The Nebraska wrestling team was ranked 14th in the preseason.

Now the No. 2 Cornhuskers (14-2, 3-0 Big 12) bring an undefeated conference record and nine ranked wrestlers into Hilton Coliseum on Sunday afternoon to wrestle sixth-ranked Iowa State (15-4, 2-1).

“They had some injuries [early on], but I think there was a lot of speculation coming into the season that they were going to be a team to beat,” said ISU head coach Cael Sanderson. “And those people were right.”

Iowa Public Television will air the final dual meet of Iowa State’s season live at 2 p.m. The meet should be the first in a renewed rivalry with the Huskers. All six of Nebraska’s top 10 wrestlers have at least one more season of eligibility.

Five NCAA qualifiers return for Nebraska, including defending 125-pound NCAA champion Paul Donahoe.

“We definitely feel a strong rivalry with Nebraska because our dual meets are always completely, always a lot of fun,” Sanderson said. “Our number-one priority is to get our guys the best seeds possible for the Big 12s, but right after that is pride and just wanting to win.”

Iowa State beat Nebraska, 25-12, in Lincoln in January 2007 to snap a two-meet losing streak to the neighboring rivals. The Cyclones own the all-time series with 77 wins in 93 meetings.

Nebraska’s only dual meet losses this season have been to Minnesota in December and Iowa in the January National Duals finals.

13th-ranked sophomore Nick Gallick (141 pounds) thinks the Cyclones are still the team to beat.

“They’re a good team,” Gallick said. “But I think we’re a great team. It’s not a surprise [that they’ve had success] – they’ve got some good guys on their team. They’re not a bad team, but we’re a great team.”

Clark looking forward to NCAA Championships

Tyler Clark (125 pounds, 17-7) couldn’t wrestle last summer after undergoing knee surgery, but he had earned a starting spot on the Iowa State wrestling team by the end of the fall.

Clark tore cartilage in his knee during sectionals last February and worsened the injury later that spring. The 15th-ranked freshman’s recovery will come full circle on Sunday when he wrestles Donahoe (17-3).

“This is what we train for,” Clark said. “We come out to wrestle the best. In order to be the best, you’ve got to beat the best, so I’m really excited.”

Clark won wrestle-offs in November but was still working through lingering knee pain from his senior season in high school. He is 7-4 as a starter after being put in the lineup during the January National Duals.

All four of those losses were to opponents ranked in the top 15. Clark has beaten four ranked opponents to move into the top 20.

“This season has been going pretty good,” he said. “I’ve had some bumps in the road, but it’s a long road to St. Louis [the site of the NCAA Championships], so I’ve just got to keep my head up. We’ve got one more dual left, and we go right into Big 12s, so I’ve just got to keep my head up because the regular season doesn’t matter – it matters what happens in the next few weeks.”

Sanderson said Clark couldn’t ask for a better opportunity than to wrestle Donahoe in Hilton Coliseum.

“[Clark] is really doing a great job,” Sanderson said. “His effort, and he is getting better with every match. He has really stepped up, and I’m really proud of him. I’m looking forward to the rest of the season for him.”

Iowa State’s wrestling recruits win state titles

Iowa State was well-represented in last Saturday’s Iowa high school wrestling tournament finals.

Three Iowa State recruits – Eagle Grove’s Ridge Kiley (112 pounds, 2A), Creston’s Andrew Long (125 pounds, 2A) and Waverly-Shell Rock’s Eric Thompson (heavyweight, 3A) – won state titles.

Kiley is a two-time top 3 finisher. Long is the brother of ISU assistant coach Dylan Long.

Thompson is considered to be the top heavyweight recruit in the nation and is the nephew of United States World Team heavyweight wrestler Tolly Thompson.