Travis Paulson fell one win shy of representing his country Sunday when he lost to Jake Herbert at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Iowa City.

Paulson, who was the only one of the five former Cyclones competing at the trials to never have won an NCAA championship, upset Herbert 0-1, 2-1, 1-1 in the first match of the 84-kilogram (185-pound) championship, which would be won by the winner of a best-of-three series.

Herbert went on to win the next two matches to earn a spot on the U.S. Olympic freestyle team at 84 kilogram and end Paulson’s Olympic dreams.

Travis followed suit of his twin brother, Trent, who lost to Andrew Howe in the 74-kilogram (163-pound) championship round Saturday. However, Trent would have needed to beat 2011 World Champion Jordan Burroughs in order to earn a spot on the team.

Paulson’s loss will leave Jake Varner as the lone representative of Iowa State for men’s freestyle wrestling at the 2012 Olympics this summer in London.

Justin Lester, who competed for one redshirt season at Iowa State before transferring to Northern Michigan in 2003, will be representing the United States on the Greco-Roman wrestling team. Lester qualified at 66 kilograms on Saturday.

Reader sees early exit

In the same bracket as Travis, Jon Reader took an early exit, losing to Maxwell Askren 1-3, 2-1, 4-0 in the consolation quarterfinals on Sunday.

Reader, who won the 174-pound NCAA title in 2011, lost to former Hawkeye Phillip Keddy 1-0, 1-0 in the quarterfinals to drop to the consolation bracket.

It was there that he would go on to defeat Tyrel Todd before his loss to Askren, who was the 2010 184-pound NCAA champion for Missouri.