"I'm proud of this team," Iowa State head coach Cael Sanderson said. "We are wrestling well at the right time. Our wrestlers have been working toward this, some of them for much of their lives."
Iowa State's conference team title is the 13th league championship in ISU history. The four individual champions are the most Cyclones to finish at the top of their weight class since Iowa State had four titlists at the1996 Big Eight.
Fanthorpe cruised to a 7-1 decision over Missouri All-American Tyler McCormick in the 133-pound title match. The team's leader in takedowns struck early with two picks for a 4-1 advantage after the opening three minutes of action. Starting the second period from the down position, Fanthorpe added to his lead with a reversal and 3:29 worth of riding time. Fanthorpe owns a record of 28-4.
"I tried to stay solid," Fanthorpe said. "You have to be careful when you get a good lead because your opponent starts looking for that big move. We have keyed for the last three weeks of the season and it showed."
Sanderson lauded Fanthorpe methodical style.
"Fanthorpe is really consistent," Sanderson said. "He goes out and gives you a great effort everytime."
Gallick avenged a January loss to Oklahoma State's Nathan Morgan and did it when it mattered most. The tournament's second seed at 141 pounds, Gallick used an overtime single-leg takedown in front of the Iowa State coaches and thousands of disappointed OSU fans to upset the league's defending champion and top-seed, 3-1. The match was pushed into sudden victory after both wrestlers exchanged escapes in the second and third periods for a 1-1 score. Gallick improves to 22-11 in his sophomore campaign.
"I went after him in overtime," Gallick said. "I believe in our coaches, they have been there before. This meet is important for seeding at the NCAA Championship and the win tonight gives me confidence. I didn't worry about the crowd. I fire-walled them out."
Coach Sanderson was impressed.
"They don't get any tougher than Nathan Morgan and to see Nick win here against him should be a real confidence builder for him," Cael Sanderson said.
Sanderson, ranked 12th-nationally, also found redemption over Missouri's Michael Chandler with a takedown in the closing seconds of the 157-pound title bout. Each wrestler was able to score a takedown and register an escape to deadlock the match at 3-3 heading into the final period of action. Chandler, ranked 11th-nationally, started the period from the down position and took a 5-3 lead with a reversal, but Sanderson denied Chandler on a takedown with 34 seconds left in the match. Sanderson holds a 28-4 mark. Combined, the Sanderson name has accumulated six individual conference crowns.
"It was a great win and it was a hard fought match," Cyler Sanderson said. "He beat me before and it feels great to get that win back. Chandler is a tough guy and beating him shows that I can do this every time. Now I go back, keep focusing on the fundamentals, make sure I get plenty of rest these next two weeks so that I am ready to go out there [NCAA Championships] and fight. Right now our team is better than it has been all season. We are following the plan that the coaches have laid out for us."
Cael Sanderson was pleased with his youngest brother's success.
"Cyler stayed after it and got the takedown," Cael Sanderson said. "He is really happy to be a Big 12 champion and he should be."
Varner continued his domination at 184 pounds with a 4-1 win over OU's Josh Weitzel. The All-American wasted no time getting on the board getting a takedown 13 seconds into the match. Purely overpowering his opponent, Varner added an escape in the second period and tallied 1:59 worth of riding time. The Bakersfield, Calif., native has won 25 straight matches and his record of 25-0 is the best ISU sophomore mark since head coach Cael Sanderson in 2000.
Varner said the early takedown set the tempo in the match.
"If you score, you win," Varner said. "I'm really not surprised at our performance tonight. The coaches have had a plan for us and we have followed it all season. Last year at the NCAA meet, no body thought we could even challenge for the title and we came up just short. We're going back with the same attitude this year."
"We won this meet in no small part because of our guys who came back to get third," Cael Sanderson said. "(Aron) Scott, (David) Bertolino and (John Reader) set the table for the finals."
Mitch Mueller, who was seeded third, finished as the 149-pound runner-up to Nebraska's Jordan Burroughs on a 15-6 major decision. The Husker's performance earned him Outstanding Wrestler honors. Heavyweight David Zabriskie suffered his first career loss to OSU's Jared Rosholt via 9-5 decision to finish as the runner-up.
Seniors Aron Scott and David Bertolino both earned their highest finish at the Big 12 championship with third-place performances at 174 and 197 pounds, respectively. Scott advanced to the third-place match with a 3-2 decision over Oklahoma's Pat Flynn. He faced Emanuel Brooks of Missouri in the bronze-medal match and won the bout with a third-period escape and was awarded a point when Brooks was called for stalling. Scott
Bertolino tied the 197-pound battle at 2-2 midway through the second period, but opened a lead with a three-point nearfall in the final period for a 5-2 advantage. He was able to maintain a ride throughout the final stanza to be awarded riding time and win on a 6-2 decision. Bertolino
Tyler Clark finished fourth for ISU at 125 pounds.
The NCAA Championships will take place at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Mo., March 20-22. Live updates will be available throughout the tournament on cyclones.com.
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