With plenty of returning All-Americans and the loss of only one starter from the 2003-04 team, the ISU wrestling team had high hopes coming into the season.

Its hopes came crashing down when the season ended with a 10th-place finish in the NCAA national tournament.

The Cyclones qualified eight wrestlers for the tournament, appearing to be enough to contend for a team title.

Wrestlers declined to be interviewed for this article.

After only advancing five wrestlers in the championship bracket for day two, the team was aware of the work it had to do to catch up. When day two ended, the Cyclones slipped to sixth place and were left with only three wrestlers in contention for All-American status.

Trent Paulson made a run, defeating defending national champion Matt Gentry of Stanford. With the score tied in overtime, Trent scored a takedown, giving him the sudden victory.

Nate Gallick fought his way into the finals, where he had his third matchup this year with Oklahoma’s Teyon Ware. For the first time all season, Gallick’s arm was not raised at the end of the match, and Ware escaped with a 3-2 decision.

Scott Coleman was the only other Cyclone to finish with All-American status.

Coleman defeated Central Michigan’s Bill Stouffer twice, with the last win earning him seventh-place honors.

The Cyclones finished the tournament a far cry from their initial goal.

Next year, however, the youthful Cyclones keep most of the team intact — only losing Coleman, Nick Passolano and Trevor Smith.

After rolling off 14 consecutive dual meet victories to start the season, the Cyclones had their eyes set on upsetting two-time defending national champion Oklahoma State.

But when the Cowboys came to town, the Cyclones were unable to match their intensity — winning four of 10 matches.

In what could have been a closer meet, the Cowboys took a 21-14 victory back to Stillwater by scoring bonus points with a technical fall at 149-pounds and a major decision at heavyweight.

The Cyclones weren’t able to catch Oklahoma State later in the season, either.

After being handed its first loss of the season, Iowa State dominated Oklahoma 30-6, then squeaked by Missouri 18-15.

Against Missouri, Kurt Backes avenged a 2004 loss to Matt Pell at 184 pounds. With the Cyclones trailing 15-14 headed into the last match of the night, Backes wrestled as if Pell were a rag doll, moving him all over the mat in an 11-2 major decision that gave the Cyclones the team victory.

Standing at 2-1 in conference duals, Iowa State traveled to Lincoln, Neb., to face Nebraska.

The two highly ranked teams split 10 matches, but a major decision by Jacob Klein over Mike Somsky was the difference in favor of the Huskers.

The Huskers scored an upset at 184 pounds when Travis Pascoe used a late takedown to defeat Kurt Backes 9-6.

At the Big 12 conference tournament, Nate Gallick captured his second consecutive title with a 4-3 tiebreaker decision over second-ranked Ware.

Backes earned his first conference crown by avenging the loss to Pascoe.

Countering an attempted takedown by Pascoe, Backes pressed Pascoe’s shoulders to the mat and pinned him in 2:13.

The Cyclones finished a distant second behind Oklahoma State, which crowned seven champions.