“We brought in Northern Illinois because they are a well-coached team and are always in good condition,” Iowa State head coach Cael Sanderson said. “They will be a factor in their conference and beyond this season. Overall, I thought we did a good job going after it and being aggressive. We have our things to work on.”
For the 11th consecutive season, Iowa State claimed victory in its season opener. The Cyclones won nine of 10 bouts and did not surrender a takedown in any of those victories. On the night, ISU racked up 19 takedowns, while the Huskies managed to register only four takedowns - all in one match.
Wrestling in his first match as a Cyclone grappler, Reader ignited Hilton Coliseum by pinning Bryan Deutsch in 4:42. One of the most sought after prep recruits nationally in 2006, Reader scored a trio of three-point nearfalls in the first period alone for an 11-0 advantage. After an exchange of reversals by both wrestlers to open the second period, Reader added a second reversal that pushed Deutsch’s shoulders to the mat for the pin.
“We had a plan and I stuck to it,” Reader said. “I have waited a year to really get back into it. I wasn’t trying to pin him, but that is the way it went.”
Zabriskie, currently ranked sixth as the defending Big 12 heavyweight champion, closed out the night by pinning David Benner in 6:12. Zabriskie, a Branchville, N.J., native put the first points on the board with an escape to start the second period and added a takedown to finish out the second period. With a 3-1 advantage to begin the third period, Zabriskie found his groove and took down the Huskie twice more before the pin was signaled.
“The first period, I was kind of chasing him around the mat,” Zabriskie said. “I started catching up to him in the second and third periods. He (Benner) was getting tired.”
Mueller, ranked 15th at 149 pounds, jumped out to an early 4-1 lead on Kalen Knull in the first period on two takedowns. He added three more takedowns in the final two periods and tallied 1:58 worth riding time for his first victory of his sophomore season.
Bertolino began his senior campaign in dominating fashion by scoring a 16-1 technical fall of Jake Smith in 6:13. Bertolino was awarded nearfall points in the final minute of both the first and second periods. He held an 11-1 to open the third period and wasted no time by scoring a takedown and a three-point nearfall.
Iowa State will compete in the Harold Nichols/Cyclone Open Saturday at the Lied Recreation Center. Matches are set to get underway at 10 a.m. ISU will travel out East next weekend to take on Rider Nov. 16 at 6 p.m. CST and will then travel to Binghamton, N.Y., to wrestle in the Binghamton Duals against Clarion, Binghamton and West Virginia. Action will resume in Hilton Coliseum Dec. 9 as the Cyclones host intrastate rival, Iowa, at 2 p.m.
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