CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – When Iowa State heavyweight Matt Gibson stepped onto the mat for the final match of Friday’s dual against Northern Iowa, the sellout crowd was booming. Gibson quieted the Panther faithful with a 7-1 decision over Blayne Beale to give the No. 14 Cyclones a 19-17 victory over the in-state rival.
“It was a good meet for the fans,” said Iowa State head coach Kevin Jackson. “We trained through this meet this week and I think a couple of our guys were tired at the end as a result.”
The Cyclones (3-12) defeated Northern Iowa (5-5) for the seventh-straight time and extended the series lead to 54-16.
The Panthers led 17-16 prior to Gibson’s match, but the Vallejo, Calf., native didn’t let the pressure affect him and scored the first takedown of the match. The 12th-ranked Gibson also nailed a reversal in the second, and a final takedown in the third to improve to 21-7 overall, 7-6 in dual competition.
Redshirt freshman Ryak Finch earned his third major decision and third consecutive victory against Northern Iowa’s Cruse Aarhus to give the Cyclones an early 4-0 lead. At 125 pounds, Finch started off with an 8-0 lead after the first period which included six near-fall points. The No. 12 Finch extended his lead 13-0 after two periods and finished with a 15-4 major decision against Aarhus.
At 141 pounds, Luke Goettl secured his 10th victory of the season with a 5-1 decision over Panther grappler Levi Wolfensperger. Goettl scored a single-leg takedown midway through the first period and earned two back points on the attack. The Clarkdale, Ariz., native held onto his lead for the victory and allowed the Cyclones to regain the lead 7-5 after three matches.
“Our young guys looked good I thought,” Jackson said. “Now we get ready for the regional duals.”
Redshirt sophomore Boaz Beard had a near-upset over sixth-ranked Ryan Loder at 184 pounds. The two grapplers battled until the final seconds, but Loder prevailed 1-0.
Fourth-ranked Andrew Sorenson remains undefeated in dual competition after the Panthers elected to forfeit the 165-pound matchup. Following the forfeit, Mikey England extended the Iowa State lead with an 8-3 decision over Riley Banach in which he posted three takedowns.
Iowa State plays host to the 2012 Cliff Keen NWCA National Duals Midwest Regional Feb. 12 in Hilton Coliseum. Iowa State, Iowa, Northern Iowa, Virginia Tech, Wisconsin and Oregon State will all be competing in Ames.
Iowa State 19, Northern Iowa 17
125: #12 Ryak Finch (ISU) Mdec. Cruse Aarhus (UNI), 15-4
133: #11 Joe Colon (UNI) TF5 RJ Hallman (ISU), 17-2, 5:10
141: #18 Luke Goettl (ISU) dec. Levi Wolfensperger, 5-1
149: Seth Noble (UNI) dec. Joe Cozart (ISU), 7-4
157: David Bonin (UNI) dec. Michael Moreno (ISU), 2-0
165: #4 Andrew Sorenson (ISU) won by forfeit
174: Mikey England (ISU) dec. Riley Banach (UNI), 8-3
184: #6 Ryan Loder (UNI) dec. #16 Boaz Beard (ISU), 1-0
197: Taylor Kettman (UNI) dec. Trevor Voelker (ISU), 4-2
285: #12 Matt Gibson (ISU) dec. Blayne Beale (UNI), 7-1
