Weatherman’s last-second win gives Iowa State momentum in win

AMES - Kevin Jackson knew how important of a match the 174-weight class would be, not just for Iowa State, but for Tanner Weatherman.

Weatherman has been dinged up and entered his match with Zach Epperly coming off a loss to Penn last weekend. With Epperly leading by one in the final seconds, Weatherman saw his opening with Epperly's legs for the takedown, scoring with six seconds left to win the match 4-3.

'We lost to a kid last weekend that we had no business losing to,” Jackson said. 'If Tanner would have lost this match today, it would have had a negative effect on him going forward.”

But Weatherman dodged the adversity as No. 13 Iowa State beat No. 6 Virginia Tech 21-12 on Sunday in Hilton Coliseum. It was the first win for the Cyclones (6-1) since they beat No. 6 Cornell on Jan. 31, 2010.

'With that win, I knew that was going to determine whether or not we could win the dual and Tanner competed,” 133-pounder Earl Hall said of his teammate. 'Tanner doesn't give up, Tanner doesn't go down without a fight and not go out swinging.”

Weatherman's win at 174 came off the heels of bonus point victories by Luke Goettl at 157 pounds and Michael Moreno at 165, after Virginia Tech took a 6-0 lead in the dual after the first two matches.

Goettl controlled the match in the first period with two takedowns, and a near fall in the second gave him a 7-1 advantage, with a stalling call and riding time in the third aiding his 11-1 win against Jake Spengler.

Moreno controlled his match from the beginning to earn his major decision 9-1 against Chad Strube, not surrendering the point until the final minute of the match. Kyven Gadson beat Jared Haught in the 197-pound bout 10-2 for the third match in which Iowa State was awarded bonus points.

'I thought the guys did a good job focusing on what they could control and that was their own effort,” Jackson said. 'Bonus points are big, that's why we beat them is pretty much our bonus points.”

The dual win holds significance for Iowa State also, as the Cyclones will start Big 12 competition next Sunday in Ames against Oklahoma State. It was the few toss up matches that came to the aid of Iowa State against the Hokies, and Jackson felt like there still is some fuel left in the tank with some of the guys in the lineup to bring more effort.

'I know our team is as good as most, if not any,” Jackson said. 'We have six guys in the lineup that can beat anybody in the country on any day. If you have that in a dual meet format, it gives yourself a chance to win dual matches.”