In the heart of the Midwest, new assistant coach Troy Nickerson is bringing a little East Coast to the ISU wrestling program.

Nickerson has brought his wrestling and coaching experience from Cornell to Iowa State. He said East Coast wrestling style has a slower pace than the Midwest style. 

“A lot of wrestlers here in the Midwest are brawlers; they’re bangers; they’re going to get in there and fight hard — just real strong, high-paced wrestling,” Nickerson said. “A lot of wrestling on both coasts, you’ll notice, is not more relaxed, but more technical.” 

This season, the ISU wrestling team will face a few teams from the east such as Old Dominion and Rutgers. Nickerson said that learning this new style should help the team in those meets.

“I think it’s been good for these guys to be able to be exposed to that because this year we are wrestling three or four teams from different coasts,” Nickerson said. “They are going to be exposed to that stuff before they get out on the mat.”

Nickerson, who was a four-time All-American and the 2009 125-pound champion at Cornell, will be working primarily with the lightweight wrestlers this season. One of those wrestlers said he is already benefiting from the new style.

“It’s great having him,” said redshirt sophomore Ryak Finch. “Not only his experience [but] also bringing over that East Coast style that he has. I think that’s something I know I was lacking.”

The Cyclones have 12 wrestlers listed in the 125-, 133- and 141-pound weight classes, and each of them are classified as underclassmen.

One of Nickerson’s most talented athletes is freshman John Meeks, who went undefeated in high school — one of only six wrestlers to do so — at Des Moines Roosevelt and won four Iowa high school state championships.

After his career as a four-time All-American for the Big Red, Nickerson went on to coach for a club team before getting hired by ISU wrestling coach Kevin Jackson last May.

“It was a great opportunity coming into a big school, big athletic environment and a well-storied program,” Nickerson said. “I couldn’t think of a better opportunity, a better place to come and coach.”