Wrestlers Host Fresno State

Coming off a short turnaround following a 29-7 drubbing of #23 North Dakota State on Wednesday, the #21 ranked Cyclone wrestlers are in Hilton this afternoon taking on Big XII foe Frenso State. The meet itself shouldn’t be close but there is a top 20 matchup (and chance for Degen to avenge a loss from last season) at 149 and every single match carries seeding implications for Big XIIs. We’ll also continue the watch for Ian Parker at 141. As I mentioned on Wednesday, Ryan Leisure can fill that spot for dual meets without the weight turning in to a hole in the lineup, but getting a healthy Ian Parker back is going to be important if Iowa State is going to score points at NCAAs in Pittsburgh at that weight. The lineup lists Parker as the starter but we won’t know until this afternoon if he’ll actually be taking the mat.

Where: Hilton Coliseum, Ames IA

When: 2:00PM Sunday, January 13th

TV/Stream: Cyclones.TV / Flowrestling ($$)

Projected Lineups

*Rankings from Intermat/FloWrestling/TheOpenMat

Key Matchups

149

Degen is the higher ranked wrestler in this matchup but Olivas owns the actual head to head match between them. He beat Degen in a 14-13 barnburner when Frenso State came to Ames for a dual last February. Combine that with this being the only matchup of the dual where both wrestlers are ranked and this is the clear marquee match of the day.

157

When FloWrestling put out their most recent NCAA qualifier projections only three Big XII wrestlers were listed at 157, with Straw coming in via one of the last spots. That highlights how important this match is for two reasons. First, and most obvious, is that when you’re right on the border of earning an NCAA allocation there’s no room to stumble, you’ve got to win your matches against non-ranked opponents. Second is that seeding becomes extremely important with there likely to only be 2 or 3 NCAA allocations up for grabs at 157 in Tulsa - a 2 or 3 seed would make his path to the finals (and NCAAs) much simpler and more realistic than a 4 or 5 seed that would have him taking on Shomers of Oklahoma State in the semifinals.

HWT

Like Straw at 157, Gremmel is probably on the borderline of earning an NCAA allocation. And Gremmel is facing a very similar position today to what he had against NDSU on Wednesday. Like both Gremmel and Metz of NDSU, Nevills is part of the 2nd tier of heavies in the Big XII that are all fighting for the #3 seed at Big XIIs behind White of Oklahoma State and Orndorff of Utah Valley. The Big XII is a lot deeper at heavyweight than it is at 157, it should earn five or six spots, so Gremmel has more room for error than Straw. But getting as easy a path as possible to the semifinals is still important as a semifinal spot guarantees a top six finish and with that a likely trip to Pittsburgh.

Prediction

Fresno State is recruiting well and coached well. They’re on the upswing. But they are still a year or two away from being able to compete with ranked teams. Especially since their better wrestlers are generally matching up against Iowa State’s ranked guys. I think that Iowa State wins seven or eight matches in this one and comes away with a 25-9 or so dual victory.

Next Up

The wrestlers will head east for a pair of duals next week, taking on Rider at 7:00PM on Thursday, Jan 17th and West Virginia at 1:00PM on Sunday, January 20th.