Wrestling: Four Cyclones in hunt for All-America honors

OKLAHOMA CITY – Four Iowa State wrestlers will do battle in the round of 12 tonight for a spot on the All-American podium at the NCAA Championships. The Cyclones went 0-3 in the quarterfinals of the championship bracket and are tied for 17th with Nebraska in the team race after the conclusion of Session III.

No. 5 seed Kyven Gadson was pitted against a familiar foe in the quarterfinals, Minnesota’s Scott Schiller. The Waterloo, Iowa, native led 4-1 early in the match but found himself in a 5-4 hole with 1:40 left in the third period.

Gadson got in deep on two shots but was unable to get the takedown he needed as he fell 6-4 to the Gopher All-American. Gadson faces Christian Boley of Maryland in the round of 12 tonight. They have no previous meetings. 

Unseeded Earl Hall trailed 1-0 late in his quarterfinal matchup with No. 5 seed Dylan Peters of UNI. Hall was able to spin behind Peters for a late reversal on the edge to take the lead. Peters got the escape he needed and the match went to overtime. 

In overtime, Peters got a takedown on the edge to send Hall to the consolation bracket. Hall will wrestle Anthony Zanetta of Pitt for All-America honors tonight. They have no previous meetings. 

No. 8 Michael Moreno trailed 2-0 heading to the second period against top-seed David Taylor of Penn State. In a funky match with wild scrambles, Taylor was able to catch Moreno on his back and get the fall 3:19. 

No. 12 seed Tanner Weatherman won both his matches in Session III to advance to his second consecutive NCAA round of 12. With the pressure on, he won two tight matches, first downing Virginia Tech’s Austin Gabel 4-3 in overtime and then Bloomsburg’s Mike Dessino 4-3.

The Huxley, Iowa, native faces No. 7 seed Tyler Wilps of Pittsburgh tonight. Wilps downed Weatherman 11-7 at the Southern Scuffle on Jan. 2 in Chattanooga, Tenn. 

Gabe Moreno (141) and Lelund Weatherspoon (184), both first time NCAA-qualifiers, were eliminated from the field in the first consolation round this morning.

Session IV of the NCAA Championships begins at 7 p.m. CT. ESPN will be televising the semifinals live, while the round of 12 matches will be aired on WatchESPN.