For a team with eight national championships to its history, a 4-13 dual record is far from the most ideal season outcome.

That outcome, however, was reality for the ISU wrestling team during the 2011-12 season. There was some upside for the team, though, as a total of 10 wrestlers who hit the mat throughout the season were classified as true or redshirt freshmen.

When the Cyclones get back on the mat for the upcoming 2012-13 season, those wrestlers will do so with more experience and a few new highly touted teammates.

One of those teammates will be John Meeks, a four-time high school champion from Des Moines Roosevelt who capped off a 168-0 prep career earlier this year at the state tournament.

“I think this class is a special class,” said ISU wrestling coach Kevin Jackson, who will be entering his fourth season at the helm. “Especially when you consider Destin McCauley being part of that group as well.”

McCauley is the second big coup for Jackson.

After being the No. 1 recruit in the nation when he finished his senior year at Apple Valley High School in Minnesota, McCauley decided to take a year off to train for the 2012 Olympic Games before heading to Wisconsin.

But McCauley withdrew his intent to wrestle at Wisconsin, and when Jackson announced his incoming 2012 class, McCauley’s name was included.

“He’s ready to step right in and perform at the very highest level,” Jackson said of McCauley at the time. “For us to actually capture an athlete like Destin shows that our program is moving in the right direction.”

If and when Meeks, McCauley and the remaining incoming recruits step on the mat next season, along with their new teammates, they’ll see a new conference opponent, too.

The Big 12 Conference will for sure have four members for wrestling in the upcoming season including Iowa State, Oklahoma State, Oklahoma and, the newest addition, West Virginia.

Prior to his first meet in a cardinal and gold singlet, redshirt freshman Ryak Finch spoke highly of the ISU wrestling tradition.

“If you look at the greats that have worn this singlet and wrestled for Iowa State, it’s a huge honor,” Finch said before the meet. “I’m just really excited after a long year of redshirting to finally strap it on and just make sure I’m keeping the tradition alive.”

When the young team steps back on the mat for the upcoming season, they will give it another try.