Iowa State wrestling beats Northern Iowa 19-12 before near-record McLeod Center crowd

CEDAR FALLS — Make that four in a row for the Cyclones.

In front of a near-record wrestling crowd here inside the McLeod Center, the ninth-ranked Iowa State wrestling team beat 18th-ranked Northern Iowa, 19-12. The Cyclones are now 15-2 overall this season and 7-0 against Big 12 opponents. The Panthers drop to 7-4 and 5-3.

The announced crowd of 5,754 — one of the the largest wrestling crowds ever at the McLeod Center — saw the Cyclones win six of 10 matches, including four of the final five, to notch their fourth consecutive win over Northern Iowa.

Here's a match-by-match rundown of what happened.

125 pounds: Kyle Gollhofer (UNI) dec. Ethan Perryman (ISU), 8-6

The lightweights set a frenetic pace to this dual. There were three ties — at 2-2, 4-4, 6-6 — and three lead changes in an action-packed seven minutes, including two ties and two lead changes in the third period alone. But Gollhofer connected for a takedown out of a scramble near the edge with 19 seconds left for a crucial swing-match victory to give the Panthers the early lead.

133: #21 Zach Redding (ISU) dec. #11 Kyle Biscoglia (UNI), 4-2 (SV)

This matchup didn't come close to the pace of the 125-pound bout. After a scoreless first period, Redding connected on a reversal in the second period for a 2-0 lead. Biscoglia leveled the match with a pair of escapes, but Redding kept his feet running for a go-behind score just 38 seconds into sudden victory. Big win here for the Cyclones, who leveled the dual at 3-3 after two weights.

141: #9 Cael Happel (UNI) dec. Casey Swiderski (ISU), 4-3

The fireworks returned at 141 pounds. Swiderski looked up to the task early, scoring a first-period takedown and hand-fighting hard with Happel throughout the match. But Happel's gas tank is something fierce, and he finally found an opening for a takedown with 50 seconds left in the third period and rode out to win. Happel stood up and flexed to his coaches afterward. His win gave the Panthers a 6-3 lead.

A group of kids stood next to the Northern Iowa bench during the dual. After Happel won, he came back out to watch the next match and signed autographs. Even gave a kid his shirt. Pretty cool moment.

149: #10 Paniro Johnson (ISU) dec. Adam Allard (UNI), 3-1

No Colin Realbuto for Northern Iowa on this night, so Adam Allard, a three-time state champ from West Sioux, gets the nod against Paniro Johnson. Allard hand-fought hard and held position fairly well. He earned his escape in the third period to tie the match at 1-1, but he let up for a split-second and Johnson capitalized for a takedown in the finals seconds for a 3-1 win — which forced the second tie of the night, at 6-6 after four matches.

157: #21 Derek Holschlag (UNI) dec. #27 Jason Kraisser (ISU), 4-1

The back and forth continues, with Holschlag scoring a takedown in the first period and tacks on a couple of back points during a second-period rideout, which was enough to win this one and give Northern Iowa a 9-6 lead at the break. Kraisser erased riding time in the third and nearly turned Holschlag in the final minute of the match, but the decision to ride out was a curious one, if only because Kraisser needed more than just nearfall to win.

165: #2 David Carr (ISU) maj. dec. #13 Austin Yant (UNI), 20-6

David Carr scored seven takedowns in an impressive major decision over Austin Yant, a guy who had only given up two bonus-point losses in the last two seasons. Carr led 8-1 after two takedowns and a tilt in the first period, added two more takedowns in the second, then three more in the third, including one on the edge as time expired. Carr's win also gives Iowa State its first lead of the night, 10-9 with four weights remaining.

After Carr's match, he took a selfie with a group of kids that watched the dual behind Iowa State's bench. Another really cool moment inside a jam-packed McLeod Center.

174: MJ Gaitan (ISU) dec. #24 Lance Runyon (UNI), 9-5

The NCAA afforded true freshmen, and only true freshmen, the ability to compete in five dates and still maintain their redshirts this season. Gaitan, a true freshmen from California, used his fifth and final date on Friday night, and made it a memorable one in a come-from-behind win over Lance Runyon. Runyon scored a takedown late in the first period and carried a 3-0 lead into the third, but Gaitan erupted for two takedowns in the final minute. On the second one, he took Runyon to his back on the edge for four nearfall. A big, big win for the Cyclones, who increased their lead to 13-9 with three matches left.

184: #2 Parker Keckeisen (UNI) dec. #4 Marcus Coleman (ISU), 7-5

A top-five matchup that lived up to the hype. Keckeisen muscled out a 7-5 win to improve to 3-0 over Coleman during their college careers. Coleman scored the first takedown, but Keckeisen came back with his own takedown to tie it 3-3 in the first, then another in the second for a 6-3 lead. Coleman added a reversal in the third then brought the heat on their feet while looking a bit labored on his feet. We could see these two wrestle each other again in the Big 12 finals next month — and maybe even in the NCAA semifinals, depending on the final seeds. But Keckeisen's win on Friday made the team score 13-12, Iowa State, with two matches left.

197: #5 Yonger Bastida (ISU) dec. Wyatt Voelker (UNI), 12-6

Wyatt Voelker hoped to crate some of the same true freshman magic that Gaitan conjured a couple matches earlier, but Yonger Bastida, a returning All-American, overwhelmed Voelker by scoring five takedowns and ultimately cruising to victory. Voelker fought hard, and nearly scored a takedown on the edge late in the match, but Bastida is so good defending with his leg in the air.

285: #9 Sam Schuyler (ISU) dec. #15 Tyrell Gordon (UNI), 4-1

Sam Schuyler, like he has all year, eliminates any last-match drama for Iowa State with a workmanlike 4-0 win over Tyrell Gordon, clinching the dual for the Cyclones. A quick takedown in the first, an escape in the second, plus another point for riding-time did the trick.

After trailing 9-6 at half, Iowa State wins four of the final five to defeat Northern Iowa, 19-12.

Cody Goodwin covers wrestling and high school sports for the Des Moines Register. Follow him on Twitter at @codygoodwin.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa State wrestling beats Northern Iowa at McLeod Center