AMES – UNI (6-2) defeated Iowa State (1-7), 20-12 in wrestling action Friday night in Hilton Coliseum. The Cyclones won four matches on the night.
ISU held a 9-8 lead after five matches, but UNI grabbed momentum with a pair of tight victories at 197 pounds and 285 to take command of the meet.
The meet featured four overtime bouts (174, 285, 133, 141) with the teams splitting the extra period matches.
Redshirt freshman Colston DiBlasi got the Cyclones on the board with a dramatic come-from-behind victory at 157 pounds. Down 8-2 in the third period, DiBlasi reversed Paden Moore and then notched a pair of four-point nearfalls to secure the 12-8 decision.
After major decision loss at 165 pounds, Lelund Weatherspoon won a match between ranked grapplers with a 10-8 sudden victory over Taylor Lujan at 174 pounds. Weatherspoon got a takedown with 1:08 left in the third period to go up 8-6. However, Lujan countered with an escape and takedown with :29 seconds remaining.
Weatherspoon escaped to force overtime and then won the bout with a takedown with :24 seconds left in the extra session.
Patrick Downey III then gave the Cyclones a 9-8 lead in the match with a 9-5 victory over Drew Foster at 184 pounds. Downey used a first-period four-point nearfall to take control of the match.
UNI won two close matches at 197 pounds and 285 to move ahead 14-9. Jacob Holschlag beat Marcus Harrington, 5-4 (197) followed by a 3-1 overtime victory for J.J. Everard against Quean SmithClick here to hear it at 285.
The 133-pound match was exciting. UNI’s Josh Halber, ranked 10th nationally, was on the verge of victory until ISU’s Earl Hall, ranked 12th nationally, secured a last-second takedown (0:02 seconds) in the final period to force overtime. Halber then won the match, 8-6, with a takedown with 0:16 seconds left in the extra period.
John Meeks won the final match at 141 pounds with a 3-1 overtime win over Tyler Willers. Meeks scored the takedown with just 0:09 seconds left in overtime to claim victory.
Match of the Night – 157 pounds
Colston DiBlasi scored a key victory for the Cyclones with a 12-8 decision over Paden Moore at 157 pounds. DiBlasi appeared to be in trouble after falling behind 8-2 in the third period. However, the redshirt freshman tallied a pair of four-point nearfalls in the final 1:30 of the match to record the come-from-behind win.
Next-Up
Iowa State returns to Hilton Coliseum next Friday, Jan. 27 at 7:00 p.m. to take on Oklahoma at 6:30 p.m.
ISU vs. UNI Match-by-Mach
149: Max Thomsen (UNI) maj. dec. Chase Straw (ISU), 11-1: UNI 4-0
157: Colston DiBlasi (ISU) dec. Paden Moore (UNI), 12-8: UNI 4-3
165: Bryce Steiert (UNI) maj. dec. Logan Breitenbach (ISU), 14-5: UNI 8-3
174: Lelund Weatherspoon (ISU) dec. Taylor Lujan (UNI), 10-8 SV-1; UNI 8-6
184: Patrick Downey III (ISU) dec. Drew Foster (UNI), 9-5; ISU 9-8
197: Jacob Holschlag (UNI) dec. Marcus Harrington (ISU), 5-4: UNI 11-9
285: J.J. Everard (UNI) dec. Quean SmithClick here to hear it (ISU), 3-1 SV-1: UNI 14-9
125: Jay Schwarm (UNI) dec. Kyle Larson (ISU), 8-4: UNI 17-9
133: Josh Halber (UNI) dec. Earl Hall (ISU), 8-6 SV-1: UNI 20-9
141: John Meeks (ISU) dec. Tyler Willers (UNI), 3-1 SV-1: UNI 20-12
