Moore and Moreno highlight in-state rivalry

University of Iowa's Nick Moore and Iowa State's Michael Moreno have crossed paths in the past.

The last meeting, however, sent their roads in opposite directions. Moore's led to an early exit at the NCAA Championships in March, while Moreno continued to an All-American finish and a high national ranking to open this season.

The 165-pound duo is expected to battle again when fourth-ranked Iowa travels to face No. 15 Iowa State for an annual dual between programs with rich traditions Sunday at Hilton Coliseum in Ames. Competition is set for 2 p.m. and will be televised live on Cyclone.tv through Mediacom.

Moore, ranked as high as seventh, and Moreno, ranked third in two of three polls, split last year. Moore beat Moreno, 3-2, the early-season dual, and Moreno won by two in the opening round of the national tournament.

“It's a good opportunity,” said Moore, who is 2-0 with two pins. “It's good that it's this early in the year. He's a good kid ranked high (and) he wrestled at the all-star dual. It will be good to see where I'm at this year.”

Moreno (9-0) finished sixth last season with a 31-10 mark, completing a tremendous turnaround after winning just four matches as a freshman. Moore dismissed the idea he might have served as a springboard for the Cyclone, but the loss stings like any other.

“I think you take all losses a little personal,” Moore said. “You want to get them back. It's one of those things you have to wait your turn and wait for the situation to comeback up and be ready to go next time.

“That's what I have to do. I have to be ready to go.”

Time to right the wrong, and that relies on wrestling longer and harder in all facets of the match.

“Even the match we won last year we didn't wrestle the entire match and we need to do that,” Iowa Coach Tom Brands said. “We're going to have to come off the bottom, we're going to have to ride tough and we're going to have to wrestle seven minutes hard in all positions.”

In the last bout, Moreno owned more than a two-minute advantage in riding time. Moore's offense was limited on his feet in the two contests with time elapsing as he tried to finish a tying takedown in the second.

“I've got to want to score more,” Moore said. “I want to keep scoring. I think maybe I got two takedowns total in the two matches last year. That's got to go up.”

Moreno expects the aggressive and physical Hawkeyes style. He said he will have to dictate the action of the match and wrestle to his strengths.

"They're going to try to out handfight you and try to out-tough you,” Moreno said. “I don't think he's going to be able to do that to me, especially this year. I think I have momentum on my side and I think if I can just bring my game plan to the table and execute it, it's going to kind of suffocate him. He's not going to have a lot of room to do what he wants to do."

The Hawkeyes have won nine straight duals against the Cyclones and own a 61-16-2 edge in the series. Iowa will try to maintain the Dan Gable Traveling Trophy, which is named after the legendary Iowa Coach and former Iowa State NCAA champion. Brands is 8-0 against the Cyclones.

Moore knows what is at stake beyond his individual goal.

“I grew up loving the Iowa Hawkeyes,” Moore said. “I know this is a big dual for a lot of people (and) a lot of fans across Iowa so I know it's a special time of year.”

Red-shirt freshman Cory Clark is making his first appearance in the rivalry. He was a four-time Iowa prep state champ for Southeast Polk, which is in Central Iowa. He is taking over at 125, replacing NCAA champion Matt McDonough, who made a strong impression with his first match at Hilton.

“It's exciting,” Clark said. “It will just be fun to go out and compete against the Cyclones. They're a team I personally think our team likes to compete against and beat.”

The dual could have three matchups of ranked wrestlers. It all depends if Boaz Beard (184) makes his first appearance of the season. Beard is ranked in the top eight nationally, while Iowa's Ethen Lofthouse is ranked in the top two in all three national polls. The Hawkeyes' sixth-ranked Mike Evans could face Tanner Weatherman, who is as high as eighth at 174.

“I know they feel good about their team,” Brands said about the Cyclones. “They feel good about this dual. They do every year. It's another opportunity to go into Ames, Iowa, and see where we stack up. Get ready for a big match.”

Iowa is 3-0, opening with three dominant wins over non-Division I programs. Iowa State is 5-0. Brands said the Hawkeyes are a little ahead of last year at this point, working at a quicker pace and finishing moves faster to avoid struggles to score. He said they have to believe in their ability and do it with “gusto” on Sunday.

“It means awareness is heightened and there's not so much time when you execute a hold,” Brands said. “It's not like a grind just to get a takedown. There's a lot of things that were explosive and exciting and we have to continue that.”