The loss to Iowa is only a bump in the road to the national tournament – that was the response ISU wrestling coach Cael Sanderson had on Sunday after his team’s 24-6 defeat.

“March is coming up, and that’s the big picture,” Sanderson said. “We wanted this, there is no doubt about that, but it’s time to look ahead and build from here.”

All three seniors lost close matches, and as a team, Iowa State didn’t come out on top in key situations. The Cyclones (2-1 overall) need to refocus and respond on Friday against second-ranked Minnesota (4-1).

“If that dual meet was wrestled over, it could have gone exactly the opposite direction,” Sanderson said. “It was a little frustrating, but I think that we showed that this team is for real. These guys are going to be tough to beat. This is going to be a special team.”

Jake Varner, who at 11-0 is the last undefeated Cyclone, said the loss doesn’t matter.

“It’s no big deal. I mean, it’s just a dual meet,” said Varner, who will square off with second-ranked Roger Kish on Friday. “I think those guys would rather win this dual meet than a national title. We’re going to win a national title. This is just, it’s no big deal. We went out there, we wrestled hard, pushed them around, but it all didn’t go our way.”

Although wins were few and far between, there were several positives with the defeat. David Zabriskie, the Cyclones undersized heavyweight, battled Iowa’s fourth-ranked Matt Fields to the end in a 6-5 loss, the difference being 1:03 riding time in favor of the Hawkeye. Fields outweighed the freshman by at least 40 pounds.

Cyler Sanderson (149) beat Iowa senior Alex Grunder with a takedown late in the third period. No losses resulted in bonus points, and all matches were close.

“We’re happy with the progress we’re making; we’re happy with our preparation,” Cael said. “We just got to stay real positive, and I’d be crazy not to be positive with this team. Six freshmen, these guys are tough. We were in every match. Every match was a barnburner. That’s great for the sport; that’s great for us.”

Hawkeye Mark Perry actual complimented the Cyclones on their conditioning.

“One thing that I can tell you that is a lot different this year compared to other years we wrestled them, you can tell they put a lot of time and dedication in that program,” Perry said. “They are well-conditioned, and the past couple years they haven’t been in good condition early in the year.”