Cyclones Set for NCAA Championships

AMES, Iowa -- First-year Iowa State head wrestling coach Cael Sanderson's squad has touched on historic milestones of the Cyclone wrestling tradition as it pushes forward to the NCAA Championships Thursday through Saturday at The Palace at Auburn Hills near Detroit, Mich. For the first time since 1986, 10 ISU wrestlers, one for every NCAA weight class, have qualified for the NCAA tournament. The Cyclones are the only team in the country that will send all 10 wrestlers to Detroit. Minnesota and UT-Chattanooga have qualified nine each.

The 2007 NCAA Championships get underway Thursday at 10 a.m. Both sessions Friday (10 a.m. and 6 p.m.) will be broadcast live on ESPNU. Saturday morning's consolation medal round will air live on ESPNU at 10 a.m., with Saturday night's finals live on ESPN beginning at 7 p.m. Check out cyclones.com for live updates throughout the tournament. Mediacom will carry the semifinals on its Connections Channel. Internet streaming of the quarterfinal, semifinal and final round is available at espn360.com.

The 2007 ISU squad has thus far followed past legendary ISU teams while continuing to establish a history of its own. The Cyclones have qualified 10 wrestlers for the NCAA Championships on 12 occasions since 1964. ISU head coach Dr. Harold Nichols (1954-85) guided four of those 10-man teams to the NCAA team title (1965, 70, 73, 77). Overall, Hugo Otopalik (1924-53) coached the first ISU NCAA championship team in 1933 and Jim Gibbons (1986-92) coached the last in 1987. Nichols brought six titles back to Ames, including back-to-back crowns in 1969-70 and 1972-73.

On March 3 in Columbia, Mo., Iowa State claimed its first Big 12 crown and the school's first conference title since 1987, when ISU tied with Oklahoma State for the first-place trophy in Stillwater, Okla. The performance marked Iowa State's first outright team conference title since 1982. The meet came down to the last match, a heavyweight showdown between Cyclone freshman Dave Zabriskie and Oklahoma State's Jared Rosholt. The winner of the match would secure the 2007 Big 12 team title for his school. Zabriskie defeated Rosholt 3-2, giving Iowa State the Big 12 trophy.

It was a team effort. Iowa State's Trent Paulson won his second conference championship at 157 pounds with an 11-1 major decision over Nebraska's Chris Oliver at the Hearnes Center. The Cyclones finished the tournament with 66.5 points. Missouri placed second with 61.5, followed by Oklahoma State (61), Nebraska (46) and Oklahoma (44). Cael Sanderson is the only coach in ISU wrestling history to earn a conference championship in his initial season.

Trent and Travis Paulson and Kurt Backes, three of ISU's four qualifying seniors, are no strangers to the NCAA Championships. Trent and Travis have each earned All-America status twice, while Backes has earned the honor as a freshman. The trio has qualified for the NCAA tournament in each of their collegiate seasons, combining for 33 NCAA victories. That total includes three major decisions and two pins.

Trent Paulson enters the tournament as the top-rated wrestler at 157 pounds after earning a Big 12 title in Columbia, Mo.. The Council Bluffs, Iowa, native has recorded 10 straight victories since suffering back-to-back losses at the National Duals in mid-January. He has posted a 24-4 season record and a holds a 110-20 career mark.

Travis Paulson finished second to Oklahoma State's Johny Hendricks at the conference tournament at 165 pounds and is listed as the fourth-rated wrestler in a highly competitive weight class. His senior record is 24-5. Three of those losses have been to Hendricks. A 16-5 major decision over Eric Decker of Virginia Tech Feb. 16 was Travis Paulson's 100th-career victory. His overall career record is 102-30.

Backes has tallied a 24-6 mark in his final campaign and a 105-30 record as a Cyclone. As a freshman, the Neshanic Station, N.J., native placed seventh for All-American honors at 184 pounds but was unable to repeat his first-year award, falling one victory shy in 2006. In his senior year, Backes has registered quick pins over highly-rated wrestlers, including American's Josh Glenn and Missouri freshman Max Askren. Backes' 100th career win was an 8-3 decision over Rider's T.J. Morrison Feb. 9 in his final match in Hilton Coliseum.

Grant Turner is a dark horse heading into his first NCAA Championships but no success will surprise Iowa State fans. Turner was third at 174 pounds at the Big 12 Championships. The Cyclone (14-14), who had been seeded fifth in the Big 12 bracket, handed Nebraska's Marc Harwood a 5-3 decision in the conference third-place match to punch his ticket to Detroit.

ISU's six redshirt freshmen constituted the nation's top-rated recruiting class of 2005. No one has been a disappointment. The six have combined for a freshman-year record of 140-51. Overall, they have registered 36 pins, 22 major decisions and seven technical falls. Mitch Mueller (17-14) took top honors at 141 pounds at the Harold Nichols Open and Jake Varner (24-6) was the 184-pound champion at the Harold Nichols and Fullerton Opens. Varner leads the team with 11 wins by fall. At 133 pounds, Nick Gallick (26-8) is second on the team with eight pins. He has five major decisions and three technical falls to his credit. Heavyweight David Zabriskie (24-6) is riding a 12-match win streak dating back to January's National Duals. Nick Fanthorpe (24-9) carried a spotless 4-0 regular-season conference record at 125 pounds and Cyler Sanderson has tallied a record of 26-9 in a 149-pound weight class stacked with decorated grapplers.

Cyclones Set for NCAA Championships

Players Mentioned

Kurt Backes

Nick Fanthorpe

Nick Gallick

Mitch Mueller

Travis Paulson

Trent Paulson

Cyler Sanderson

Grant Turner

Jake Varner

David Zabriskie

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Iowa State University Athletics

Cyclones Set for NCAA Championships

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Players Mentioned

Kurt Backes

Nick Fanthorpe

Nick Gallick

Mitch Mueller

Travis Paulson

Trent Paulson

Cyler Sanderson

Grant Turner

Jake Varner

David Zabriskie

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