Dan Gable. Kevin Jackson. Cael Sanderson. Nate Gallick?

Yes, Gallick could be the next in line of the Cyclone wrestlers who do great things for both the university and the sport of wrestling.

In high school, Gallick compiled a 107-3 record on his way to three Arizona state titles and was distinguished as an Amateur Wrestling News All-American during his senior year.

Grant Nakamura, Gallick’s teammate and close friend, said the junior from Tucson, Ariz., has intangibles that cannot be taught.

“He’s mentally tough,” Nakamura said of Gallick.

“He does a great job with goal setting. He trains hard and comes in extra times to work out, but he’s smart about not over training.”

Redshirted his first year at Iowa State under head coach Bobby Douglas, Gallick started his career in the fall of 2002.

Splitting time between 141 and 149 pounds, he struggled to find a rhythm and finished the season 16-16.

Away from the collegiate season, however, Gallick continued his dominance in freestyle and won the 132-pound title at the 2003 Men’s FILA Junior Freestyle World National Championships.

Gallick attacked the top opponents in American freestyle wrestling at the 2003 U.S. Senior National Championships. Again wrestling at 132 pounds, Gallick finished seventh.

After the successful summer, Gallick settled into a permanent roll at 141 pounds. As a sophomore, he started the season slowly with early dual meet losses against opponents from Boston University and Minnesota State-Mankato. He quickly built his confidence again.

Last season, Gallick defeated Oklahoma’s 2003 141-pound national champion Teyon Ware twice during the season — the first removed Ware from the top-ranked spot, the second earned Gallick fifth place at nationals.

The 2004 top-seeded wrestler at 141 pounds is Nebraska’s Matt Murray. Gallick defeated Murray twice last year with the second victory, a 2-1 tiebreaker in the Big 12 tournament, earning him the Big 12 championship at 141 pounds.

Teammate Travis Paulson said a lot of Gallick’s success can be attributed to his preparation — not just his mat work.

“He studies tape and all of his opponents,” Paulson said. “Before he’s out on the mat, he knows exactly what they’re going to do.”

After not placing at the 2004 U.S. National Championships, Gallick wrestled in the challenger tournament at the Olympic Team Trials in May.

Ranked 11th going into the tournament, Gallick defeated sixth-seeded Jason Kutz before losing to third-ranked Danny Felix. Gallick stormed back in the consolation segment of the tournament to claim third place.

“When he’s wrestling, it’s like he’s playing on a chess board,” Paulson said. “He knows when he has to get a takedown, and, when his opponent makes one mistake, he’ll get that takedown and win.”

Before this collegiate season got into full swing, Gallick again competed on the international level. On Oct. 28, in Tempe, Ariz., he competed at the Sunkist Open, where he won the gold medal at 132 pounds and was named the tournament’s most outstanding wrestler.

Ranked second for the start of the collegiate season, Gallick learned from his early season blunders last year and started the season 6-0. He major decisioned Upper Iowa’s Kyle Burkle and avenged a freshman-year loss against Pittsburgh’s Ron Tarquinio.

He earned three victories at the Utah Valley State Open and pinned Chris Frieje of Arizona State to keep the momentum rolling in his favor.

Nakamura said Gallick’s determination, work ethic and mental toughness make him one of the nation’s elite.

“[He’s] one of the best,” Nakamura said. “He’s good, and [in four years] he’ll challenge for the [132-pound] Olympic spot — he’s near the top of that weight class.”