"I think we wrestled extremely well up until those last two weights," head coach Cael Sanderson said. "Everybody is stepping it up, but when you're getting pinned that just means we need to spend some time on the mat with those guys. That's an easy thing to correct. Overall, I'm happy with the way things are going. We just have to keep on moving."
Mueller notched his second win via technical fall with a 20-5 (7:00) victory over Kendall Vogel at 149 pounds. The nation's 13th-ranked grappler used seven takedowns, three of which came in the third period, and a three-point near fall on the Badger. The sophomore hailing from Iowa City improves his record to 16-8.
"He's (Vogel) a pretty strong kid," Mueller said. "It was good to go out there and wrestle and have some fun. I got to the point where I was trying to control the tie-ups. You just have to go out there, wrestle hard the whole time, and do what we've been working on in practice."
After Wisconsin took a close match at 157 pounds, Reader brought his own version of Hilton magic at 165 pounds by pinning Dan Clum in 1:13. Clum was able to score a takedown in the bout's opening 30 seconds, but Reader responded with a reversal and the pin. The redshirt freshman has registered two consecutive dual falls and has five on the year. Currently the nation's sixth-ranked wrestler at 165 pounds, Reader now leads the Cyclone squad in victories with 22.
"We've been working on that situation a lot when guys are backing up like that and not letting you wrestle," the Davison, Mich., native said. "You want to get in their face and that aggressive style that will get you sometimes. You have to relax. I think I came after him a little too hard, but I got the job done after that."
Varner, the nation's top-ranked grappler at 184 pounds, used two takedowns in the first and second periods en route to a 14-2 major decision over No. 13 Trevor Brandvold. It took less than 20 seconds before the sophomore All-American registered his first takedown on the edge of the mat, nearly pinning the Badger. Varner has yet to be defeated this season, carrying a 17-0 mark.
True freshman Tyler Clark opened the dual by making his Hilton Coliseum debut with a 7-6 decision over three-time NCAA qualifier Collin Cudd at 125 pounds. Nick Fanthorpe, ranked seventh nationally, improved to 21-3 on the year with an 11-4 decision of No. 12 Zach Tanelli at 133 pounds. Senior Aron Scott (6-8) defeated Justin Peterson with a 7-3 decision at 174 pounds.
Iowa State will open Big 12 competition on the road Jan. 25 against Oklahoma at 7 p.m. in Howard McCasland Field House. The Cyclones will then travel to Stillwater Jan. 27 to face Oklahoma State at 6 p.m. in Gallagher-Iba Arena. Live stats for both duals will be available on cyclones.com.
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