Updated at 11:20 p.m. CST March 17

ST. LOUIS — After one day and two sessions at the NCAA wrestling championships, the ISU grapplers find themselves in third place behind Oklahoma State and Minnesota.

Head coach Bobby Douglas said the team is in a good position going into day two.

“We’re wrestling well,” Douglas said. “We’re not concerned about the rankings now. It’s early. We need to keep winning if we’re going to be in this tournament on Saturday.”

Leading the way for the Cyclones are Nate Gallick, Trent and Travis Paulson, Kurt Backes and Scott Coleman.

All five wrestlers are one of eight left in the championship bracket of the tournament in their respective weight classes.

After a slow start, Gallick scored a two-point reversal in the third period to defeat unseeded Jordan Leen of Cornell.

Gallick followed his first round performance with a 13-5 major decision over Northwestern’s Ryan Lang. He’ll face ninth-seeded Frank Edgar of Clarion in the quarterfinals Friday.

Each half of the Paulson twin tandem cruised to victory in first matches of the day. However, the nightcaps were different.

Trent scored a takedown with less than 30 seconds remaining in the third period to defeat Clarion’s Chris Horning 4-3.

In the 157-pound quarterfinal, Trent will face defending national champion Matt Gentry of Stanford. Gentry defeated Trent at the Midlands Championships to give Trent one of his two losses on the season.

It took overtime for Travis to overcome a brutal battle with Central Michigan’s David Bolyard. Scoring a reversal in the last segment of overtime with six seconds left gave Travis the victory.

Wrestling with damaged cartilage in his ribs, Travis has been gutty in his performances during the last half of the year.

“I’ve learned to deal with the pain,” Travis said. “I’ve learned how to wrestle to avoid [hurting myself more]. I just use different positioning. It was hard at first, but I’m getting used to it now.”

Travis will face undefeated defending national champion Troy Letter of Lehigh in the 165-pound quarterfinals.

Down 6-3 with two minutes remaining in the third period, Kurt Backes pinned Eastern Michigan’s Ed Magrys from the neutral position.

“It definitely saved my ass,” Backes said. “That’s how I should finish all the time. I’ll take [a win] however I can get it right now.

Backes defeated Indiana’s Andy Rios 11-8 and will face Cornell’s Tyler Baier on Friday in the 184-pound quarterfinal.

“I haven’t been wrestling the way I should be,” Backes said. “I’ve [been wrestling] kind of scared. Today is gone; tomorrow’s a new day. I’ll be ready.”

Coleman, the Cyclones most dominant day one wrestler, had victories of 10-1 and 9-1 on his way to a rematch with Minnesota’s Cole Konrad.

“We haven’t won everything we’ve wanted, but I think we’re on out way,” Coleman said.

The senior heavyweight said he feel the best he’s every felt while at Iowa State and looks forward to upcoming matches.

“In this tournament, you have to just keep wrestling,” Coleman said. “I feel the best I’ve ever felt. I just have to go with the momentum [from two wins].”

Jesse Sundell, Grant Nakamura and Nick Passolano are all still kicking on the consolation side of the bracket.

Sundell lost his first match 5-0 to Minnesota’s Mack Reiter but came back to pin Tennessee Chattanooga’s Josh Keefe.

Nakamura upset Jeremy Mendoza in his first match but was unable to overcome fifth-seeded Joe Dubuque.

Dubuque, Indiana’s highesr-ranked wrestler, used a late escape and stalling techniques to send Nakamura to the loser’s bracket.

After winning a wrestle-in match, Nick Passolano gave up a late takedown to Cornell’s Joe Mazzurco.

Mazzurco, seeded fifth, found himself down 6-2 and 7-4 before mounting a comeback. He countered a late shot by Passolano and took him down with less than 30 seconds on the clock.

Session three begins at 10 a.m. Friday at the Savvis Center in St. Louis. Wins by all the Cyclones on the championship bracket may be unlikely but it would push the Cyclones into second place.