This dual season for the ISU wrestling team was a by-product of postseason preparation.

With a young team, the Cyclones finished with an 11-7 record, including a 1-3 mark in Big 12 competition. Coach Bobby Douglas said expected progress has been right on schedule.

“We would have to consider this season a very successful season, considering where we started,” Douglas said.

“We started with a lot of inexperience. We’ve gotten experience now. We’ve improved technically, and we’ve improved our conditioning. We are on track.”

In the past three months, the youth of the team has been tested and challenged, and the Cyclone anchors have kept their eyes on March.

Ben Hanisch (125) filled the hole left by three-time NCAA-qualifier Grant Nakamura, who suffered a career-ending shoulder injury in the off-season. The sophomore compiled a regular-season record of 11-19.

Douglas decided to give true freshman Joe Curran (197) the opportunity to gain a season of experience. He went 10-17 during the dual season. Sophomore David Bertalino (174) and junior Richard Schopf (HWT) also had their first full seasons of duty, going 14-13 and 4-13, respectively.

Through the maturation process, seniors Nate Gallick (141) and Jesse Sundell (133) and juniors Travis Paulson, Trent Paulson, Kurt Backes and Jason Knipp were relied upon.

Gallick, the 2004 NCAA runner-up, went undefeated (28-0), winning the Cyclones only Midlands Open Title over Winter Break. After beating Oklahoma’s Teyon Ware in an exhibition match over Thanksgiving break, he gained the No. 1 ranking in most polls.

Trent Paulson (20-2) and brother Travis Paulson (25-4) each won Kaufman-Brand titles in November. Sundell (15-14) finished second at Midlands.

Along the way, the Cyclones were humbled by intrastate rival Iowa, 20-15, then lost to top-ranked Minnesota twice and defending national-champion Oklahoma State once.

At the National Dual Tournament on January 14, Iowa State beat Northwestern, then lost to the eventual-champion Golden Gophers. In the consolation brackets, they lost to Missouri and failed to place.

“At National Duals, our performance as a team was below par,” Knipp said. “Since then, we’ve kind of stepped it up.”

The Cyclones beat Northern Iowa and Oklahoma in the following two weeks. Then, after a 26-14 loss to the Cowboys, Iowa State won their biggest dual meet of the season, edging eighth-ranked Penn State, 20-18.

Backes (17-5) had missed time due to injury and struggled in the first half of the season. He showed he had rounded back into form against the Nittany Lions, beating then-No. 1 ranked Eric Bradley, 10-2.

Backes won his last seven matches of the season, with five of those earning bonus points. Iowa State finished its dual campaign with one-point losses to Missouri and Nebraska, but wrestled noticeably better.

“Its always good to wrestle better at the end of the season,” Backes said. “That’s what you are shooting for . We have been working a lot harder, a lot smarter and focusing a lot more on technique.”

Heading into the postseason, the Cyclones were ranked sixth as a team and feeling good about their chances.

“I’m excited,” Travis Paulson said. “Nothing but positive things are coming out of the room.”