The Iowa State grapplers came home from the Las Vegas Invitational with a fifth-place finish and valuable experience.

Coach Bobby Douglas said the Cyclones didn’t accomplish some of the goals they hoped to, but he said the team is “definitely making progress.”

Douglas recognized Cody Sanderson, Zach Thompson and Dwight Hinson for their “outstanding” weekend performances.

Hinson, a three-time All-American, led ISU in the 30-team competition. In the 126-pound class, he defeated top-ranked Eric Guerrero of Oklahoma State 3-2.

His mat efforts earned him recognition as the Big 12 Wrestler of the Week. Before beating Guerrero, he had moved past the nation’s No. 7 man, Kevin Saniga of Edinboro, 5-3, and No. 6 Stan Greene of Fresno State, 6-2.

Douglas congratulated Hinson for his efforts.

“He’s most deserving. He’s on course and proceeding in the right direction,” Douglas said.

ISU’s Cody Sanderson (118) placed second in his class. The sophomore fell short of first with a loss to Fresno State’s No. 10-ranked Stephen Abas. Freshman Zach Thompson (190) grabbed third place in his class after a consolation round victory over Scott Munson of Nebraska.

Other place winners at the meet included Cole Sanderson (142) and David Maldonado (150), who both picked up eighth-place finishes in their weight class.

This week, the Cyclones are preparing themselves to conquer the Hawkeyes in the Iowa dual meet. The Hawks have three national champions and four other ranked wrestlers.

Douglas said, “We’re underdogs in 7 to 10 matches. We have to have some upsets in order to win.”

Douglas said the ISU wrestlers who face off with Iowa’s strong seven may need their best matches ever.

The Cyclone squads are preparing mentally and physically for the challenge and are honing their technical skills for Iowa’s technical strategies, Douglas said.

“The team has got a great work ethic. They’re a team that is really starting to develop technically,” he said.

Douglas rated new Iowa Coach Jim Zalensky as a “very capable” coach.

Zalensky took over as head Hawk when Dan Gable took a one-year leave of absence from coaching. A former Iowa standout in the early 80s, Zalensky was a four-time All-American and won national titles his last three years.

Douglas said that Zalensky has been a winner, has been around winners and knows how to win.

Weekend forecasts are difficult to make, but Douglas said that it will be interesting to see how the Cyclone style meets the Hawkeye style on the mat.

Whether or not the men in cardinal and gold can rise to the challenge depends on how they practice this week, he said.

The Iowa Dual closes the Hawkeye/Cyclone weekend competition. The two teams take to the mat at 1 p.m. Sunday in Hilton Coliseum.