In a year of high expectations, the 2008-2009 ISU wrestling squad had some individual accomplishments but underachieved as a team throughout much of the season.

For the third season under former coach Cael Sanderson, the Cyclones lost the yearly match up with in-state rival Iowa. The team also failed to return to glory at the Midlands Championships, finishing second to the Hawkeyes for the second consecutive season.

The grapplers continued to struggle later in the season at the Big 12 Championships. They failed to come home with their third-straight outright conference title, instead settling for a tie for the title with Nebraska. The Cyclones, however, managed to get two individual conference champions — juniors Nick Fanthorpe and David Zabriskie — on their way to an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships.

At the NCAA Championships, the Cyclones continued their team troubles, getting beaten out by Big 10 powers Iowa and Ohio State for a third-place finish. Junior Jake Varner managed to come home an NCAA Champion in his third attempt, though, winning the individual title at 197 pounds, becoming 65th champion in Iowa State’s history.

After the season closed, Sanderson shocked his team and its fans when he announced he was leaving the Cyclones for a chance to wake a “sleeping giant” at Penn State. The vacant head coaching position was filled Thursday with the announcement that former Olympic gold medalist Kevin Jackson would become the seventh coach in the program’s storied history.