Iowa State hosted the Cyclone Open on Sunday inside Hilton Coliseum. Along with Iowa State, several schools participated in the open, including Arizona State, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota State, Northern Illinois, Oklahoma State, Pittsburgh, South Dakota State and Wisconsin.
The Cyclones had a productive outing; one Iowa State wrestler finished as a champion of their weight class: junior Connor Euton at 165. Along with Euton, three other Cyclones made it to the championship round.
Euton claims 165 title
Euton dominated the bracket en route to his championship win. He went 4-0, won his first two matches by technical fall and scored a major decision victory in the semifinal match.
The championship was between Euton and teammate junior Aiden Riggins. Euton scored two crucial takedowns in the first period to push past Riggins and win 8-1.
Euton’s been a rock-solid starter this season for Iowa State. Euton has the fifth most takedowns on the team with 28. He is also tied for fourth most technical falls with three this year.
Two Cyclones fall short of championship wins
Junior CJ Carter and redshirt junior Melton Powe both made it to the championship at 197 and 174, respectively.
Carter went 2-1 in his bracket. He won his first match by a 12-1 major decision. Carter then notched a fall in the semifinal round, winning 3-0 before the first period had ended.
The championship was between Carter and Oklahoma State freshman Austin Johnson. Johnson thrashed his way through the bracket, winning by major decision and technical fall in the quarter and semifinal rounds.
It was a close match. Carter led 2-1 in the third period, but Johnson made a huge takedown in the winding seconds of the period to pull ahead. Johnson beat Carter 4-2 by decision for the 197 championship.
Powe worked his way through the bracket in a less domineering manner than Carter, but still made it to the final bout. Powe won by decision in both the quarter and semifinal matches. His opponent was Arizona State redshirt senior Cael Valencia.
Valencia won by technical fall in his first bout. In the semifinal, he beat one-seeded Minnesota redshirt junior Clayton Whiting 8-5 by decision.
Valencia dominated the contest between him and Powe. Valencia racked up five takedowns and beat Powe 17-2 by technical fall for the 174 championship.
Oklahoma State takes home four championships
The Cowboys took care of business in Hilton Coliseum. Redshirt senior Gary Steen brought home the first championship. He won by medical forfeit in the 125 bracket.
Freshman Jax Forrest won the second championship. He beat Iowa State redshirt freshman Osmany Diversent in the semifinal 6-1 by a fall. Forrest won 4-0 by decision in the 133 championship bout.
Redshirt junior Cutter Sheets took home the third championship for Oklahoma State. He also took down an Iowa State wrestler in the semifinal round. Sheets beat redshirt freshman Kane Naaktgeboren 15-12 in overtime. Sheets would go on to win 8-4 by decision in the 157 championship.
The final champion was Johnson, the wrestler who took down Carter in the 197 championship.
Looking ahead, Iowa State resumes its dual schedule, facing off against Northern Colorado at 7 p.m. Friday in Hilton Coliseum.
