It will end in the Palace of Auburn Hills in March, but Friday night, the ISU wrestling team will begin its season at the Ames High School gym.

The sixth-ranked Cyclones host Division-III Buena Vista on Friday night, then they will make the hour drive north to compete in the Harold Nichols Open in Fort Dodge on Saturday.

Cael Sanderson will lead Iowa State through the first match of his head coaching career. He said he thinks the team is ready to begin its four-month trek toward the NCAA Tournament.

“We’ve been training hard all summer, had just an excellent fall,” Sanderson said. “[This season] is nothing we need to ease into, because the guys we are wrestling and training with here are the best in the country, so steel sharpens steel. We’re excited to get out there.”

Second-ranked senior Trent Paulson said this weekend will be an opportunity to show the fans how well practice has been going.

“I think the fans are going to be surprised at how ready and how good of shape we are this early in the season,” Paulson said. “It’s an opportunity to show the fans how hard we’ve been training.”

Due to scheduling conflicts, Iowa State has made the Ames High gym its second home. The Cyclones beat Penn State, 20-18, there last year in one of the most entertaining matches of the season.

Cyclone Nation will get to see the six freshmen starters of ISU wrestling in their first collegiate meet, as well as the team’s new retro-style uniforms. Freshman Nick Gallick (133) will get his first major test on Friday night, facing Buena Vista’s second-ranked Jestin Hulegaard.

The Beavers consist mostly of a collection of former Iowa prep athletes.

Former ISU wrestler Jonathon Gapinski, an alternate at 174 last year, is listed in the probable lineup.

“BV has a competitive squad. It will be a good first match for us,” Sanderson said. “Iowa Central is always a real good tournament. It’s close to home . it means a lot to us. We want to do well there and go up there and set things off on the right foot.”

Sanderson said the winners of last week’s wrestle-offs will hit the mat for Iowa State. Four returning starters were ousted in the intrasquad meet.

The most notable competition is at 174 pounds, where senior Grant Turner beat David Bertolino for the second straight year. Bertolino was chosen as the team’s starter last season despite wrestle-offs. Sanderson said that weight is still being evaluated.

Cyclone vs. Cyclone match-ups in the Harold Nichols Open are a definite possibility.

“It’s just kind of what we see in practice. There is definitely nothing set [at 174] yet,” Sanderson said. “It’ll set itself real soon; we’re not going to mess around with it. We are going to get the guy and get him set in there so we can start making progress, instead of having him worry.”

Match time for the season-opener is set for 6 p.m. Friday. At 9 a.m. Saturday, the tournament will begin in the Iowa Central Career Education Building.