The seventh-ranked ISU grapplers will take their show on the road this weekend, when they open their dual season in Manheim, Penn., this Saturday.

Iowa State went to great lengths to find good early-season competition this season, which is what they expect to find in Pennsylvania this weekend.

“We wanted to find some great mat wrestlers, and Pennsylvania is well known for its great mat wrestlers,” head coach Bobby Douglas said.

The Cyclones open the weekend against Millersville at noon, and then take on No. 24 Lock Haven at 2 p.m. Lock Haven is led by All-American Mike Maney, who is the third-ranked wrestler at 141 pounds, the same weight class as NCAA Champion and No. 1-ranked Cyclone Aaron Holker. Maney finished eighth last year at the NCAA championships in Albany, N.Y., which garnered him his All-American status.

“I don’t know much about him — I’ve never seen him wrestle — but I imagine he’ll come at me hard,” Holker said. “That’s something I’m going to have to get used to.”

Another interesting match pits seventh-ranked Nick Passolano for the Cyclones going against east regional champion Jesse Reed of Millersville in the 165-pound weight class. Reed is off to a 6-0 start this season.

The Cyclone mat men aren’t worried about opponent’s names or records; they’re just looking to score points and win matches, something their coach puts a heavy emphasis on.

“We try not to concentrate too much on names or reputations,” Douglas said. “We need to go out and score points on whoever we wrestle. We have some kids excited to do just that.”

For a Cyclone team that lost nearly half its starters from last year, Douglas is looking to certain individuals to pick up some slack. “I think Wade McLeod and Austen Palmer will step up big this year, and we need them to,” Douglas said. “We need them to be leaders out there, and they’ll be two key people for us this season.”

In addition to Holker and Passolano, this young Cyclone squad boasts two other nationally-ranked wrestlers, Zach Roberson, No. 6 at 133, and Palmer, No. 19 at 184.

The Cyclones will be without the services of Ty Malia, a junior in the 125-pound weight class who performed well at last weekend’s Cyclone Open. Malia said he popped his shoulder out in practice.

This weekend hopes to give the Cyclones some needed work, especially before eighth-ranked Lehigh visits Ames Nov. 30.