Photo Courtesy of Iowa State Wrestling
Head coach Kevin Dresser is headed home.
For the second year in a row, Dresser will take his team to compete in his former high school gym. Dresser won two state championships and notched a record of 112-11-1 for the Wildcats.
The Cyclones will be facing off aainst defending NAIA champions, Grand View, at 2 p.m. on Sunday.
“I want to do it. We’re excited about it,” was the response Dresser received from Grand View head coach, Nick Mitchell, in regards to competing in the unique venue.
A new tradition
Hosting a dual in Humboldt is a tradition Dresser hopes he can continue to have every year.
“The Humboldt people are great to us. We hope to do it every year and we hope to have a D1 program next year. If they come, they’ll have a great time. My guys, specifically David Carr, said afterward last year that it was one of the most fun duals he’d been to since being at Iowa State and I think that’s because of how intimate it is.”
Humboldt will fill their gym with close to 2000 fans on Sunday. Dresser credits feeling like those 2000 fans are right on top of you while competing as the highlight of this opportunity.
“When you walk into the gym and think, ‘Oh my gosh they figured out a way to cram and fill every nook and cranny of this place’. If the fire marshall is listening to this…please don’t show up,” Dresser said.
The Competition
“I know those guys are going to be super motivated. I know they’ve got some guys that are probably very aware of us but we might not be as aware of them,” Dresser said. “We need to be ready to go because I am sure it’s going to be a good scrap.”
Both programs will enter Sunday’s contest with their own respective dual win streaks.
Iowa State currently holds a 17-dual win streak, which is the second-longest active streak nationally in Division I and tied for the fourth-longest in program history. Grand View currently holds a 116-dual consecutive win streak. The Vikings’ streak is the longest ever at any level of collegiate wrestling.
The last time the Vikings lost a dual happens to be the last time they went up against the Cyclones in 2013. They lost 22-18.
“Sometimes those guys go under the radar and for whatever goofy situation they might not be D1 eligible guys but I know Coach Mitchell will have those guys ready to go”
