Over the history of ISU athletics, fans have hung their hats on a few things that Cyclone programs have done well. 

Hilton Magic for men’s basketball was and remains a point of pride for any ISU fan, student or alumni, and there was always Seneca Wallace and Troy Davis to be proud of for football.

But undoubtedly, the most successful sport in ISU history has been wrestling. Eight national championship banners, the last coming in 1987, are hanging in Hilton, as are those for the Olympic gold medalists that wrestled at Iowa State.

Two of those men also happen to be the previous and current coach of the Cyclones. Cael Sanderson, the only person to go undefeated throughout his career, and now, Kevin Jackson have tried their best to continue the tradition.

Sanderson brought the Cyclones to the brink of a national championship a few times, but never could get past the three-headed monster of the Brands brothers and Dan Gable in Iowa City. When he left for Penn State, Jackson stepped in, and nearly got it done himself.

But while Jackson took the team places last year, this season has been a struggle for the Olympic champion and his staff. 

For the first time since 2003, the Cyclones will end the season with a losing record in dual meets. They went 9-10 overall and didn’t win a single Big 12 dual. 

So the sky is falling on ISU wrestling, right? Jackson can’t coach and without Sanderson the wrestling program is doomed.

Think again.

The 2010-’11 season was a transition year for the Cyclones. While Jackson had mostly Sanderson-recruited wrestlers on his squad last season, he’s brought in his own group for the future. There are 14 true freshman on the roster this season and four redshirt freshman.

That means that 18 of the 32 wrestlers currently on the roster have three years of eligibility left after this season.

Three years for Jackson and his staff to develop and shape the young men into what they think the kids can be. Three years to begin building back toward the days of Harold Nichols and those national championship banners.

For now, not all is lost either. The Cyclones get to host the Big 12 Tournament on Saturday and while they did fail to win a dual meet against a Big 12 foe, don’t underestimate the home-mat advantage. Pride will come into play Saturday in Hilton.

Wrestlers like redshirt seniors John Reader and Nate Carr Jr. will be wrestling in their final Big 12 Tournament. Their teammates don’t want to send them away disappointed.

“I’m confident that our guys will wrestle as well as they’ve wrestled all year long,” Jackson said in his news conference Monday.

There’s also major uncertainty for the Big 12 as a wrestling conference as well. With Nebraska’s departure, there may not even be a Big 12 wrestling conference in the future.

If the Cyclones can perform well at the Big 12 Tournament, they can send several wrestlers to the national tournament in Philadelphia with high placements. With a team victory unlikely, Jackson and the wrestler’s focus will simply be getting the best results they possibly can.

And Jackson believes his team will be ready for Saturday.

“In wrestling I shouldn’t have to keep anybody hungry,” Jackson said. “That’s what we do. We go out and wrestle and compete. The best athletes keep themselves hungry.”