WRESTLING: Massive comeback edges North Dakota State, 21-20

The above photo and following press release are courtesy of Iowa State athletics communications. 

FARGO, N.D. – The Iowa State wrestling team (7-7, 2-4 Big 12) overcame a 20-3 deficit, winning the final five matches of the night to defeat North Dakota Sate (6-9, 0-6 Big 12) 21-20 on criteria.

Heading to the heavyweight match, the Cardinal and Gold trailed 20-16. Redshirt senior Marcus Harrington pieced together a 10-2 major decision over Dan Stibral to bring the match score to 20-20.

Harrington led 3-2 with under one minute remaining in the third period when he swung the match wide open. He took Stibral to his back, picking up a takedown and four-point near fall to take a 9-2 lead. He finished the match on top with 1:04 of riding time, earning one point and winning the match 10-2.

The Cyclones won the dual on first criteria, most matches won, holding a 6-4 advantage over the Bison.

How It Happened

The five-bout streak was spurred by perhaps the biggest win of the night. Redshirt sophomore Brady Jennings was pitted against North Dakota State’s, No. 21 Andrew Fogarty. Jennings was dominant in the match, never yielding a takedown and scoring on a pair of reversals and a takedown himself. He was in complete control on top, churning out 3:16 of riding time.

Redshirt junior Danny Bush held off a late Dylan Urbach attack to defeat the NDSU grappler, 12-9. Following the match at 174 pounds, redshirt senior Dane Pestano pumped more fuel into Iowa State’s comeback behind a 19-5 major decision against Cole Witzig. The Waimanalo, Hi., native racked up seven takedowns in the win at 184 pounds.

At 197 pounds, redshirt freshman Sam Colbray brought the Cyclones to within striking distance. In their match, Colbray and Cordell Eaton traded escapes to begin the second and third periods. Colbray was dinged for stalling twice, giving up two points with under a minute to go in the third. He worked and got the necessary takedown to send the match to sudden victory. In the overtime period, Colbray solidified a 5-3 victory, earning the winning takedown.

Redshirt freshman Jarrett Degen broke the seal for the Cyclones, picking up the lone ISU victory in the front half of the dual. He defeated NDSU’s Kyle Gliva by 8-2 decision. The Belgrade, Mont., native scored two takedowns, pushed the pace to earn a point on a pair of Gliva stall calls and rode hard on top, racking up 1:11of riding time in the victory.

Next Up

Iowa State has a quick turnaround, traveling to South Dakota State. The Cyclones will battle the Jackrabbits in Brookings on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. The dual will be available through FloWrestling with a FloPro subscription.

ISU v. NDSU Match-by-Match

125: Paul Bianchi (NDSU) fall Sinjin Briggs (ISU), 4:39.
133: Cam Sykora (NDSU) tech fall Markus Simmons (ISU), 19-4 (6:29).
141: McGwire Midkiff (NDSU) win by forfeit.
149: Jarrett Degen (ISU) dec. Kyle Gliva (NDSU), 8-2.
157: Clay Ream (NDSU) dec. Chase Straw (ISU), 8-2.
165: Brady Jennings (ISU) dec. Andrew Fogarty (NDSU), 7-2.
174: Danny Bush (ISU) dec. Dylan Urbach (NDSU), 12-9.
184: Dane Pestano (ISU) maj. dec. Cole Witzig (NDSU), 19-5.
197: Sam Colbray (ISU) dec. Cordell Eaton (NDSU), 5-3 (SV-1).
285: Marcus Harrington (ISU) maj. dec. Dan Stibral (NDSU), 10-2.

Iowa State was awarded one point in tie-breaking criteria.