The saying “all good things must come to an end” has never been more true.

The class that contributed to more than 550 wins, three Big 12 team championships and seven All-American honors wrestled its final home meet at Hilton Coliseum on Sunday.

“It’s just crazy how fast it’s gone,” said heavyweight David Zabriskie. “It seems like just a couple days ago we were stepping out here for our first match and now it’s already our last.”

Many would argue that the class, consisting of Duke Burk (174), Joe Curran (184), Nick Fanthorpe (133), Nick Gallick (141), Mitch Mueller (149), Jake Varner (197) and Zabriskie, certainly met its high expectations as one of the top recruiting classes in the nation.

Of the seven members of the class, five competed in Sunday’s meet against Nebraska, with four grabbing wins.

Fanthorpe and Mueller got the Hilton crowd into the meet early for the Cyclones, scoring a pin and technical fall.

Both wrestlers changed weight classes in their college careers but still managed to have success. Fanthorpe grabbed All-American honors in 2007–’08 and Mueller holds three Harold Nichols Open championships.

“It’s been a great experience wrestling for the team and wrestling at Hilton,” Fanthorpe said. “There’s not another place I’d rather spend my career.”

Zabriskie, otherwise known as the “Beast from the East” or simply “Z,” has been a staple in the heavyweight class since his freshman year.

This season, he has been known to keep coaches and fans on the edge with a number of late victories.

With two Big 12 championships already under his belt, Zabriskie is more focused on the future instead of the past.

“The ending is kind of bittersweet, but as a team we’ve accomplished a ton,” Zabriskie said. “There’s still more to look forward to.”

Varner has dominated in his time at Iowa State. He is the only current NCAA champion on the team roster and spent this summer at the World Wrestling Championships. Among all of his individual accolades, Varner pointed out one specific accomplishment from this season.

“We were a part of 1,000 dual wins and not many people can say they were a part of that,” Varner said. “That’s something special.”

The only competing senior to not end his Hilton career with a win was Burk, who had his work cut out for him with Nebraska’s fourth-ranked Stephen Dwyer.

Though he couldn’t get the win Sunday, coach Kevin Jackson is confident that it won’t be the last chance Burk will have to beat Dwyer.

“If he gets past the first round, he’s going to have to see him again in the Big 12s,” Jackson said. “We’ll be ready for him, we’ll wrestle him better I’m sure.”

Curran and Gallick were the only members of the class to not compete in Sunday’s meet. Gallick could actually be returning to Hilton next season, as the team is attempting to get him a medical redshirt after surgery ended his season in January.

As a two-time All-American, his presence on next year’s team could help soften the blow from losing his senior class.

Curran, the team’s 2006 Newcomer of the Year, lost the 184-pound slot to sophomore Jerome Ward earlier this season.

Varner took some time to acknowledge the only missing member of the class, Cyler Sanderson. Sanderson transferred to Penn State in the offseason to spend his final season with his brothers.

“He’s doing great and I’m happy for him,” Varner said. “He made the right decision for himself, but he’ll always be a part of our team.”

After a short period of reflection on their careers, the senior class and the rest of the team have already gone to work to give a proper send-off.

“We want these seniors to finish their careers off right, and the only thing that would be right is four Big 12 Championships,” Jackson said.