While most people would consider coach Kevin Jackson’s first season as wrestling coach a success, he and the team just aren’t satisfied.

En route to a third-place national finish and two individual champions in seniors Jake Varner (197) and David Zabriskie (HWT) and one runner-up in freshman Andrew Long (125), the Cyclones grabbed a 13-2 overall record and went undefeated in their regular season Big 12 schedule.

The biggest loss of the season came early, occurring Dec. 6.

Not only did the Cyclones drop a close dual to in-state rival Iowa, they also lost senior All-American Nick Gallick (141) to a season-ending hip injury. The team has since filed for the possibility of a medical redshirt that would give Gallick one more year of eligibility, coming in the 2010 season.

With Gallick out, sophomore Dalton Jensen was forced to step into the 141-pound starting position. Although he had limited experience, Jensen was able to give the team a boost and record three pins on top of qualifying for the NCAA tournament.

Despite losing Gallick, the team was able to storm through the rest of the regular season with the only other team loss coming to Iowa in the Cliff Keen National Duals.

Something must have clicked after the second loss to Iowa because the Cyclones were unstoppable after that. The team rattled off seven straight dual wins to finish the regular season. Four of those wins came on the road in consecutive meets. The road trip saw the Cyclones beat Oklahoma and Oklahoma State on their own turf in the same season for the first time since 1971. The Cyclones also defeated the eventual national runner-up Cornell. After the dual, the schools announced they will see more of each other in the coming seasons.

Nobody had as much momentum as Iowa State as the Big 12 Championships approached. However, momentum alone doesn’t win matches. For the first time in three years, the Cyclones failed to bring home the Big 12 championship trophy. Things were looking good as six Cyclones reached the final round, but only Varner and Zabriskie walked away with individual titles. The finals scores indicated that champion Oklahoma State barely snuck away with a 70.5-69 advantage.

For the fourth year in a row, the Cyclones had every wrestler on the roster represented at the NCAA Championships at the Qwest Center in Omaha, Neb. Despite junior All-American Jon Reader (165) falling in the first round and seniors Nick Fanthorpe (133) and Mitch Mueller (149) falling just short of All-American status, the Cyclones were poised for a strong finish as freshman Andrew Long (125), Varner and Zabriskie advanced to the finals.

After upsetting All-Americans Anthony Robles of Arizona State and top-ranked and undefeated Angel Escobedo of Indiana, Long opened the finals with another close loss to Iowa’s Matt McDonough. Varner and Zabriskie dispatched their respective rivals in Nebraska’s Craig Brester and Oklahoma State’s Jared Rosholt.

With the two champions graduating along with a wealth of experience from seven seniors on the roster, Jackson may have his work cut out for him next season. However, a highly regarded recruiting class including top 119-pounder Ryak Finch could help close the gap left by the seniors.