A win at Carver-Hawkeye Arena would be the No. 2 ISU wrestlers’ first since a 17-15 victory on January 7, 1977. That’s just what they will try to do when they face the No. 9 Iowa Hawkeyes on Sunday.

A win over the Hawkeyes would be only the second since 1987 — the Cyclones won at home last year; the Hawkeyes lead the series 50-15-2.

“I think wrestling is the biggest of them all,” sophomore Travis Paulson said of the rivalry between Iowa State and Iowa.

ISU head coach Bobby Douglas said this wrestling meet is not only the biggest rivalry in the state, it is also the biggest wrestling rivalry in the country.

“There are great wrestling rivalries — none greater than Iowa and Iowa State,” Douglas said. “When you can draw 14,000 people to a dual meet, that says volumes about the importance of wrestling in the state and the kind of respect it gets from its fans.”

The Cyclones have eight wrestlers ranked in the top 20 nationally, and they will be met by a strong Iowa team that sports six wrestlers in the top 10.

Douglas said the meet will be a grueling test of endurance as well as individual and team toughness. He also said all matches will be important, but one or two may stand out in the minds of spectators.

“The 184-pound match is probably the marquee match,” Douglas said. “The heavyweight match should be interesting.”

At 184-pounds, fourth-ranked Cyclone sophomore Kurt Backes will try to gain the upper edge against second-ranked Paul Bradley. The two met twice last year, and each walked away with a victory.

Backes said he will know what to look for during the match since he already knows Bradley’s style well.

“He likes to brawl and tie you up and pull you down,” Backes said. “I like to do the same things, but I like to move around a little more.”

Two other top 10 wrestlers face off in the heavyweight match. ISU senior Scott Coleman, ranked No. 8, will face freshman No. 6 Matt Fields — last year’s Iowa high school 275-pound state champion.

Jesse Sundell, a four-time Iowa high school state champion from Ogden, will face an old foe at 133 pounds Sunday. Mario Galanakis, a junior from Greenfield, handed Sundell his only loss during high school.

Sundell said the only blemish against his 134 high school victories is in the past, but added the match will still be heated.

“There’s a little bit more of a spark in this match than a normal one,” Sundell said.

“There’s a rivalry that dates back to high school, so that adds a little more incentive to go out and win.”

Bonus points will be tough to come by in a match of this caliber, but junior Nate Gallick said they could decide the match.

Paulson said matches against strong opponents and highly ranked teams show the mental toughness of wrestlers.

“These are the matches that show if you can take [the pressure] or not,” Travis said. “When you wrestle a good opponent and a good team, you find out how prepared you are.”

Last year’s hero, Nick Passolano, will wrestle at 174-pounds and said he hopes to avoid last-second heroics like last year.

Though many wrestler might think bumping up a weight class would be tough, Passolano said his slide from 165 to 174 pounds is beneficial.

“I feel like I have an advantage over a lot of 174-pounders,” Passolano said. “I just need to use my quickness to my advantage.”

The action begins a 6 p.m. Sunday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City.