Coach Kevin Jackson and the ISU wrestling team have gone through a lot of changes over the past year. This week they will finally get a chance to show what those changes will bring.

The revamped Cyclones open their highly-anticipated season against South Dakota State Thursday night at Hilton Coliseum.

“We’re hungry,” said junior Jonathan Reader (165). “We’re ready to get the ball rolling this week.”

The wrestlers and coaches aren’t the only ones excited for the upcoming season. A school-record 1,348 season tickets have been sold thus far, but Jackson thinks there are still some tickets out there to be sold.

“We don’t want to have to put the curtain back up,” Jackson said. “We’re hoping that we get even more people to buy season tickets, but we’re very happy with where we’re at right now.”

Jackson announced that redshirt freshman Andrew Long (125), and seniors Nick Fanthorpe (133), Nick Gallick (141), David Zabriskie (HWT) and Jake Varner (197) won starting spots during the intrasquad dual.

The dual with South Dakota State and the Harold Nichols Cyclone Open on Nov. 14 will serve as further tests for the rest of the roster.

“Not only will we continue to train them from a team aspect, but start training them from an individual standpoint in the areas they’re strong and weak,” Jackson said.

While the roster isn’t set in stone yet, Jackson feels that the there will be strong internal competition because of the untapped talent the team has.

“I don’t think anyone in our room has reached their full potential,” Jackson said. “These guys have had success, 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, I get excited as to what their potential can possibly be.”

The roster features a strong senior-class presence, including many of the wrestlers that brought back individual championships last year.

Jackson said that he is pleased with the class’s mindset this season despite its success from last season.

“I’m impressed with their attitude as far as buying into the plan,” Jackson said. “They could very easily say that what they’ve done in the past they’ve had some success from and not totally buy into it.”

The seniors aren’t just buying into Jackson’s system, they are taking on their new role of preparing the future of ISU wrestling.

“Obviously the role of seniors is to make sure we’re leaders and set next year’s team up to come in with the right attitude and to know what it takes to get the job done,” Gallick said.

South Dakota State is coming off of a rollar coaster season that finished9–11–1. Senior Tyler Sorenson will present the biggest threat for the Jackrabbits.

Last season, Sorenson became the second wrestler in school history to reach the NCAA Tournament while compiling a 14–4 record at 197 pounds.

Three other South Dakota State wrestlers are no strangers to Ames. Sophomores Scott Elliot, Dustin Walraven and Aaron Pickrel all participated in the annual Harold Nichols Cyclone Open held in Hilton Coliseum.