Nine of 10 advance to second round

ST. LOUIS, Mo. - The Iowa State wrestling team came within a second of a perfect first round here Thursday morning.

True freshman Tyler Clark (125) couldn't hold onto Central Michigan's Luke Smith in the first tiebreaker of overtime, giving up an escape as time expired in a 4-3 loss.

The loss dampened a nearly flawless session for the Cyclones. Iowa State won 10 of 11 matches in the first session and trailed Iowa by two points in the team standings. Here are the results:

Pigtails
Mitch Mueller, Iowa State, dec. Kyle Fried, Binghamton, 7-3

First round
125 - Luke Smith, Central Michigan, dec. Tyler Clark, Iowa State, 4-3 (SV1)
133 - Nick Fanthorpe, Iowa State, dec. Steve Bell, Maryland, 8-2
141 - Nick Gallick, Iowa State, dec. Chris Drouin, Arizona State, 3-0
149 - Mitch Mueller, Iowa State, maj. dec. Anthony Constantino, Columbia, 12-3
157 - Cyler Sanderson, Iowa State dec. Matt Moley, Bloomsburg, 11-6
165 - Jon Reader, Iowa State dec. Andrew Rendos, Bucknell, 8-2
174 - Aron Scott, Iowa State, dec. Randy Oates, George Mason, 2-0
184 - Jake Varner, Iowa State, dec. Lion Zamir, Penn, 6-0
197 - David Bertolino, Iowa State, maj. dec. Patrick Bradshaw, Edinboro, 10-0
HWT - David Zabriskie, Iowa State, dec. Mitch Monteiro, Cal-State Bakersfield, 9-3

Match-by-Match breakdown
125 pounds - Tyler Clark (19-10)
Head coach Cael Sanderson made his argument, but Clark's first round match was a loss nonetheless.
The true freshman was unable to break free from Smith before time expired in the first 30 second-tiebreaker. After working for a reversal, Clark tried to kick his foot free of Smith's grasp. The Chippewa senior maintained his grasp for the several seconds but did not receive his second stalling warning - which would have awarded the Cyclone a point. Sanderson argued the call, but nothing was changed.

Smith escaped as time expired in the next tiebreaker - a call Sanderson did not appear to argue. Clark beat Smith, 6-2, at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals in mid-January. He (19-10) will begin his quest for third-place in the consolation bracket this evening.

Next opponent: The winner of senior Brandon Kinney [Columbia] and sophomore Marcos Orozco [UC Davis].


133 pounds - Nick Fanthorpe (29-4)
Fanthorpe settled into an 8-2 victory over Maryland sophomore Steve Bell.
After a Bell shot, the Cyclone sophomore finished a boot-to-boot scramble with Bell two minutes into the first period. In the second, Fanthorpe escaped, scored a takedown, and rode the Terapin for over a minute to build a 5-1 advantage, and then scored in the closing seconds of the match.
Bell only scored on escapes but landed several deep leg attacks in the match. He circled behind Fanthorpe twice and held the Cyclone from behind in a standing position.
Fanthorpe lost in the first round of last year's NCAA Tournament to Bloomsburg's Michael Sees. He then won three matches before losing to Stanford's Tanner Gardner, falling one match short of placing.

Second-round opponent: Boise State junior Cory Fish (22-6). Fish knocked off Indiana's 12th-seeded Andrae Hernandez in the first round, 4-3.

141 pounds - Nick Gallick (24-11)
Gallick won a rematch with Arizona State's freshman Chris Drouin with an escape and a late takedown.
Drouin honored the Cyclone sophomore's riding ability by choosing the neutral position in the second period. Gallick escaped 31 seconds into the third period to go ahead, 1-0, but secured the victory with a takedown off a low single with 25 seconds left. Gallick beat the short-and-stock Sun Devil by the same score in early February.

Second-round opponent: Oklahoma freshman Zach Bailey [28-11], who upset Iowa's eighth-seeded Dan LeClere in the first round. Gallick beat Bailey, 10-3, in late January off two takedowns, two escapes, a three-point near-fall and a riding time advantage.

149 pounds - Mitch Mueller (22-11)
Mueller quickly built a lead against Binghamton senior Kyle Fried, scoring two takedowns in the first minute of 7-3 pigtail round win.
Fried beat Mueller, 6-4, in sudden victory in late November. Fried scored two escapes in the first period and another in the third period, but didn't threaten the Cyclone on his feet. Mueller scored a takedown in the final seconds for the final margin of victory.

Mueller then beat Columbia senior Anthony Constantino, 12-3, again starting strong and scoring quickly. Twenty seconds into the match, Mueller secured a takedown, pulling Constantino by his foot off the edge of the mat before covering his hips.

Mueller scored another takedown in the first period. He added another in the second and two in the third period to earn Iowa State's first bonus points of the tournament.

Second-round opponent: 2006 NCAA Champion Dustin Schlatter. Mueller lost an 8-1 decision to the second-seeded Minnesota junior in early December.

157 pounds - Cyler Sanderson (29-4)
Sanderson topped Bloomsburg sophomore Matt Moley, 11-6, after jumping out to an early lead.
The Cyclone sophomore scored a takedown 35 seconds into the match. After an escape by Moley, Sanderson lifted the Huskie, adjusted his hold and brought Moley down to his back, scoring a takedown and a near-fall to build a 6-1 advantage.

Moley scored two near-fall points in the second and a takedown in the third period. Sanderson's other five points came off two escapes, a second-period takedown and a riding time advantage.

Second-round opponent: Missouri junior Michael Chandler (16-3). A rematch of the Big 12 finals will take place as seeded. Chandler beat Sanderson, 11-5, in a February dual, but Sanderson scored a takedown in the final 30 seconds of the Big 12 final to win a 6-5 decision. The Tiger is seeded 10th and edged Lehigh senior David Nakasone, 5-3, in the first round.

165 pounds - Jon Reader (27-7)
Reader showed his nerves early in his first-round match, taking off-balance shot and nearly giving up back points to Bucknell sophomore Andrew Rendos.
The Cyclone freshman scored a takedown later in the first period. Reader added a reversal and a three-point near-fall in the second period in an 8-2 win.

Second-round opponent: 11th-seeded Kent State senior Kurt Gross [29-5]. Gross knocked off Indiana sophomore Matt Caughlin, 6-3, in the first round.

174 pounds - Aron Scott (13-11)
Scott earned a trip to the second-round of the tournament with a 2-0 decision over George Mason's Randy Oates.
Scott rode the senior out in the second period and escape in the third for the victory. Oates picked up a single-leg shot late in the match and threatened to score, but Scott broke out of it an won the match.
This is the Cyclone senior's first trip to the NCAA Tournament.

Second-round opponent: 3rd-seeded Nebraska junior Brandon Browne. The Cornhusker beat Scott, 7-3, in the final dual of the season.

184 pounds - Jake Varner (26-0)
Varner found himself on his butt early on in the match, as Penn junior Lion Zamir got in on a deep shot in the first period.
The No. 1 seeded Cyclone sophomore held on and a stalemate was called. Varner won, 6-0, in his typical, controlling fashion. He scored a takedown off a shuck-by in the first period. In the third, Zamir attempted a shot, but Varner just pushed him back, sending Zamir stumbling. Varner covered for a takedown and scoring a riding time point.
Zamir must be tired off the NCAA bracketologists: he lost to Varner in the first round last year too.

Second-round opponent: Stanford sophomore Zack Giesen (23-8). Giessen pinned Liberty's Chris Daggett in 6:27 to advance.

197 pounds - David Bertolino (23-11)
Bertolino broke open a close match in the second period, scoring a reversal and a two-point near-fall against Edinboro sophomore Patrick Bradshaw in a 10-0 major decision.
Bradshaw started down in the third period and tried to sit out for an escape. Bertolino caught him and pulled his shoulders to the mat for a two-point near-fall. The Cyclone senior used his signature ride, the bent-leg turk, to work Bradshaw for the rest of the period, scoring three more near-fall points.

Second-round opponent: 3rd-seeded Northwestern senior Mike Tamillow (31-3). Tamillow over-powered Bertolino in a 10-4 decision at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals in mid-January. The Wildcat edged Arizona State senior Jason Trulson in the opening round.

Heavyweight - David Zabriskie (26-5)
Zabriskie scored two takedowns and a two-point near-fall in the third period to claim a 10-3 victory over Cal-State Bakersfield sophomore Mitch Monteiro.
Zabriskie broke a single-leg hold and circled Monteiro for a takedown in the second period. The Cyclone sophomore landed a shot late in the second period, but Monteiro countered with a throw, sending Zabriskie hurdling off the mat. With the match tied at two to start the third, Zabriskie had 57 seconds of riding time in his favor. He escaped three seconds into the frame.

Second-round opponent: 10th-seeded Pittsburgh junior Zach Sheaffer (30-7), who Zabriskie beat, 3-2, in the consolation bracket of the Midlands Championships in late December. Sheaffer pinned Boise State's Nick Smith in 4:11.