2015-16 Wrestling Season Recap

AMES, Iowa – The 2015-16 season was significant in many ways for the Iowa State wrestling team (10-6, 2-2 Big 12.) The Cardinal and Gold celebrated 100 years of wrestling, produced three All-Americans, a Big 12 Champion and churned out 10 dual wins.

Head coach Kevin Jackson improved to 67-45 all-time as the leader of the Iowa State wrestling program. He has coached 14 All-Americans, nine Big 12 Champions and four NCAA champions during his time in Ames.

Three Cyclones Land on the Podium in New York City
Iowa State qualified six wrestlers for the 2016 NCAA Championships. Kyle Larson, Earl Hall, Tanner Weatherman, Lelund Weatherspoon, Dane Pestano, and Patrick Downey all competed on the mat in Madison Square Garden. Hall, Weatherspoon and Downey earned All-America honors.

ISU tallied 35 team points at the 2016 NCAA Championship to finish in 12th-place as a team.

For Earl Hall, it was the second time that he earned a top-8 finish at the NCAA Championship. As a No. 7 seed, Hall wrestled to his ranking to become Iowa State's 84th multi-time All-American.

Weatherspoon and Downey had a tougher road to the podium. At 174-pounds, Weatherspoon entered the tournament unseeded. He posted a 3-3 record, including three victories over wrestlers seeded 15th or better. This is the first time the Jackson, Mich. native, has posted an All-America finish.

Downey also provided fireworks in the Big Apple with several upsets. He knocked off four wrestlers who were seeded No. 11 or better, including the No. 6 seed Jared Haught, twice. The sophomore went on to finish in fifth-place to record his first All-America finish.

Hall, Weatherspoon and Downey art the 289th, 290th and 291st All-Americans in program history.

Iowa State Finishes Third, Qualifies Five for NCAA Championship at Big 12 Championship
The 2016 Big 12 Championship featured a new format, field and venue. The conference added six teams, (Air Force, North Dakota State, Northern Colorado, Utah Valley, South Dakota State and Wyoming) and hosted a two-day event at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo.

Iowa State finished the tournament with 87 team points to claim third-place. The Oklahoma State Cowboys won the Big 12 Championship with 161 team points.

The weekend was highlighted by Lelund Weatherspoon, who captured his second Big 12 Conference Championship. In the title match, Weatherspoon upended then-ranked No. 4 Chandler Rogers of Oklahoma State by 8-5 decision.

Hall and Weatherman also earned a spot in the finals. Each wrestled a tight match. At 133, Hall was pitted against returning NCAA Champion, Cody Brewer. Hall jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead, but an aggressive attack to bring Brewer to his back proved to be detrimental to Hall. He gave up a reversal and four back-points as a result. In the end, it was Brewer with the win by 12-7 decision.

Weatherman also faced a returning national champion in the 165-pound Big 12 Championship. Oklahoma State's Alex Dieringer led 4-2 late in the match, but Weatherman was unable to connect on the takedown he needed to tie the match.

Five other Cyclones finished on the podium in Kansas City. Larson took home fifth-place, Logan Breitenbach captured a sixth-place finish, Pestano garnered a fourth-place finish at 184-pounds, Downey bounced back from a second round loss to finish third and Joe Scanlan scrapped hard in place of starter Quean Smith to take sixth-place.

Cyclones Post Double-Digit Dual Wins For Second Consecutive Season
For the first time in the Kevin Jackson-era, Iowa State won 10 or more duals in back-to-back seasons. The Cyclones boasted a 5-1 record at home, while going 5-5 on the road. Against conference foes, ISU went 2-2 with wins over Wyoming and West Virginia.

The dual season was punctuated when the Cyclones swept into Hampton Coliseum for the Virginia Duals. Iowa State won handedly in their first three matchups against George Mason, Kent State and Chattanooga to advance to the finals. The Virginia Tech Hokies, a team that had beaten the Cyclones 32-3 earlier in the season, awaited ISU.

The dual got off to a slow start for the Cyclones, as they dropped three out of the first four matches and trailed 8-3 heading into the 157-pound bout. Breitenbach's 12-7 victory over Jake Spengler sparked a three-match win streak for the Cyclones. Marcus Harrington would tack on another victory at 197-pounds, putting the Cyclones up 16-11 with one match to go.

Joe Scanlan and Ty Walz wrestled to a 10-3 decision in the heavyweight showdown, with Walz coming out on top. However, it was not enough to erase the Hokie's team-deficit. Iowa State won the dual 16-14, and was crowned the Virginia Duals champions. Tanner Weatherman's performance of four wins and no losses, with three bonus-point victories earned him the Outstanding Wrestler Award for the tournament.

Fans were treated with the opportunity to see a variety of different starting lineups throughout the season. Jackson and company managed well by shuffling around a banged-up and growing Cyclone squad. Nine of the 10 Cyclone victories this season featured a different starting 10. In total, 18 wrestlers saw time in the starting lineup this season.

A Look Ahead Into 2016-17
Iowa State will need to find a way to replace three-year starter and two-time All-American Earl Hall, as well as four-year starter and four-time NCAA qualifier Tanner Weatherman in next year's lineup. The two accounted for 31 bonus-point victories and 63 total wins in their senior campaigns.

However, the Cyclones will have options next year. Iowa State boasts one of the top recruiting classes in the country, and will bring in five grapplers that are currently ranked in nation's top-100.

In-house, ISU is also ready to mend any holes that are created in the lineup with departures. Wrestlers who were redshirting this season compiled an 85-49 record with 51 bonus-point victories. The group of youngsters also racked up 10 top-three finishes in open tournaments.

Players Mentioned

Logan Breitenbach

Earl Hall

Marcus Harrington

Kyle Larson

Dane Pestano

Joe Scanlan

Quean Smith

Tanner Weatherman

Lelund Weatherspoon

Sponsors

Iowa State University Athletics