Iowa State wrestling exceeded expectations this weekend and is sending nine wrestlers to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to compete in the NCAA Championships.

Iowa State ended up taking second in team points behind Oklahoma State.

At 157-pounds, the Big 12 Conference was weak this season, which caused there to be one allocation for the weight.

Iowa State’s redshirt junior Chase Straw has had an up-and-down season, but on Sunday, he was able to win the championship and punch his ticket to the national stage by 3-2 decision over No. 1 Justin Thomas of Oklahoma.

At 165-pounds, freshman Logan Schumacher is the only Cyclone starter who didn’t earn an automatic qualification to the NCAA tournament.

Redshirt sophomores Jarrett Degen and Samuel Colbray also wrestled in the championships of their respective weight classes, along with redshirt senior Willie Miklus.

The 149-pound Degen lost a close bout by 6-5 decision.

Colbray, who wrestled at 184-pounds came into the tournament as the favorite, but in his third match of the year against Drew Foster of Northern Iowa, Colbray was defeated by 4-1 decision.

At 197-pounds, redshirt senior Willie Miklus wasn’t able to capture a title of his own as he was taken down by No. 1 Preston Weigel of Oklahoma State by 10-0 major decision. Weigel had won two Big 12 Championships before this season.