At 133 pounds, Cyclone wrestler Zach Roberson may not look

incredibly intimidating. However, the soft-spoken senior recently

earned the No. 1 ranking in his weight class and proved he is a

national force this year.

Roberson said he is excited, not nervous, to be ranked on

top.

“I really like being No. 1,” he said. “Some guys don’t like the

pressure, but I think it makes me expect more out of myself. I

think that drives me a little more.”

Roberson, from Overland Park, Kan., was a four-time undefeated

state champion in high school. He won championships at 103, 112,

119 and 125 pounds and finished his prep career 153-0, notching 109

pins and Asics High School All-American status.

Roberson’s dominance was slowed when he came to Iowa State. As a

freshman, he finished 24-15 while wrestling at 141 pounds. He

qualified for the national tournament but did not place.

“It was a rough transition from high school to here,” he said.

“[It was hard] especially my first year when I was getting handled

by bigger, stronger guys.”

As a sophomore, Roberson saw his first action at 133 pounds. He

finished sixth at the Midlands Championships and seventh at the

2002 NCAA Championships. He earned All-American honors for the

first time after finishing the season 22-11.

Last year, in only his second year of competition at 133 pounds,

Roberson finished third at the Big 12 Championship, fourth at the

2003 NCAA Championships and earned All-American status for the

second time.

He said, to date, his best wrestling memory at Iowa State is his

performance at the national tournament last year. He was pinned by

West Virginia’s Brandon Lauer in the first round but battled back

to place.

“Coming back after losing my first match at [the national

tournament] last year is probably the most impressive to me,” he

said.

After losing to Lauer, Roberson beat Arizona State’s Mike

Simpson (6-2), Appalachian State’s Travis Drake (9-1), Oklahoma’s

Witt Durden (6-1), Illinois’ Mark Jayne (7-6), Lauer (16-1, 4:09)

and Iowa’s Cliff Moore (14-8).

This season has been Roberson’s best yet. He is 18-1 this year,

with his only loss coming to Darrell Vasquez of Cal Poly after a

grueling eight-day stretch that contained the Midlands

Championships and four dual meets. He said he will be disappointed

with anything less than a national championship.

“[Winning a national championship] has been a goal of mine ever

since I came here,” he said. “It would mean the most to me to leave

here on top. It would be very disappointing [not to win], because

that has always been my goal.”

Roberson said he had the opportunity to do what many wrestlers

don’t — start his career at a heavier weight class.

“I think [wrestling at 141 pounds] really helped me,” he said.

“I think it made me better and prepared me more.”

As the only senior in the starting lineup, Roberson said he

tries to lead the team to success the best he can.

“I really try to let people know what they’re capable of and

[help them] get their minds into it,” he said. “If these guys

believe they can win, this team can win because we have the

talent.”

Roberson said the best advice he could give to younger wrestlers

is to wrestle to win rather than not to lose. He said that was his

biggest mistake when coming to Iowa State and said wrestling

aggressively has brought him success.

“[Trying only to avoid losing] really hurt me as a freshman,” he

said. “I was afraid of losing and focused on that more than

winning.”

Roberson will try this weekend to duplicate his personal result

from last year’s National Duals. He finished 3-0 to lead the

Cyclones to the semifinals.

Head coach Bobby Douglas said Roberson has been a great leader

for the team on the mat — as a captain of the team — and in the

classroom.

“Zach has made a lot of progress this year,” Douglas said. “If

he keeps working hard, he could win himself a national

championship.”