The ISU wrestling team stepped up the level of competition and escaped with a 22-16 victory over Ohio State Sunday in Columbus.

The Cyclones, ranked third in the nation, won six of the 10 matches wrestled to beat the 16th rated Buckeyes. The win improves the Cyclones to 2-0 in duals, as their first victory was a 46-3 rout at Loras College last week.

The key to the victory was Iowa State’s ability to pile bonus points. The Cyclones earned four consecutive major decision wins which allowed them to build a 16-3 lead.

The Cyclone top-ranked duo of Joe Heskett and Cael Sanderson each recorded big wins. At 165, Joe Heskett whipped John Clark 16-5 while two-time NCAA champ Cael Sanderson won 20-6 over Anton Talamantes at 184.

Sanderson, a junior, is now 85-0 in his Cyclone career.

Sixth-ranked Cole Sanderson stayed unbeaten with a 13-4 win over Josh Janson at 157.

At 174, Perry Parks rounded the bonus wins by topping Ryan Hieber 16-3.

Leading 19-16 heading into the final match, the Cyclones held on behind a 4-3 win from freshman Zach Roberson at 141. Roberson, ranked 17th, beat No. 12 Robert Sessley.

The Cyclones came out on top in another battle of ranked wrestlers at 133. No. 12 Matt Azevedo raised his record to 8-0 with a 6-1 victory over No. 13 Jeff Ratliff.

The Buckeyes got off to a good start as Keaton Anderson defeated Billy Maldanado in the first match of the dual. Anderson pulled out a 5-4 decision in the 149-pound match.

The Buckeyes received two victories in matches that pitted highly ranked competitors from both teams. At heavyweight, freshman Tommy Rowalnds pinned seventh-rated Mark Knauer at 6:59. Rowlands is ranked eighth.

Nick Preston placed fifth for the Buckeyes in the national meet last year and took on NCAA runner-up Zach Thompson. Preston, ranked third this season, defeated fifth-ranked Thompson 4-3 in double overtime at 197.

The other Buckeye victory came from Kore Sharpley at 125. Sharpley cruised to a 28-8 technical fall victory over ISU sophomore Sirish Neal.

Over the holiday break, the Cyclones competed at the Missouri open on Nov. 19. Five Cyclones earned titles and two others placed second.

Azevedo, Heskett, Parks, Cole Sanderson and Cael Sanderson collected titles for Iowa State. Cael Sanderson thrashed Indiana’s Don Sveda by a 16-3 margin in the 184-pound final.

In the championship at 165, Heskett took on rival Don Pritzlaff of Wisconsin. Heskett improved to 3-2 in his career against Pritzlaff with a 6-3 decision.

Last year at the NCAA meet, Pritzlaff defeated Heskett 4-2 in overtime, one of his two victories over Heskett during the season. Two years ago, Heskett recorded a pair of wins over Pritzlaff, including a win at the NCAA tournament.