The Cyclones defeated the No. 18 Wisconsin Badgers 43-0 in head coach Kevin Dresser’s hometown Humboldt, Iowa, Sunday afternoon.
Iowa State controlled the matchup from start to finish and improved to 3-0 on the season.
Here are the three big takeaways from the Cyclones’ second consecutive shutout.
Carr wins top-five matchup
The main event of Sunday’s duel was no doubt the matchup at 165 pounds.
Iowa State’s David Carr came into the match ranked No. 2 in the country, while Wisconsin’s Dean Hamiti entered at No. 4.
The match lived up to the hype.
After a scoreless first period that saw both wrestlers have opportunities slip away, Carr escaped Hamiti to take the lead going into the third period.
The third period saw Carr hold on as he rode out Hamiti all the way to the final whistle, securing the big-time victory 2-0.
Terukina upsets No. 5 Barnett
Carr was not the only Cyclone to go home with a ranked win, as two of his teammates also came away with impressive victories.
At 125 pounds, No. 17 Kysen Terukina matched up with Wisconsin’s No. 5 Eric Barnett.
Terukina was the lower-ranked wrestler but was in full control the entire match.
Terukina jumped out to a 6-1 lead in the first period and never let Barnett get back into the match, picking up a couple more takedowns before ultimately winning in a major decision 14-3.
At the end of the duel, Terukina was named UFC Fight Pass Most Outstanding Wrestler for his performance.
Early season domination
The Cyclones are off to a dominant start to the 2023 season. They have started off 3-0 and have outscored their opponents 135-3, only dropping one individual match on the season.
Though the first two duels were against mismatched opponents, the Cyclones’ dominant win against No. 18 Wisconsin places the Cyclones among the top teams in the nation.
The true matchup to prove dominance is coming up, as Iowa State turns its focus toward the Cy-Hawk matchup with No. 3 Iowa. This duel will be the measuring stick to see where the Cyclones stack up with the nation’s best.
The Cy-Hawk duel is on Nov. 26 in Hilton Coliseum. The duel will begin at 2 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN.
