Iowa State’s wrestling team competed in the United World Wrestling (UWW) and U23 Junior Freestyle Nationals on Nov. 13-15 in Omaha, Nebraska. 

The Cyclones were able to gain a perspective on what the upcoming 2020-2021 season may look like. And the future looks bright as the Cyclones brought home three first place finishers in Omaha. 

Shapiro earns his spot at the top of the podium 

Redshirt sophomore Joel Shapiro (86 kilograms) competed in the UWW Junior Freestyle bracket. Shapiro let no one get ahead of him. 

Shapiro competed in three consecutive matchups where he did not allow his opponent to ever score. By the end of the tournament, Shapiro only let up six total points against his opponents. 

In the final match, Shapiro went head to head against John Poznanski from the Scarlet Knights Wrestling Club in New Jersey. 

Shapiro drew first blood after getting Poznanski down and pinning him above the knee, taking a 2-0 lead after about a minute of play. Poznanski took high volume shots but Shapiro was strong, not letting many take him down.

By the end, Shapiro was able to hold Poznanski to a halt, defeating him by a 4-2 decision and taking first place in the 86kg (189.59 lbs) weight class.

Shapiro went 6-0 for the end, rallying 36 points for his team and only letting up 6 points all weekend. 

New 2021 commit finds his place

Conor Knopick, the No. 29 overall prospect for the 2021 recruiting class and new commit to the Cyclones wrestling squad, had an outstanding performance in his hometown this past weekend.

Knopick competed in the 55kg (121.25 lbs.) bracket of the UWW Junior Greco-Roman Nationals in Omaha. 

Knopick swept his opponent in the quarterfinals, 9-0. His second match was a similar story, with Knopick recording a major decision victory, winning 8-0. In the finals, Knopick wrestled Billy Sullivan from the Legends of Gold Las Vegas. 

Early on in the match, Knopick took a five-point lead over Sullivan. Knopick kept his foot on the gas and took down Sullivan 12-5 in the championship. 

The new recruit defeated every single opponent over the weekend, leaving him 4-0 and outscoring his opponents by a 42-11 margin for the tournament. 

Attasauov wins late

Redshirt freshman Ramazan Attasauov competed in the U23 Freestyle National bracket at the 61kg weight class. 

In the quarterfinals, Attasauov defeated Patrick Glory before facing a tough match in the semifinals. 

Attasauov faced Rayvon Foley and won 5-4 in a close match to make it to the championship.

In the championship, Attasauov faced a former Cyclone, Danny Vega, who now wrestles for the Jackrabbit Wrestling Club in South Dakota. 

Early on Vega brought Attasauov down hard on his back, taking a large leap against Iowa State. Then again, Vega moved with power and put Attasauov back down, taking a 6-0 lead. 

Attasauov took control however and earned a pin, notching him the win.