"Rider is a solid program with solid kids," ISU head coach Cael Sanderson said. "It gives us more preparation for our season. We're getting good competition and were trying to see where we're at so far. Now, we go back to the drawing board and see what areas we need to work on."
Iowa State (2-0) dominated every aspect of the dual, winning all 10 bouts, recording 33 takedowns and only surrendering three. Outside of the three takedowns, the only points that the Broncs could muster were escapes and a single reversal. The Cyclones handed Rider its second loss of the season.
Bertolino, who spent the previous three seasons at 174 pounds, has bumped up two weight classes to 197 pounds for his senior campaign. Bertolino took T.J. Morrison down to the wire and claimed a 5-4 victory. The Mount Pleasant, Ohio, native struck first with a takedown midway through the first period and added an escape at the start of the second period for a 3-0 lead. Morrison, an NCAA qualifier a year ago, reversed Bertolino in the third period to take a 4-3 advantage. With time ticking down, Bertolino escaped from the Bronc to make the match 4-4. The 1:15 worth of riding time that Bertolino accumulated was the difference in the match, giving him a point and a 5-4 victory.
"It was a close match," Bertolino said. "I knew that my conditioning was better than his and that he would break before I would. I wanted to push the pace and I knew he was hurting more. I've been waiting to wrestle someone tough and to have the chance to prove myself at this weight. I knew that it was a matter of time before someone tough came along. This is definitely a confidence builder for me."
Fanthorpe scored his second major decision of his sophomore campaign, 12-4 over Zac Cunliffe at 133 pounds. The Naperville, Ill., native held a 5-1 lead after the second period, but it was the third period when Fanthorpe proved to be too much for Cunliffe, taking down the Bronc three times. Ranked eighth at 133 pounds, Fanthorpe pushes his season mark to 6-0.
Reader continued his explosive offensive performance by putting 16 points on the board and blanking Mike Darling in 5:20. The ninth-ranked 165 pound redshirt freshman used three technical falls, two reversals and a takedown en route to his sixth win.
A native of Branchville, N.J., Zabriskie returned to his home state and put together an impressive 24-9 technical fall of Peter Reid. The third period again was again key for the Cyclones as the eighth-ranked heavyweight scored six takedowns in 90 seconds. Zabriskie also recorded 3:11 worth of riding time in the win.
In his first dual start, redshirt freshman Mark Kist opened the night with a 3-2 decision over Mitch Fenton at 125 pounds. Kist scored the only takedown early in the first period and added an escape in the third to take the bout. The Eagle Grove, Iowa, native, who finished as the runner-up at last week's Harold Nichols/Cyclone Open, ups his record to 4-0.
"Getting that first (dual) win feels great, especially to wrestle in an Iowa State singlet. I wanted to get another takedown towards the end, but I just pushed the pace. This is different from wrestling in a tournament because during a dual there is only one match going on at a time. All of the focus is on you and I like that."
Pursel made his first start for the Cyclones and took a 7-3 decision over Joe Ferber at 174 pounds. Hailing from Effingham, Kan., Pursel registered a takedown at 1:01 in the first period and another at 1:34 in the second period. A reversal in the third sealed the sophomore's first dual victory.
"Both Kist and Pursel had a great first match," Sanderson said. "They did what we told them to and we're proud of them."
Iowa State will travel to Binghamton, N.Y., to wrestle in the Binghamton Duals Sunday. The Cyclones will face a trio of opponents in Clarion, West Virginia and Binghamton starting at 8:30 a.m. CST. Action returns to Hilton Coliseum Dec. 9 as ISU will play host to intrastate rival Iowa at 2 p.m.
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