Former ISU wrestler Jake Varner will compete on the U.S. Olympic freestyle wrestling team after earning a spot on the team at the Olympic Team Trials in Iowa City on Saturday.

Varner, who was a two-time 197-pound NCAA champion (2009, 10) and four-time NCAA finalist, defeated Tommy Rowlands in back-to-back matches to earn the berth in the 96-kilogram (211.5-pound) finals.

After losing the first period of his first match 1-0, Varner rallied off four straight victorious periods to seal the 2-0 record in championship matches. This makes him the 14th Cyclone to represent the United States at the Olympic games in freestyle wrestling.

“It’s not going to stop here,” Varner told the Associated Press. “It’s not about being an Olympian, it’s about going out and achieving your goals and being an Olympic champion.”

Since finishing his career as a Cyclone following the 2010 season, Varner has trained as part of the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club at State College, Pa., with former ISU coach Cael Sanderson, who is now coach of Penn State.

Varner will represent the United States at the 2012 Olympic games this summer in London.

Paulson, Zabriskie fall short

Fellow ISU alumni Trent Paulson and David Zabriskie fell short of their Olympic aspirations on Saturday, failing to advance far enough into the Olympic Team Trials to secure a spot on the team.

Paulson, who finished third at the 2008 Olympic Team Trials in Las Vegas, reached the championship bout of the 74-kilogram (163-pound) bracket with wins against UT-Chattanooga’s Lloyd Rogers and Cornell’s Kyle Dake, who is the only wrestler in NCAA history to win three national titles in three different weight divisions.

However, Paulson fell short in the championship match against Wisconsin’s Andrew Howe 1-0, 1-0. From there, Paulson would have needed to beat 2011 World Champion Jordan Burroughs — a two-time NCAA champion at Nebraska — to secure a place on the Olympic freestyle team.

Zabriskie, the 2010 NCAA champion at heavyweight, defeated Tanner Hall 3-2, 6-0 before falling to Tommy Rowlands 3-1, 4-0 in the quarterfinals at 96 kilograms (211.5 pounds).

It was in the wrestlebacks where Zabriskie railed off two straight victories before falling to Dustin Kilgore 3-0, 3-1 in the consolation semifinals.