Dane Pestano receives at-large bid for NCAA Championship

Redshirt sophomore Dane Pestano looks at West Virginia’s Jacob Scheffel to see how he can attack at the Big 12 Wrestling Championships in Kansas City on March 6. Pestano earned third place in the 184-pound weight class over the weekend.  

Ben Visser
March 8, 2016

Iowa State’s 184-pound wrestler Dane Pestano received one of five at-large bids to the NCAA Championship at the 184-pound weight class Tuesday afternoon.

The Big 12 Conference was allocated three automatic qualifying spots for the NCAA Championships.

Pestano was wrestling for in the third/fourth place match on Sunday at the Big 12 Championships in Kansas City, Mo. The winner of the match would automatically qualify for the NCAA Championship.

Pestano fell to Jacob Scheffel of West Virginia 4-0, missing out on an automatic qualifying spot. Pestano would have to wait to see if he would earn an at-large bid.

Pestano put together a strong résumé this season compiling 25 wins – six of those wins coming in sudden victory.

He had wins against Big 12 foes Andrew Dixon of Oklahoma and Jace Jensen of Wyoming, as well as a win against Drew Foster of Northern Iowa.

The committee thought what Pestano did was enough, so he will be heading to New York City to wrestle in the NCAA Championship.

The Cyclones will send six wrestlers to New York to compete Mar. 17-19. Kyle Larson, Earl Hall, Tanner Weatherman, Lelund Weatherspoon, Pat Downey and now Dane Pestano will all make the trip.

Weatherspoon won his second Big 12 title to earn a spot in the NCAA Championship, Hall and Weatherman both placed second, Pat Downey finished third and Kyle Larson was fifth.