STILLWATER, Okla. – The Cyclone supremacy continues.

On Saturday night, the third-ranked ISU wrestling team won its second-straight Big 12 championship and qualified all 10 of its starters for the NCAA Tournament.

The “Sophomore Six” of Nick Fanthorpe (133 pounds), Nick Gallick (141), Mitch Mueller (149), Cyler Sanderson (157), Jake Varner (184) and David Zabriskie (heavyweight) anchored the team race by reaching the finals. Fanthorpe, Gallick, Sanderson and Varner won their first Big 12 titles to secure the team championship.

Iowa State repeated as conference champions for the third time in program history. The Cyclones last won back-to-back titles in 1979 and 1980.

With the NCAA Tournament less than two weeks away, the Cyclones gave their most complete performance of the season.

“The potential and the trust that I have for our team is awesome,” Fanthorpe said. “Looking to your left and your right, you know the guys are going to give it their all. The coaches have got us feeling good and have a good plan for us, and we’re just following it and wrestling hard. When it comes out of that, it gets pretty simple, and Big 12 championships come. We’re looking to get the national [championship] in a couple weeks.”

Going into the finals, the Cyclones led fourth-ranked Nebraska by 11 points. With each individual championship win, the five Cornhusker finalists could score three points or more.

Fanthorpe quickly bolstered the ISU effort with an 8-1 decision victory over Missouri’s senior two-time All-American Tyler McCormick. Gallick followed with an overtime win over Oklahoma State’s third-ranked senior Nathan Morgan, and Sanderson scored a takedown with 33 seconds left to beat Missouri’s 12th-ranked Michael Chandler.

Seniors Aron Scott (174) and David Bertolino (197) placed third, earning their first berths to the NCAA Tournament. Redshirt freshman Jon Reader (165) also placed third.

True freshman Tyler Clark (125) finished fourth but received an NCAA Tournament wild-card nomination from the coaches.

Iowa State lost three All-Americans to graduation from last year’s NCAA runner-up team and dropped to as low as ninth in the team rankings this season.

Gallick, one of six ISU wrestlers to move up a weight class this season, said the meet was a sign of the Cyclones’ continuing improvement throughout the season.

“It’s a big accomplishment,” he said of the team’s conference championship. “It was a tough crowd down here. I think it just shows how much our team is improving, just everyone – Fanthorpe, Cyler, even Mitch – he’s looking a lot better. Our whole team is improving, and that’s just a big confidence-builder going into nationals.”

Second-year head coach Cael Sanderson never won a Big 12 team championship as a competitor, but is now 2-for-2 as the leader of the Cyclones.

“It’s a big step for the program, and this was one of our main goals coming into the season . it’s great for the university, it’s great for the program,” he said. “I mean, this is a great conference, so to be the Big 12 Champs, that’s pretty awesome. We’re pumped.”

The team championship is the Iowa State’s 13th conference title. The four Cyclone tournament champions is the most on the team since the 1996 Big Eight Tournament.