"NU Coliseum is always a tough place to wrestle because (Nebraska head coach Mark) Manning brings a tough squad," ISU head wrestling coach Cael Sanderson said. "We had to come in and wrestle well. Some of our guys wrestled fantastic matches. We are competing as a team and working hard."
Travis Paulson, who grew up only 63 miles east of Lincoln in Council Bluffs, Iowa, scored a 9-1 major decision over Stephen Dwyer at 165-pounds in front of numerous friends and family. The major decision is the fifth of his senior campaign. Paulson, ranked third nationally, built a six-point lead over two periods using a takedown, a reversal and a two-point nearfall. He tallied a second takedown in the final period and added 2:03 worth of riding time en route to the victory. The All-American improves his record to 18-3 and is only four wins shy of reaching 100 career victories.
At heavyweight, Zabriskie won his fourth straight match with a 17-1 technical fall over Tom Rice in 5:41. Zabriskie put on a dominating offensive performance blanking Rice with four takedowns and two three-point near falls. The only point the High Point, N.J., native surrendered was a late third-period escape. Zabriskie's 17 points is a season high for the redshirt freshman. His record currently stands at 16-6.
Fanthorpe's takedown with five seconds remaining sealed a 6-3 upset of No. 8 Paul Donahoe at 125-pounds. Donahoe scored first with an escape in the second period, taking a 1-0 lead into the final two minutes of competition. Fanthorpe went up 2-1 on the Husker with a reversal, but let Donahoe escape, evening the score at 2-2. With less than a minute to go, Fanthorpe scored a takedown to go up 4-2. After a Donahoe escape, Fanthorpe secured the win with a takedown in the closing seconds. The Naperville, Ill., native pushes his season record to 17-7.
"It was a fun match. I came in knowing he (Donahoe) was going to be tough competition," Fanthorpe said. "I stayed after him and knew that I had to wrestle well in order to win. I capitalized on the opportunities and stayed focused. Having the 125-pound match last forced me to make adjustments, but like coach says, nothing is perfect, so just go with the flow."
Wrestling in his first dual meet as a Cyclone, redshirt freshman Laramie Shaffer opened the competition with a 9-6 decision of Mike Rowe at 133-pounds. Shaffer struck early on Rowe, taking a 4-1 lead to close out the first period of action. Rowe attempted to close in on the Winterset, Iowa, native, but was unable to to so as Shaffer took a 6-3 lead with a reversal in the third period. He clinched his first dual victory with another reversal midway through the final period.
Trent Paulson, who also hails from Council Bluffs, Iowa, recorded a 9-3 decision over Chris Oliver at 157. With three takedowns and a reversal, the two-time All-American registered his 101st career victory as an ISU grappler. Paulson, ranked third nationally, is 16-4 in his senior campaign.
Cyler Sanderson and Jake Varner also picked up victories for the Cyclones. Sanderson, ranked 14th, took a 12-8 decision over Robert Sanders at 149-pounds and now carries a 20-7 mark. At 184-pounds, the fifth-ranked Varner picked up his 19th victory in his rookie season by scoring a 10-2 major decision over Levi Wofford.
Iowa State will return to Hilton Coliseum Jan. 26 playing host to Oklahoma at 7 p.m.
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