Outside of Jarrett Degen’s run to the blood round at the NCAA Championships in March, 141-pounder Ian Parker possessed the strongest stretch last season for the Cyclones.

Parker figures to be the frontrunner at 141 pounds this year, but the redshirt sophomore is benefitting from redshirt freshman Ryan Leisure pushing him.

“He looks really good,” said coach Kevin Dresser about Parker. “He’s one of the guys you really see just scoring a lot of points right now — really, super aggressive, the style that we want out there for us on the weekends.”

Parker — a redshirt sophomore this season and one of the more experienced Cyclones — jumped from 133 pounds to 141 after Kanen Storr’s midseason transfer.

Along with the weight change, Parker also battled injury last season.

“A lot of times when I was at [133], my body was not that size, so I probably cut a lot of muscle and all that out of me and just be completely sucked down and dehydrated,” Parker said. “Being at [141] now, I’m more healthy. [I have] my full body, my full muscle, 100 percent strength.”

He showcased his abilities during his dual debut early in the season at 133 pounds, knocking off Drexel’s Austin DeSanto (who qualified for the NCAA Championships and transferred to Iowa after the 2017-18 season) in a 7-5 decision.

Parker truly shined after the bump in weight classes, though. On Jan. 26, Parker grinded out a 4-2 win over Oklahoma’s Mike Longo (who racked up multiple NCAA Championships appearances during his career).

On Jan. 28, Parker faced a tougher challenge in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Dean Heil — the defending 141-pound NCAA Champion — awaited Parker.

Similar to his match with Longo, Parker picked his spots and snagged a 3-1 win. Parker’s season took a turn for the worst after the two-win weekend. Battling knee issues, Parker sat out until the Cy-Hawk dual.

Parker lost to Vince Turk, 13-5. The redshirt sophomore went 3-2 at the Big 12 Tournament, failing to secure an NCAA Championship bid.

Now, entering the 2018-19 season, Parker is healthy and sticking at a consistent weight class. Kevin Dresser and the Iowa State coaching staff look to find a spark at the lower weights. The 125-pound and 133-pound spots should be improved with Alex Mackall and Austin Gomez injected into the lineup.

After 141-pounds, returning NCAA qualifier Jarrett Degen will be penciled in at 149-pounds. The bottom four weights should be a strength for the Cyclones, including Parker.

Pushing the Saint Johns, Michigan, native is Leisure. Leisure is working with a weight cut, jumping from 149 pounds to 141 pounds.

“It’s a little bit of a challenge,” Leisure said about the weight cut. “Obviously, the weight cut’s way bigger. I get up to 165 [pounds] pretty easily, so I got to come all the way down to 141, and I get pretty lean.”

Leisure wrestled unattached during his redshirt season, compiling a 22-5 record (one loss came via medical forfeit).

The redshirt freshman avenged one of his losses at the Harold Nichols Cyclone Open, falling 6-5 to Northern Iowa’s Tristan Lara. At the Flash Flanagan Open, Leisure bounced back, defeating Lara, 8-5.

Now, Leisure is gunning for the 141-pound spot, battling Parker in practice. Dresser said during media day Leisure will compete for the 141-pound job, but Leisure needs to build consistency. 

“It’s been pretty good,” Leisure said about practicing against Parker. “Me and Ian, we’re pretty good friends, but when it’s time to go on the mat, you kind of got to forget about that and know it’s go time.”