WRESTLING: Iowa State tops Cornell 24-13
Jake Varner takes down Cornell opponent Cam Simaz on Sunday in Ithaca, N.Y. Varner defeated Simaz by a 19–1 technical fall, giving Iowa State an eight-point lead heading into the final dual of the day. The Cyclones won 24–13. Photo: Esther Hoffman/The Cornell Daily Sun
January 31, 2010
After freshman Andrew Long was pinned in the opening match up of the afternoon, things easily could have ended badly for the ISU wrestling team on Sunday, Jan. 31 at Friedman Wrestling Center in Ithaca, N.Y.
However, the Cyclones (10-2, 2-0 Big 12) won seven of the last nine match ups to bounce back and defeat No. 6 Cornell (3-4-1) by a score of 24-13.
In what was considered the marquis match of the meet, the fifth-ranked Long squared off against second-ranked Troy Nickerson. Nickerson scored a surprise fall on Long at the 2:03 mark in the first period, giving Cornell an early 6-0 lead.
Senior Nick Fanthorpe (133) got the Cyclones on the board with a 6-3 upset decision over Mike Grey. Fanthorpe hit the ground running in the first period by grabbing a 4-0 lead. In the previous meeting between the two, Fanthorpe fell to Grey in the 2009 Cliff Keen National Duals.
Cornell’s pair of top-rated wrestlers proved why they’re worth their rankings. Kyle Dake defeated sophomore Dalton Jensen by a 7-1 decision in the 141-pound match up. After getting the nod over regular starter Duke Burk, redshirt freshman Chris Spangler (174) fell victim to an 11-2 major decision at the hands of CU’s Mack Lewnes.
Lewnes’s major decision nullified Jon Reader’s 14-4 major decision in the 165 weight class and tied the score at 13. However, Jerome Ward (184) responded by squeaking out a 3-2 decision over Steve Bozak. Ward held a 1-0 lead going into the third period, where each wrestler scored a takedown. The win put the Cyclones up by three points.
Top-ranked Jake Varner (197) was able to clinch the victory for the Cyclones with a dominating 19-1 technical fall over Cornell’s Cam Simaz, who he had previously defeated at the 2009 Cliff Keen Duals. Varner jumped out to an early 8-1 lead in the first period and didn’t look back. The technical fall gave the Cyclones an eight-point lead going into the final match up of the night.
The Cyclones will continue their long road trip with a visit to Arizona State next Sunday, Feb. 7. The Sun Devils are currently ranked 21st in the nation and will be the eighth-straight ranked opponent on the Iowa State schedule.
