 197 pounds went to the wire, with top-rated Jake Varner (24-0) turning away Craig Brester (25-1) of Nebraska in overtime, 6-4.
• The Cyclones took eight of the 10 contested weights, with five matches resulting in bonus points for the ISU team effort. The victory was the largest Cyclone victory over the Huskers since 1985 (34-4).
• Iowa State finished the 2009-10 dual season with a 13-2 overall record, and a perfect 4-0 mark in league action. ISU swept its four Big 12 opponents for the second time in the dual season (2006-07).
ISU’s Three-Time NCAA Finalist Varner Continues To Light It Up
• Iowa State’s Jake Varner is as dominant as ever at 197 pounds this season. After recording a 31-2 record en route to a NCAA title at 197 pounds in 2009, Varner is undefeated in his senior campaign with 24 victories.
• The Bakersfield, Calif., native earned bonus points in 83 percent of his matches this season, with either a major decision, technical fall, pin or forfeit.
• Varner holds a 114-10 record in his career, which equates to a .919 winning-percentage. The Cyclone sports an outstanding 61-4 mark in dual competition.
Recommended Comments
There are no comments to display.
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now