The following is a news release courtesy of Iowa State athletics communications:
AMES, Iowa – Iowa State wrestling head coach Kevin Jackson announced the Cyclones’ 2015-16 schedule on Monday. This season’s slate features seven regular-season home contests, including six dual matchups and the annual Harold Nichols Cyclone Open.
Iowa State opens the season on the road with a trip to Blacksburg, Va. on Nov. 7 to face Virginia Tech. ISU then returns to Ames for its home opener, with duals against Midland University and Boise State on Nov. 12. The Cyclones will take on Midland at 5:30 p.m. before facing the Broncos at 7:30 p.m.
The Harold Nichols Cyclone Open on Nov. 15, will be one of four regular-season tournaments for the Cyclones. The squad will also compete at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational Dec. 4-5, before a making a return trip to the historic Midlands Championships in Evanston, Ill. Dec. 29-30. Iowa State took fourth at the 2014 Cliff Keen Invitational, and last wrestled at Midlands in 2012.
The Cyclones will resume dual competition on Nov. 29, as they face Iowa in this year’s installment of the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series, with the rivalry returning to Hilton Coliseum. Following the Cliff Keen Invitational, Iowa State will return home once again to host Wyoming on Dec. 12. While the dual is not part of Iowa State’s Big 12 slate, it will give the Cyclones a first look at the Cowboys, who will be participating in the Big 12 Wrestling Championship for the first time this season. Wyoming is one of six programs whose affiliate wrestling membership with the Big 12 begins with the 2015-16 season.
The Cyclones’ first action in 2016 will come Jan. 8-9, as they travel to Hampton, Va. to take part in the Virginia Duals. Iowa State then stays on the road for three consecutive road duals, starting with a trip to Tempe, Ariz. to face Arizona State on Jan. 15. The Cyclones dispatched the Sun Devils last season in Hilton Coliseum, 27-7.
The Big 12 slate then begins for ISU, as the team swings through Oklahoma to face the Sooners on Jan. 22 and the Cowboys on Jan. 24. The Cyclones split dual competition with the two Oklahoma programs last season, as they toppled the Sooners 26-18 in Norman, just a week after falling to OSU, 20-15 in Ames.
Iowa State returns home for the first time in over a month on Jan. 31 to face Central Michigan, before hitting the road once more to face the in-state UNI Panthers on Feb. 5. The Cyclones will close out their home schedule against West Virginia on Feb. 14, followed by a trip to Minneapolis to take on Minnesota on Feb. 21.
The 2016 Big 12 Championship will be historic for the conference, as the tournament will expand to a two-day event with the additions of Air Force, North Dakota State, Northern Colorado, South Dakota State, Utah Valley and Wyoming as affiliate members. The championship will take place March 5-6 in Kansas City, Mo. at the Sprint Center.
The 2015-16 season comes to a close March 17-19 in New York City, N.Y., with the NCAA Championships.
Click here to find the release on cyclones.com.