Iowa State Set for Home Showdown With No. 19 UNI

AMES, Iowa – The Iowa State wrestling team (1-6, 1-3 Big 12) welcomes in-state rival UNI (5-2, 3-0 MAC) into Hilton Coliseum on Friday night.

Fans are invited to take part in our Friday Four Pack. With this offer, you will receive four tickets to the dual, four sodas and four hot dogs. To purchase your Friday Four Pack, follow the link listed above.

In their last time out, the Cyclone wrestlers lost in a stunner in Chapel Hill. The ISU-UNC contest was tied 17-17 entering the final bout of the night. The Tar Heels would go on to win that match, and ultimately the dual.

When: Friday, Jan. 20, 2017 – 7:00 p.m.
Where: Ames, Iowa – Hilton Coliseum
Broadcast/Livestream: The dual can be viewed by Cyclones.TV subscribers online or on the Cyclones.TV Mediacom channel. Tom Kroeschell and Kyven Gadson will be on the call.
Live Stats: Trackwrestling.com
Live Updates: Follow @CycloneWR on Twitter for live updates, match-by-match results and exclusive content

Scouting Northern Iowa
The Panthers come to Ames with a 5-2 record. UNI has wrestled well in conference, posting a 3-0 mark in MAC action. In their last contest, Northern Iowa came away with a huge upset victory over then-ranked No. 12, Central Michigan. The dual was decided on criteria, 17-16.

Doug Schwab's squad currently has six wrestlers pegged in the top-15 at their respective weight classes. Highlighting the group of ranked Panthers is redshirt freshman, Max Thomsen, who checks in at No. 8 in every national rankings outlet.

Three Panthers are ranked No. 10 at their respective weight classes; Dylan Peters at 125, Josh Alber at 133 and Bryce Steiert at 165. Taylor Lujan currently holds the No. 11 ranking at 174 pounds and Drew Foster is tabbed as No. 15 at 184 pounds.

ISU v. UNI History
- This will be the 75th meeting between Iowa State and Northern Iowa. The Cyclones currently hold a 57-17 advantage in the all-time series.
- Last season, the Cardinal and Gold pulled out an 18-16 victory in Cedar Falls.
- The two teams first met on Jan. 26, 1924. ISU came away victorious in the inaugural matchup, 21-0.

Cyclone Notebook
- Friday night marks the 75th meeting between Iowa State and Northern Iowa. The Cyclones currently lead the all-time series at 57-17.
- Iowa State lost in heartbreaking fashion in their last contest. The Cyclones fell to the Tar Heels in the final bout of the dual, 20-17.
- ISU's Earl Hall, Carson Powell, Patrick Downey and Quean Smith all picked up wins for the Cardinal and Gold in the dual.
- Hall earned a first-period technical fall for his team-best 17th victory on the year. The senior has won eight matches by bonus-point decision, which ranks second on the team.
- Kevin Jackson shook up the lineup in Chapel Hill. Powell was called on at 184 pounds, which bumped Downey up to 197 pounds. The move paid off as Powell secured a fall for six points, and Downey scrapped to a 6-4 victory.
- The Cyclones earned a 12th-place finish (54.5 points) at the 2016 Midlands Championships. ISU finished with three wrestlers on the podium in Earl Hall (fourth), Kanen Storr (fifth) and Lelund Weatherspoon (second.)
- Storr became just the third Cyclone since 1982 to finish on the podium as a true freshman. In 2011, Tanner Weatherman finished fifth and in 2011, Jon Reader took seventh place.
- In the 174-pound semifinals, Weatherspoon was able to avenge a loss he suffered to Alex Meyer in the Cy-Hawk Dual on Dec. 10. The 2015 All-Americans wrestled to a 9-7 decision with Weatherspoon coming out on top and earning a spot in the championship bout.
- Redshirt freshman Colston DiBlasi had a great first half of the season. After picking up three wins by fall at the Midlands, DiBlasi now has 11 on the year, which led the country after the tournament. Overall, the Kansas City, Mo. product has a 16-9 record on the year.
- ISU took 12th place as a team in Las Vegas with 49 team points behind top-8 finishes from Markus Simmons (eighth), Chase Straw (eighth), Lelund Weatherspoon (fourth) and Quean Smith (eighth).
- Four Cyclones are ranked in this week's national polls. Markus Simmons (18, 15, 19) Earl Hall (11, 14, 12), Lelund Weatherspoon (8, 11, 9) and Patrick Downey (10, 8, 7) all begin the weekend slotted in the top-20 in FloWrestling, TheOpenMat and Intermat rankings.
- Kanen Storr has put up five top-five finishes in tournaments and has compiled a 25-5 record with 14 bonus-point decisions. Ian Parker has garnered four top-four finishes and has pieced together a 17-8 mark this year.
- Earl Hall is knocking on the door of 100 career wins. Hall has tallied 98 victories in his decorated Cyclone career
- Hall (7), Weatherspoon (6) and Downey (5) are all coming off All-America finishes in 2015-16. The Cyclones are one of just eight squads in the country to return three or more 2016 All-Americans.
- Iowa State head coach Kevin Jackson is in his eighth year leading the Cyclones.

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Players Mentioned

Colston DiBlasi

Earl Hall

Ian Parker

Carson Powell

Markus Simmons

Quean Smith

Kanen Storr

Chase Straw

Tanner Weatherman

Lelund Weatherspoon

Sponsors

Iowa State University Athletics