Iowa State has a rich history in wrestling, dating back to 1916 when legendary head coach Charles Mayser took over the program in its inaugural season. “Uncle Charlie,” as he was commonly referred to, coached five undefeated teams in his eight years of coaching the Cyclones, posting an overall record of 36-3.

But times have changed since then.

At the conclusion of the 2008-’09 wrestling season, coach Cael Sanderson announced he was departing Iowa State to take a coaching position at Penn State — leaving the Cyclone Nation in a state of shock.

Sanderson, a 2004 Olympic gold medalist and Iowa State’s only four-time NCAA champion and undefeated wrestler with a career record of 159-0, said the Penn State job “became even more intriguing” the more he considered the offer. In two seasons as coach at Iowa State, Sanderson posted a record of 29-7.

Enter: Kevin Jackson.

Jackson, who was a member of the 1987 championship team at Iowa State and a 1992 Olympic gold medalist, spent his post-collegiate competitive career as head coach of the U.S. freestyle wrestling team before being named coach at Iowa State. As a collegiate athlete, Jackson transferred from Louisiana State University to Iowa State after his junior year — after Louisiana State University canceled its wrestling program — to join the soon-to-be national champion Cyclones. In his senior year at Iowa State, Jackson registered a record of 30-3-1 as a team captain for the Cyclones.

“I don’t feel any pressure. I feel zero pressure, actually,” said Jackson, who was inducted into the ISU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2007. “When I come into a program like Iowa State, regardless of the expectations of what this team is capable of, they by no means exceed what my expectations are. What I feel, is that if I do everything in my power to train these guys the right way, and to give them the right mentality and the technical and tactical skills that they need, it all falls into the process. It all falls into what we do every day in the room. Because the National Championship is not going to be won in March, it’s going to be won every day in this [ISU] room.”

The Cyclones plan to rebound from last year’s upsetting outcome at the 2009 NCAA Championships, where they were edged out by in-state rival Iowa and finished third overall. The Hawkeyes went on to win the NCAA title, despite not having any wrestlers win an individual championship.

“It’s never just another match against Iowa,” Jackson said. “We’ll all try to play it down. I’ll try to play it down. But we all know it’s a Cy-Hawk Series for a reason, and that’s because Iowa vs. Iowa State means something. When you watch those matches, it shows the intensity of both programs. So I don’t think anything has changed from a mental standpoint on how teams approach that event.”

Jake Varner, a two-time All-American who won the national championship last year at 197 pounds after placing second two years in a row at 184 pounds, is entering his senior campaign topping the Amateur Wrestling News’ Preseason Rankings at 197 pounds. Varner sits one spot above Nebraska’s Craig Brester, whom he beat by a decision of 2-1 last year to take the crown.

“You just kind of have to keep going forward, keep dominating,” Varner said. “I still have a year left, there’s still a national title for me to win and that’s my plan. My mindset is to dominate, and it kind of works out between [Jackson and I].”

Varner wrestled for the U.S. freestyle team this summer at the World Wrestling Championships in Denmark, where he placed ninth overall in the 96-kilogram (211.5-pound) weight class.

“It’s just a different type of wrestling,” Varner said. “Wrestling is wrestling, but those are different guys, it’s a different style, it’s a different feel. You’ve got to go out there and be on your A-game almost every match. It brings you back here, you’ve still got to be on your A-game, but it kind of brings you a little bit farther ahead.”

Nick Gallick and David Zabriskie, both two-time All-Americans, head into their senior seasons ranked second at 141 pounds and fifth at heavyweight (285-pound). Gallick placed third overall at last year’s NCAA Championships by beating Wisconsin’s Zach Tanelli by a decision of 5-3 in the consolation match at 141 pounds. Zabriskie placed fifth overall by beating Kent State’s Jermail Porter by a decision of 4-2 in the consolation match at heavyweight.

“That’s definitely my number one goal and priority this year [is] to get the national championship,” Gallick said. “That’s the prize that I have my eyes on, it’s really what I’m looking for.”

Jackson is taking over a program that boasts a strong group of seniors, six of whom are ranked in the top 20 in the preseason rankings. Despite the vast amount of experience this Cyclone wrestling squad holds, Jackson thinks there is still room for improvement.

“I don’t think anyone has reached their full potential,” Jackson said. “I think the majority of them have only scratched the surface. They’ve won a bunch of matches. They’ve become All-Americans. But when I come into a room and see some flaws that should be corrected, and are going to be corrected, it makes me even more excited as to what they’re potential could possibly be.”

Coming into the season, Jackson and his coaching staff have put a significant amount of emphasis on aggressiveness.

“We’re trying to teach complete wrestling — to wrestle in every situation and every position,” Jackson said. “From a tactical standpoint, we want to be aggressive. We want to score points in that first period. We believe, as a staff, that it’s unacceptable to go 0-0 in that [first] three-minute period. We’re trying to force these guys to get their offense off and get their attacks off, give themselves an opportunity to score and to take a commanding lead in the second period, as opposed to a 2-1 lead or, worst-case scenario, 0-0 lead.”

Another area of importance in which Jackson is putting a lot of emphasis on is learning how to handle must-win situations. Learning to control the momentum of the match can be the difference between a satisfying win and a devastating loss.

“There are a few must-win positions that happen in a match that’s going to determine whether you’re going to win those close matches,” Jackson said. “And I think that’s one of the areas that we’re going to improve the most in, is in those must-win positions when we have to perform that certain skill when it’s called upon. I think there is much more depth to our athletes as far as reaching their potential.”

Despite the differences in wrestling styles Jackson brings to a program that was centered around Sanderson’s teachings for the past two years, some wrestlers feel that the program, as a whole, has ceased to change dramatically.

“I don’t think [the program] has changed too much,” Zabriskie said. “A couple of aspects have changed, but overall, it’s a pretty smooth transition from what we were doing last year to here. Just a little bit more emphasis this year on power and really driving through the [opponent].”

Redshirt freshman Andrew Long is making a name for himself on a Cyclone roster composed of upperclass veterans. Long, who is ranked 18th at 125 pounds, has Jackson optimistic about the role underclassmen will play as the season progresses for the Cyclones.

“I’m excited about Andrew Long. I think he’s gotten his weight down to striking distance for 125 pounds,” Jackson said. “I like the way he competes. I like the way he trains. I like his focus, and he’s a young man that we’re looking forward to, not only this year performing at a high level, but for the next four years performing at a high level.”

Despite the name he has been making for himself, Long hasn’t let the attention affect his ego or his concentration as the season draws near.

“I’m just trying to earn my own standing here,” Long said. “Whether it’s underclassman or not, I’m trying to earn my stripes, so to speak.”

The Cyclone wrestlers hit the mats to start the season at 7 p.m. tomorrow at Hilton Coliseum against South Dakota State.