Jackson was pleased with what he saw from both the Cardinal and Gold divisions of the ISU squad.
“We were glad to showcase our athletes to our fans tonight,” Jackson said. “We simulated a real dual experience for the wrestlers tonight, and I think they came out with a lot of intensity.”
The ISU leader thought the dual was a great start in the process of building a championship squad.
“We are trying to be the best in March,” Jackson said. “We saw our guys get after it and that is exactly what we were looking for tonight.”
In one of the most exciting ISU matchups of the event, senior Joe Curran went head-to-head with returning NCAA qualifier Jerome Ward at 184 pounds. Curran, a native of Elk Point, S.D., defeated sophomore Billy Lewis by technical fall (16-0, 6:33) earlier in the evening for the right to face Ward.
The match was knotted at 5-5 at the end of the third period, forcing the bout into sudden victory. Curran scored the win after finishing a takedown at the 0:38 mark.
Cyclone junior Nate Carr Jr. fought off sophomore teammate Andrew Sorenson with a 5-4 decision. Sorenson pressured Carr Jr. into consecutive stalling warnings for two points late in the third period to narrow the final score.
ISU true freshman Trent Weatherman gave senior Mitch Mueller all he could handle at 149 pounds. Mueller, a three-time NCAA qualifier, turned away Weatherman by decision, with a point for riding time, 5-4.
The event began with redshirt freshman heavyweight Eric Thompson matching up with sophomore 197-pounder Kyle Simonson. Although giving up over 40 pounds to Thompson, Simonson put up a fight. Thompson thwarted his opponent’s efforts to win by a close decision, 10-9.
Two-time All-American Cyclone Jon Reader notched 10 takedowns and over four minutes of riding time en route to a 23-9 major decision of ISU sophomore Mike Finch.
True freshmen Iowa Staters Ben Cash and Tyler Grask gave Cyclone wrestling faithful a glimpse of the future in their bout at 133 pounds. Cash used two takedowns in the second period to power his way to a 5-2 decision over Grask.
Another match between true freshmen pitted Cole Shafer and Tyler Christensen against each other at 184 pounds. Christensen, who hails from Middleton, Wisc., was victorious with a 4-3 decision.
At 174 pounds, senior Iowa Stater Duke Burk turned away redshirt freshman Chris Spangler by a score of 3-2.
ISU redshirt freshman Trevor Dearden tallied the only pin of the night when he stuck true freshman Dallas Collier in 1:55 at 125 pounds.
To cap the evening, three-time NCAA finalist and U.S. World Team member Jake Varner was matched against Cyclone heavyweight Eric Thompson. Varner muscled his way to an 8-4 win by decision.
The Cardinal and Gold teams were coached by assistant coaches Yero Washington and Chris Bono, respectively.
ISU begins its 2009-10 dual schedule at 7 p.m. Nov. 12 against South Dakota State in Hilton Coliseum.
MATCHES
197 pounds – Eric Thompson (RFr.) dec. Kyle Simonson (So.), 10-9
184 pounds – Joe Curran (Sr.) tech. fall Billy Lewis (So.), 16-0 (6:33)
184 pounds – Tyler Christensen (Fr.) dec. Cole Shafer (Fr. ), 4-3
125 pounds – Trevor Dearden (RFr.) pinned Dallas Collier (Fr.), 1:55
133 pounds – Ben Cash (Fr.) dec. Tyler Crask (Fr.), 5-2
149 pounds – Mitch Mueller (Sr.) dec. Trent Weatherman (Fr.), 5-4
157 pounds – Nate Carr Jr. (Jr.) dec. Andrew Sorenson (So.), 5-4
174 pounds – Jon Reader (Jr.) major dec. Mike Finch (So.), 23-9
174 pounds – Duke Burk (Sr.) dec. Chris Spangler (RFr.), 3-2
184 pounds – Joe Curran (Sr.) dec. Jerome Ward (So.), 7-5 (SV)
197 pounds – Jake Varner (Sr.) dec. Eric Thompson (RFr.), 8-4
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