In a night meant to be filled with pageantry and excitement, the energy was quickly drained from the sails of the ISU wrestling team. The Cyclones (6-6, 0-2 in the Big 12) were routed by the visiting Oklahoma Sooners, 33-7. 

Oklahoma (10-1, 1-1) picked up wins at eight of ten weights, only losing at 174 and 197 pounds.

“It’s hard to put into words when you recognize we are not as good as I hoped to be,” said ISU coach Kevin Jackson.

The evening’s activities began with the marquee match up, Iowa State’s No. 10 Andrew Sorenson against No. 4 Tyler Caldwell. After an uneventful first period, Caldwell turned up the pressure on Sorenson and secured five quick points in the second before working for a 9-1 win.

Jon Reader continued on his path of destruction at 174 pounds. The undefeated and No. 1-ranked Cyclone controlled Oklahoma’s Jeff James from handshake to handshake. Compounding more than three minutes of riding time, Reader finished with a 13-4 win.

Much like his match against Minnesota, Cole Shafer stepped onto the mat with guns blazing. After an active first period, the freshman from Utah began to lose steam and fell to Oklahoma’s Erich Schmidtke, 5-0.

Jerome Ward gave the crowd the match of the night with his overtime thriller. Tied at 1-1 following three periods of competition, Ward collected a hard fought takedown to win the match 3-1.

“I got a little fatigued and lost my sense of urgency. I caught myself and then I went on the attack,” Ward said, after providing one of the few high points for the Cyclones on the night. “I just went for it. I just took that shot and I just went for it.”

As the weight classes peaked and began to swing back to the lower weights, the Sooners began compiling their points. Nathan Fernandez, No. 11 in the country, had his way with Kyle Simonson at heavyweight, 10-4.

Iowa State’s lightweight woes continued. Another top ten talent for the Sooners, Jarrod Patterson, dropped Brandon Jones by major decision. Despite competing for much of the match, Ben Cash was ultimately defeated 9-2 by Jordan Keller.

A forfeit at 141 pounds extended the Cyclone deficit to 23-7. Nate Carr, Jr. made his return at 149 pounds, only to be pummeled by Matt Lester, 13-3.

“Some of the ways that we lost matches and some of the technical flaws we showed was a bit confusing and a bit concerning,” Jackson said.

The final match of the night featured hometown favorite and a guy looking to reignite his season, Trent Weatherman. The Ballard High School product hit the mat as the aggressor and picked up an early takedown. A horrific moment ensued, as Oklahoma’s Chase Nelson apparently knocked the Cyclone unconscious. 

With Weatherman unable to continue, Oklahoma was awarded its final six points of the night and a 33-7 victory.

Iowa State will have little time to recover from the rough evening, as it hosts the No. 6 Oklahoma State Cowboys on Sunday at Hilton Coliseum.