The following is a press release courtesy of Iowa State athletics communications.
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. –The No. 15 Iowa State wrestling team (10-6, 2-2 Big 12) fell to No. 18 Minnesota (10-8, 5-4 Big 10), 30-10. The meeting between the Cyclones and Gophers marked the opening matchup of this year’s NWCA National Duals.
Three Cyclones came away victorious from Williams Arena on Friday evening. Earl Hall picked up a 10-5 dec. over Ben Morgan, senior counterpart Tanner Weatherman also won big with a 13-2 major-decision over Minnesota’s Brandon Krone. Dane Pestano was victorious, scoring nine points in the third period to knock off Chris Pfarr.
Iowa State vs. Minnesota
At the intermission, Iowa State found itself trailing Minnesota, 18-3. The Cyclones dropped four of the first five matches, including two by fall.
Kyle Larson started the match off with a tightly contested 125-pound battle. With the scored tied 1-1, Steve Polakowski took Larson down to take a 3-1 lead. Larson would quickly shake free to make it 3-2. The West Des Moines native, would come up short though, 3-2.
At 133-pounds, Earl Hall put the Cyclones on the board. In his match against Ben Morgan, Hall was on his offense. He totaled five takedowns, while not yielding any to Morgan. In the top position, he compiled 2:29 of riding-time and took the match with a 10-5 decision.
The Cyclones were unable to take Hall’s momentum into the next three matches. Nathan Boston fell 4-0 to Tommy Thorn, Dante Rodriguez was pinned in 1:46 by Jake Short and Minnesota’s Brandon Kingsley defeated Renaldo Rodriguez-Spencer by fall in 4:31.
Following the break, Tanner Weatherman got the Cardinal and Gold back on track. The senior was dominant in his match against Brandon Krone. He notched four takedowns and secured bonus-points for the Cyclones with a four-point near-fall. He rode hard on top for 3:43 and won by 13-2 major-decision.
Lelund Weatherspoon’s match at 174-pounds was won by Minnesota’s Nick Wanzek by 8-6 decision. As the clock ticked less than 30 seconds in the third period, the Gopher brought Weatherspoon to the mat to take a 7-6 lead. Weatherspoon was unable to make it to his feat and get the necessary takedown for the victory.
After two periods in the 184-pound bout, Dane Pestano had yet to score a point in the match. That would change late in the third. Pestano came out on top in a scramble with Chris Pfarr. He would bring the Gopher to the mat and secure a takedown, while adding four back-points. Pestano would tack on another takedown for good measure to pick up his 22 win on the season, 9-2.
Head coach Kevin Jackson’s lineup looked like it did in Cedar Falls a couple of weeks ago. Patrick Downey and Marcus Harrington each bumped up in the lineup and manned the 197-pound and 285-pound, respectively.
Each faced a similar outcome. Downey fell to Minnesota’s Brett Pharr by 12-1 major-decision, and Harrington was defeated by 15-0 technical-fall from Michael Kroells.
Up Next…
Iowa State now turns its efforts to the post season. The Cyclones will take a week off as they prep for the 2016 Big 12 Championship, which will be in Kansas City at the Spring Center on March 5-6. For information on purchasing tickets for the two-day event, click HERE.
Iowa State – Minnesota Match-by-Match
125: Steve Polakowski (UM) dec. Kyle Larson (ISU), 3-2.
133: Earl Hall (ISU) dec. Ben Morgan (UM), 10-5.
141: Tommy Thorn (UM) dec. Nathan Boston (ISU), 4-0.
149: Jake Short (UM) fall. Dante Rodriguez (ISU), 1:46.
157: Brandon Kingsley fall. Renaldo Rodriguez-Spencer (ISU), 4:31.
165: Tanner Weatherman (ISU) maj. dec. Brandon Krone (UM), 13-2.
174: Nick Wanzek (UM) dec. Lelund Weatherspoon (ISU), 8-6.
184: Dane Pestano (ISU) dec. Chris Pfarr (UM), 9-2.
197: Brett Pfarr (UM) maj. dec. Patrick Downey (ISU), 12-1.
285: Michael Kroells (UM) tech-fall. Marcus Harrington (ISU), 15-0.
