The following is a press release courtesy of Iowa State athletics communications.
AMES, Iowa – The Iowa State wrestling team (4-0, 1-0 Big 12) had 12 top-five finishes at the Harold Nichols Cyclone Open Saturday, led by No. 4 Michael Moreno who took home the 165-pound title with a 9-3 decision over No. 15 Daniel Zilverberg of Minnesota.
Moreno successfully defended his 2012 Harold Nichols Cyclone Open title, finishing the day 5-0 with two pins and a major decision. The Urbandale, Iowa, native improved is season record to 8-0 overall. The redshirt junior did not trail once in his five matches.
Four Cyclones took home runner-up finishes: No. 3 Kyven Gadson, No. 11 Tanner Weatherman, Gabe Moreno, and John Nicholson.
It was a top-five showdown at 197 pounds, as Gadson was pitted against No. 2 Scott Schiller. Gadson was unable to score the late takedown he needed, as Schiller held on to win a tight 3-2 match. The Waterloo, Iowa, native finished his day 3-1 with a 10-4 win and two pins. Gadson is now 6-1 overall on the season.
Redshirt sophomore Tanner Weatherman went 4-1 en route to his runner-up finish at 174 pounds. Weatherman, ranked No. 11 by InterMat, was defeated 9-1 by Minnesota’s No. 5 Logan Storely, who is a two-time All-American for the Gophers.
Redshirt freshman Lelund Weatherspoon was back at his normal weight of 174 pounds for today’s tournament. Weatherspoon went 5-1 en route to a third-place finish, picking up a fall and a major decision.
Weatherspoon’s title bid fell just short in the semifinals as he was defeated 8-6 by Storley in the second tiebreak period. The Jackson, Mich., native was pitted in a 5-2 hole before pulling off an impressive four-point move with 6 seconds remaining in the third period to take a 6-5 lead. Storely was awarded a point for riding time and that sent that much to overtime.
Transfer John Nicholson went 4-0 before being forced to medical forefeit the championship at 157 pounds to Joey LaVallee of Missouri. Redshirt sophomore Logan Molina also placed at 157, taking fourth after going 4-2 on the day.
141-pounder Gabe Moreno went 4-1 on the day, picking up a major decision and a pin before falling 17-7 in the championship match to No. 5 Chris Dardanes of Minnesota.
Iowa State had two top-five finishes at 125 pounds, as Earl Hall took third and Kyle Larson took fifth. Hall went 5-1 with two pins, including one that came in the first period of the consolation championship. Larson went 6-2 with a pin, major decision and tech fall.
Three Cyclones wrestling unattached finished in the top-five. Sophomore John Meeks went 5-1 en route to third-place at 141 pounds. His only loss came in the semifinals to eventual champion Chris Dardanes. True freshman Dane Pestano (197) and Blayne Briceno (149) each took fifth respectively.
Iowa State hits the road next Sunday to take on Old Dominion (2-1, 0-0 MAC). Wrestling begins at 12 p.m. CDT from the Ted Constant Center.
