"Missouri came in here and wrestled well," Iowa State head coach Cael Sanderson said. "Zabriskie is so consistent. He is great in the clutch. The Tigers are a good scrambling team. Mostly at this point, we are focusing on March."
ISU registered 10 takedowns to Missouri's three. There were three matches that were decided by only a point, with riding time being the winning factor in two matches. Five of the afternoon's matches involved a scoreless first period. Both teams picked up a trio of victories, with ISU taking the first three matches only to have the Tigers storm back and win three in a row. Iowa State owns the all-time series, 43-4, and has won two straight over the Tigers.
Zabriskie's second-period ankle-pick takedown of Ellis spun the momentum around in his favor, but Ellis was able to tie the bout at 2-2 with an escape. The Beast of the East was too much for the larger Missouri's heavyweight, as he went ahead for good on an escape early in the third period and attacked the Tiger with two more takedowns. Currently the nation's sixth ranked heavyweight and defending Big 12 champ, Zabriskie pushes his record to 23-4 and is spotless in Big 12 action at 3-0.
"Last week in Arizona I got to go early instead of the last match," Zabriskie said. "I liked it because I got to sit back and watch my teammates compete. But I don't mind being last either. There were some ankle picks there that I got today. (Ellis) is quick for his size and is always moving so you have to be sure that you are doing the same."
True freshman Tyler Clark opened the dual with a 7-3 decision over John Olanowski at 125 pounds. Clark scored a takedown in both the first and second periods for a 4-1 advantage. He added to his lead with a reversal to start the final two minutes of action. Currently ranked 15th, Clark moves to 17-7 in his rookie season.
At 133 pounds, Nick Fanthorpe put Iowa State ahead 6-0 by notching a 6-2 decision over Missouri All-American, No. 19 Tyler McCormick. The seventh-ranked ISU sophomore jumped out early with a takedown at the 1:15 mark for a 2-0 lead. He added a second takedown in the third period for a 5-1 advantage and accumulated two minutes of riding time en route to his 25th win. Hailing from Naperville, Ill., Fanthorpe leads the Cyclone squad in wins (25) and takedowns (62).
Nick Gallick's 1:22 worth of riding time lifted the 141-pounder past Marchus Hoehn, 2-1, to put Iowa State up 9-0. A scoreless first period gave way to an exchange of escapes by both wrestlers in the second and third periods. Gallick was able to ride Hoehn for nearly the entire second period. The sophomore from Tucson, Ariz., has won three straight bouts and his record now stands at 19-11.
Missouri got on the board with a narrow victory at 149 pounds as No. 12 Josh Wanger edged Mitch Mueller via riding time, 5-4. Mueller tied the match at 2-2 on a pair of escapes tallied in the first and second periods. The Tiger jumped ahead on an escape in the final stanza, but Mueller was relentless and answered with a takedown to move ahead 4-3. Wagner was cut free to tie the bout at 4-4, but his 2:20 worth of riding time gave him an extra point and the win.
The Tigers won the next two bouts at 157 and 165 pounds to tie the dual at 9-9 with four matches remaining. Senior Aron Scott put the Cyclones up 12-9 with a key victory at 174 pounds. The first period saw both grapplers receive a stalling warning with no points on the board. Missouri's James Williamson escaped at the start of the second period, but was called for stalling to even the bout at 1-1. Starting the final period from the down position, Scott was able to get loose from the Tiger at the 1:41 mark. Williamson was cited for fleeing on the mat and Scott was awarded another point to clinch the win.
No. 1 ISU 184-pounder Jake Varner registered a 3-1 decision over No. 4 Raymond Jordan. Varner's win over Jordan was his first in three meetings. These two big men collided on the mat twice last season, once in Columbia, Mo., and in the Big 12 title bout with Jordan winning both meetings, but this time it was Varner's match. The first period of action saw both wrestlers fight for position and led to a scoreless opening three minutes. Nine seconds into the second period, Jordan escaped from the grasp of Varner for a 1-0 lead, but Varner responded with a low outside single-leg takedown to go ahead 2-1. His escape six seconds into the final period sealed the win. The All-American Varner carries a 22-0 record.
"I wanted to maintain good position against him," Varner said. "Last year he got a couple of takedowns against me and I have learned from those situations."
Iowa State will close out the dual portion of its schedule and pay tribute to its senior class by playing host to Big 12 foe Nebraska Feb. 24 at 2 p.m. in Hilton Coliseum. The dual is slated to be televised by Iowa Public Television and live stats will be available on cyclones.com.
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