Sports

Cyclone wrestlers roll through break 4-0

Mike Dean
November 29, 2004

The ISU wrestling team took to the mats the past two weekends — continuing to gain momentum for the heart of the season.

On Sunday, the Cyclones remained undefeated with a 22-16 victory over the Arizona State Sun Devils.

“Overall, it was a good performance,” head coach Bobby Douglas said. “I’m pleased with the guys who won. We knew it was going to be a tough match and it was.”

The Cyclones split the ten matches with the Sun Devils but earned bonus points from Gallick, Jesse Sundell and Nick Passolano.

Backes started the meet with a strong performance against No. 18 C.B. Dollaway. Backes never trailed and stayed in control during his 9-4 decision.

The Cyclones lost the next three matches before Sundell bailed out the Cyclones. The 133-pound sophomore fell behind 2-1 early before pinning Steve Neff in 2:27.

“Sundell’s been there before,” Douglas said. “He knew we needed some points, and he was in a position to get some points for us. He did a great job.”

Sundell said he was forced to adjust after giving up points early in the match.

“I just tried to refocus and keep wrestling without changing my style,” Sundell said. “[We had] a scramble off [a missed shot], and my instinct kicked in and I did my move where I grabbed around the neck and flipped him to his neck.”

Following Sundell, second-ranked 141-pounder Gallick pinned Chris Frieje to put the Cyclones on top for good.

“I’m not usually a pinner,” Gallick said. “I usually have a hard time pinning people or even getting back points. Anytime I can get a pin it’s huge for me. I enjoy it.”

Gallick said he always goes out aggressively, and he was looking for an opportunity to earn extra team points.

“I was looking for an opportunity to score some extra points, and I guess I found them,” Gallick said. “My main objective is just to win, and today, I had that mindset except I knew we needed a little more than just a win.”

Iowa State posted bigger wins earlier in the week. At the Utah Valley State Open, the Cyclones dominated the competition with the closest of three duals being a 32-10 win over Boise State.

The Cyclones also defeated Adams State 40-6 and Utah Valley State 41-15.

During the weekend, Travis Paulson, Kurt Backes, Trevor Smith, Nate Gallick and Trent Paulson all finished the tournament with 3-0 records. Sophomore Grant Turner was 2-0.

Iowa State 22, Arizona State 16