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Iowa State University Athletics
Wrestling Adds Two Native Iowan Transfers
08.01.2018 | Men's Wrestling
AMES, Iowa – A pair of Iowa natives are returning home, and joining the Iowa State wrestling program. Southeast Polk prep-stars Willie Miklus and Ethan Andersen have announced that they will both continue their collegiate careers in Cardinal and Gold.
Miklus, who received a sixth year of eligibility from the NCAA, is already a three-time All American. While wrestling for Missouri, Miklus compiled a 78-23 record (43-7 dual) and won the 2018 MAC Championship at 197 pounds.
In his redshirt freshman season, Miklus took seventh place at 184 pounds to earn the first of his three All-America finishes. He followed that up with a sixth-place showing in 2016. Miklus was sidelined for the 2016-17 season with an injury before returning to the Tiger lineup in 2017-18, up to 197 pounds, taking eighth place at this year's NCAA Championships.
"Willie brings a lot of experience to our program, plus a very nice college resume," Iowa State wrestling head coach Kevin Dresser said. "His maturity and focus have been very evident to me throughout the whole process of coming to ISU. He wants to win a national title and that is the kind of guy we want in our practice room every day."
Miklus will have one year left to compete and is eligible right away.
Andersen joins the Cyclone roster via Oklahoma State. The heavyweight scrapped to a 15-5 record in 2017-18 while wrestling in mostly open tournaments. In 15 victories, Andersen won 11 matches by bonus-point margin.
"Ethan brings a great high school resume to Iowa State," Dresser said of the OSU transfer. "He hasn't made a mark in the college wrestling world yet and has a great opportunity to do that now. Being a SEP guy, I know he is excited to be back in the state. We have a lot of quality depth at 285 with the addition of Ethan, and I'm excited to see who steps up for us moving forward."
Andersen will come in as a redshirt sophomore and will have three years left to compete. He is also eligible immediately.
Miklus and Andersen were members of prep-powerhouse Southeast Polk in high school. Miklus was a four-time state finalist and two-time state champion while wrestling for the Rams. Andersen was also a two-time state champion at SEP.
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