The Iowa State wrestling team capped off their impressive regular season by keeping their streak alive with a narrow win over No. 9 Missouri Wednesday.

The Cyclones achieved their 13th straight victory, which is the second-longest streak in the nation.

This win also finished off the Cyclones’ flawless run through the Big 12, as they end the season atop the conference with an 8-0 record. The only loss the Cyclones saw throughout the regular season was against in-state rival Iowa.

Missouri kept the dual interesting for Iowa State, as many bouts favored the Tigers. However, the Cyclones proved why they are a top-five team by closing the dual out strong with a 17-16 win over Missouri.

This victory breaks the Cyclones’ losing streak in Missouri and gave Head Coach Kevin Dresser his first win in Missouri as a Cyclone.

Bonus points play a role

Bonus points play a huge role when going up against a tough school. The dual against Missouri proved as much, as the Cyclones narrowly edged the Tigers out with a victory by just one point.

No. 5 Ian Parker had the first opportunity to score big for the Cyclones as he took on Missouri’s Ethan Turner in the 141-pound weight class. Parker got the job done and pulled out a 10-2 major decision victory after riding time points were awarded. The Cyclones would take their first lead of the night as they went up 7-3.

Iowa State’s David Carr, ranked first in the nation at 157 pounds, also knew he had a job to do. With the pressure of the top ranking on his shoulders, bonus points were expected against Missouri’s Jarrett Jacques.

With time expiring in the final period, Carr had the major decision victory locked at 10-2, but he wanted more. Carr secured a four-point nearfall in the match’s final seconds to win 14-2 and tack on four more points to the Iowa State total. 

The 157-pound bout would also be Carr’s 50th straight win and proved to be a large reason the Cyclones would hold onto the lead for the remainder of the dual.

The only other bonus points awarded for either team was in the 165-pound match. With the Cyclones winning the bonus points battle, two matches to one, the extra point would be enough to edge Missouri.

Tough customers

Facing a top-10 school at home is never an easy task, especially when Missouri has the roster to back up its elite standing.

The Cyclones started on a less-than ideal foot as No. 19 Kysen Terukina took on No. 18 Noah Surtin in the 125-pound weight class. Terukina fired first with an escape to start the second period, but Surtin proved to have more in the tank and closed out the match with a takedown and a four-point nearfall.

Missouri took the first team points of the dual after Surtin’s 7-1 decision victory. 

The 165-pound match would prove to produce a similar outcome for the Cyclones. No. 31 Isaac Judge faced off against Missouri’s Keegan O’Toole, ranked second in the nation. 

The match looked similarly one-sided as the previous match at 157 pounds, where No. 1 Carr secured a major decision win against Missouri’s Jacques. Judge fought hard, but O’Toole kept up his attack and gave Missouri their first bonus points with a 14-4 major decision win.

Iowa State’s Joel Devine had a neck and neck battle with No. 11 Peyton Mocco at 174 pounds, as both wrestlers left the first period tied at three points.

Devine fired first in the match with a takedown, but Mocco got the last laugh as Devine could not come back from a two-point deficit and fell by a 9-6 decision.

With Iowa State now leading by only four points, the pressure was on for Marcus Coleman to take on Missouri’s Jeremiah Kent in the 184-pound weight class. Kent started the match hot, securing a body lock on Coleman, which he turned into a takedown and a four-point nearfall. 

Coleman did his best to fight back, but the six-point lead that Kent took early proved to be too big a mountain to climb. Coleman ended the match falling to Kent by a 10-7 decision, pulling Missouri a little too close for comfort as the scores settled in favor of Iowa State, 14-13.

Bastida puts the dual away

With the dual on the line, both 197-pound wrestlers put on a show in what turned out to be the match of the night.

No. 13 Yonger Bastida was faced with the tall task of taking down Missouri’s Rocky Elam, who is ranked sixth in the nation. Missouri had won the previous three matches and was breathing down the neck of Iowa State. A loss by Bastida here could prove to be treacherous for the Cyclones.

Bastida and Elam started the match off slow, racking up stall warnings, which proved to come into play later. Elam put on the pressure early, securing takedowns as they rolled through the second period. Stall calls had put Bastida down 4-0 early, as he was fighting from behind throughout the final period.

After Elam had Bastida locked up throughout the majority of the second period, it was clear as day that Bastida was running out of gas. However, with every last ounce of energy he had in the tank, Bastida turned the momentum in his favor.

A takedown by Bastida gave him a ray of hope, and he wouldn’t stop the pressure there. Bastida was able to secure another takedown, and with a stall called on Elam in the final second of the match, sudden victory overtime was just around the corner.

The importance of the match at hand and the momentum that Bastida gained in the final minute of the match gave him the strength he needed to close it out. Bastida scored a takedown early in sudden victory to secure the 8-6 decision win and put Iowa State up by four points going into the night’s final match.

After Bastida’s highlight match, the weight was lifted off Sam Schuyler’s shoulders going into the heavyweight bout. No. 21 Schuyler would have to hold Missouri’s Zach Elam to no bonus points, and the Cyclones would leave Missouri with a final win of the regular season.

Although Schuyler would have preferred to come out of the heavyweight match with a win under his belt, he did his job in keeping Missouri from racking up bonus points as the Cyclones secured their 13th straight win by a score of 17-16.

The Cyclone wrestling team ends the season with a 15-1 record and a flawless 8-0 record in the Big 12. Select Iowa State wrestlers will be back to Hilton on Feb. 20 for the Last Chance Open, while the team prepares for the Big 12 Championship, which is set to begin on March 5.