ISU wrestling coach Cael Sanderson still remembers when his team was narrowly defeated by Minnesota Golden Gophers to conclude last season, making the Golden Gophers national champions. The Cyclones led after the second day of the NCAA Tournament last season, but finished in a close second.

The ISU wrestling team must contend with nine returning Minnesota starters this season.

“We know who they have back, because they have pretty much everyone back,” Sanderson said. “And they’re all proven, and they’re all excellent athletes.”

Unlike the Golden Gophers, the Cyclones are not proven.

In March, the Cyclones won their first outright conference title since 1982 with four seniors and six freshman starters. Three of those seniors – four-year starters Kurt Backes, Trent Paulson and Travis Paulson – scored the bulk of the team’s points in the NCAA Tournament, but graduated after the season.

The six returning sophomore starters – the main members of Iowa State’s top-ranked recruiting class in 2005 – will be the leaders of the team this season.

Cyler Sanderson, Cael’s brother and 157-pound starter, acknowledged that the six returning sophomores will have an increased responsibility this season.

“We’re going to have to win those big matches for the team when it comes down to it,” Cyler said. “But everyone on this team is going to do a great job.”

Sanderson, Nick Fanthorpe (133), Nick Gallick (141), Mitch Mueller (149), Jake Varner (184) and David Zabriskie (HWT) came up short of their goals last season.

Varner finished second at the NCAA Tournament last season, while Sanderson, Zabriskie and Fanthorpe were one win away from placing.

The experience of their freshman season, Cael said, will help them in reaching their goals this season.

He said the group’s attitude and excitement is as good as it was last year, but the six are now technically better wrestlers with “priceless” NCAA Tournament experience.

Fanthorpe, Cyler and Gallick moved up in weight classes to follow their bodies’ development.

“Going through the season, they know now,” Cael said. “They know that our plan is going to work, that they’re going to be at their best when they need to be, and that’s a big confidence builder. They’re a lot better than they were. That’s a big off-season from freshman to sophomore year.”

Mueller said he now knows what to expect and how to handle a long season.

After going 177-7 in high school, Mueller struggled through the rigors of Division I competition, finishing 18-16 as a freshman after dislocating his right elbow less than a month before the Big 12 Championships.

He qualified for the NCAA Tournament and won one match with a heavy brace on his elbow as a handicap.

“It’s tough,” Mueller said. “You lose a few, and it’s hard to stay confident a lot of times. You know, you have juniors and day in and day out you have someone tough to wrestle. You have to be at your best.

“It got hard, but by the end of the year, I started focusing on what I needed to improve on and I got better.”

At 125, 174 and 197 pounds, position battles are still underway to decide the starter.

Cael said the Cyclones will have to focus on consistently improving each individual in order to challenge for the national title again.

“We can’t worry about anybody else,” Cael said. “That’s just a waste of time. It doesn’t do us any good either, and it makes it hard to sleep at night.”