Columbia, MO – David Zabriskie tried not to think about the scenario: If he beat Oklahoma State’s Jared Rosholt, the ISU wrestling team would win its first ever Big 12 Championship. If he lost, the Cowboys would take home the trophy.

Zabriskie survived the pressure and nipped the 16th-ranked Rosholt for the third time this season, winning, 3-2, Saturday night in the Big 12 heavyweight final, securing the Cyclones’ first outright conference title in 25 years.

“I try not to put too much pressure on myself,” said Zabriskie, who made a first-period takedown hold up in the win.

“I tried to block out the team thing. My main goal was just to go out there, and I had to win my match.

“And if I ended up with the win, then my team ended up with the win.”

Second-ranked Iowa State finished with 66.5 team points and qualified all 10 wrestlers for the NCAA Tournament. The fourth-ranked Cowboys finished one half point behind the third-ranked Missouri Tigers, but could have covered the deficit with a heavyweight win.

Oklahoma State had won four straight Big 12 Championships and has won the last four NCAA Tournaments. First-year head coach Cael Sanderson said it wasn’t fair to put Zabriskie in the pressure situation.

“He just had to do it for himself,” Sanderson said. “But he’s got a huge heart. He’s a fighter and he’s a hustler. He’s everything we want our wrestlers to be.”

Iowa State’s team balance showed throughout the day, as seven of 10 wrestlers finished third or better. Senior Trent Paulson (157) won his second straight Big 12 title, while Cyler Sanderson (149), Travis Paulson (165) and Jake Varner (184) finished second.

Several matches could have pushed the Cyclones to a more comfortable point spread, with close losses in both the championship and consolation finals.

Sanderson could trace the team championship back to close first-round wins.

“It shows you every match, every point is huge,” Sanderson said. “And that’s really something we try to emphasize, obviously, to these wrestlers.”

Qualifying all 10 starters for the March 14 to 16 NCAA Tournament was important for the team’s ultimate goal of an NCAA Championship, but Saturday’s title gave back a pride the wrestling program hasn’t felt in the decades.

In 1987, OSU heavyweight Tom Erikson scored a pin in the final match of the Big 8 Tournament to tie the Cowboys with Iowa State in the team standings, and earn a share of the conference title.

The Cyclones went on to win an NCAA Tournament that year, but since haven’t placed better than second at either the national or conference championships. Meanwhile, Oklahoma State has totaled 14 conference titles in the past 20 years and won seven NCAA titles.

Zabriskie and the five other freshmen starters for the Cyclones have three more years to develop as a group, but have turned this year’s team into a NCAA Championship contender.

After his match Saturday night, Zabriskie tried to soak in the experience.

“It’s feeling pretty good right now,” he said. “But I’m sure I’ll feel better later.”