As expected, the ISU wrestling team received a stern test from West Virginia Sunday at Hilton Coliseum, but the Cyclones came away with the victory.

The Cyclones, ranked sixth, defeated the unranked Mountaineers 24-16 in their home opener. Iowa State improved to 2-0 on the season.

“We wrestled a very good West Virginia team and the score certainly indicates that,” Cyclone coach Bobby Douglas said. “Every match we won I considered a good job, because West Virginia is one of those unranked teams that can sneak up on people, and that’s why we scheduled them.”

The two teams traded victories early in the match and the Cyclones held just a 12-7 lead after five matches. The sixth match was the decider as Ty Malia recorded a first period win in the 125-pound match to put the Cyclones ahead for good at 18-7.

Malia, a transfer from Nebraska, scored a reversal and caught Mountaineer Ricky LaForge on his back for the pin at 1:53.

“That pin was a momentum swinger for us,” Douglas said. “That was very important for Ty, because he’s just getting back to action and needs some tough matches. I would’ve almost liked to have seen a decision instead of the fall because he needs mat time.”

The Cyclones two No. 1 ranked wrestlers both stayed perfect on the season. Three-time All-American Joe Heskett won a 10-6 decision at 165 while three-time National champ Cael Sanderson won by technical fall at 197. Both wrestlers are 8-0.

Sanderson improved his career record to 127-0 by dominating Brent Miller by a final score of 20-5.

He scored six first period takedowns and reached the 15-point match termination rule in just 3:20.

“I’ve already said everything I can about Cael, he’s amazing,” Douglas said.

Cyclone newcomer Austen Palmer, ranked 11th, also improved to 8-0 with a major decision win over Ryan Willman. Zach Roberson and Billy Maldonado were victorious at 133 and 149 respectively.

“Palmer is still learning the system and he’s wrestling well,” Douglas said. “He’s trying so hard that he’s making mistakes, but he’ll be fine. He’s doing a great job.”

The Mountaineers won four matches, including a forfeit at 157.

The Cyclones lost decisions at 141 and heavyweight where returning NCAA qualifiers Aaron Holker and Mark Knauer lost.

“We had some errors that we have to overcome,” Douglas said. “All in all, we wrestled well. Every coach at this time wants to see better performances and we’ll get them. We’re on schedule.

The Cyclones wrestle again Saturday at the Simpson Duals in Indianola and host Wisconsin Sunday afternoon.