The ISU wrestling team advanced six wrestlers to the NCAA Championships after giving a strong performance at Saturday’s Big 12 Championships.

ISU wrestling coach Bobby Douglas was pleased with his team’s efforts.

“We qualified six and that’s outstanding for us,” Douglas said. “They prepared well and performed well at this tournament.”

The Cyclones were led by sophomore Nick Passolano, who finished second in the 165-pound weight class. Passolano was defeated 5-1 by Missouri’s Tyron Woodley in the championship match.

“I won a couple of matches that I wasn’t supposed to win,” Passolano said. “I feel like I accomplished some good things there.”

Passolano improved on his performance at last year’s Big 12 Championships, where he finished fourth in the 174-pound weight class.

“Both championships were tough for me, but this year I felt a lot more confident because I’ve had that year of experience,” Passolano said.

Passolano’s focus now turns to the upcoming NCAA Championships.

“This has given me a lot of confidence heading into the NCAA tournament,” Passolano said. “Now I have to prepare mentally for them [NCAAs] and go in there thinking that I can win it all.”

Another national tournament qualifier for the Cyclones was senior Austen Palmer. He took fourth place in the 184-pound class. This is Palmer’s first time qualifying for nationals as a Cyclone.

“Just to get your foot in the door is a great feeling,” Palmer said. “My focus all year has been on getting to nationals and this was a big stepping stone. I learned some things from it and now I know what I need to work on to win at nationals.”

“I think that Austen has the potential to be an All-American,” Douglas said.

Palmer also feels confident about his team. “I think our team should have a lot of confidence going in to nationals,” Palmer said. “Coach [Douglas] trains us to try and peak at this time of year.”

Joining Passolano and Palmer as national qualifiers are senior defending national champion Aaron Holker (141), junior Zach Roberson (133), sophomore Scott Coleman (heavyweight) and redshirt freshman Grant Nakamura.

“Nakamura had a great tournament,” Douglas said. “He wrestled lights out and is probably the most improved wrestler on our team.”

The NCAA Championships will take place on March 20-22 at Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Mo.