AMES — Over 300 wrestlers participated in the 2015 Harold Nichols Cyclone Open on Sunday inside of Hilton Coliseum and when it was all said and done, the ISU wrestling team took home two individual weight titles.
Earl Hall was the first to claim a title at 133-pounds when he defeated Grandview’s Godwin Cutler by a 4-3 decision in the third period.
The other Cyclone to claim an individual title was Lelund Weatherspoon at 174-pounds. He defeated South Dakota State’s David Kocer with a 3-2 decision in the third.
“[Lelund] went and got more points than he did against Midland and Boise State,” said ISU coach Kevin Jackson. “And [Earl] has been on game all season so far so I am not surprised he won today.”
Although Weatherspoon and Hall claimed individual championships at the Cyclone Open, there was some displeasure out of them. When Weatherspoon won his title, he had a displeased look on his face while walking off of the mat. And with Hall, he stated he should have been more dominant in his final bout on the night.
Iowa State left two titles on the table at 165 and heavyweight.
Both ISU wrestlers, Tanner Weatherman and Quean Smith, lost their final matchups. Weatherman lost his match with six seconds left in the bout after his opponent got an escape. Smith lost his via pinfall.
“Both wrestlers made mistakes in their finals,” Jackson said. “[Weatherman] told me he didn’t know he was tied with six seconds left, which is shocking to me, and Smith got in a bad position, which he normally never does.”
“If we came out with four titles instead of two, we would feel much better than we do right now,” Jackson said.
Now time for Observational Takedowns:
Still adjusting:
Even though Tanner Weatherman placed second at 165, it’s important to remember that he is still adjusting to that particular weight class. Entering this year, Weatherman transitioned from 174 to165 for the Cyclones. And Weatherman still believes that this change will help him the long run.
“I am still not quit adjusted to this weight class,” Weatherman said. “But I feel like I can push the pace more, that I am a little bit stronger since I did move down weight classes.”
Weatherman has a 6-2 record currently in this early season and is No. 8 in the FloWrestling ranking.
Weatherman will have two weeks to further adjust to the 165 until Iowa strolls into Hilton on Nov. 29.
141 battle still to be determine:
One of the main storylines for the ISU wrestling squad this season is who will start at the 141 spot.
Dante Rodriguez and John Meeks have both been competing for the position all season long. Both of them wrestled against Midland and Boise State and they both competed in the Cyclone Open.
Rodriguez claimed third place and Meeks placed fifth respectively.
“Things still haven’t been straightened out at that position,” Jackson said. “Yes they both wrestled on Thursday and both performed well at the open but at the end of day I will put which ever one of them gives us the better opportunity.”
Jackson will have two solid weeks to determine who will start at the 141 position for the Cyclones next dual.
Injured Cyclones:
Three regular performers for the Cyclones did not participate in the Harold Nichols Cyclone Open.
One was 125 competitor Nathan Boston, due to illness. The second of the three was the 149 wrestler Gabe Moreno.
“[Gabe] is still dealing with a hurt shoulder,” Jackson said. “He had some tightness in that shoulder, so we didn’t want to risk him further damaging his shoulder.”
And the last of the three grapplers who didn’t perform on Sunday, was 197 grappler Duke Egli, who was dealing with back spasms.
Up next for the Cyclones:
Iowa State will have two weeks to prepare for in state rival the Iowa Hawkeyes, who are coming a major victory over No. 1 Oklahoma State at the Grapple on the Gridiron event.
“I watched the whole event,” Jackson said. “And Iowa looked like Iowa. We are expecting that they will come out and give us their all.”
