Iowa State Cyclones feel ‘locked in’ as they chase first Big 12 wrestling championship since 2009

AMES — Marcus Coleman has accomplished lot in six seasons on the mat for Iowa State.

But the four-time NCAA qualifier and 2022 All-American has yet to win a Big 12 championship — and he aims to change that this weekend in Tulsa, Okla.

“It’s definitely something that I’ve been eyeing,” said Coleman, the nation’s fourth-ranked 184-pounder. “It’s a huge goal of mine. It’s been a goal every year and I haven’t gotten it done, so I’m excited and ready to go.”

The same could be said for the rest of the fifth-ranked Cyclones, who haven’t won a Big 12 title since 2009. ISU finished third last season after racking up plenty of dual meet wins that didn’t translate into tournament success. Cyclones head coach Kevin Dresser expects that to change Saturday and Sunday at the Big 12 Championships and beyond.

“I think if you look at the rankings with our top-five guys, where we’re at this year versus last year is obviously much higher,” Dresser said. “We’re gonna need all 10 guys to chip in, but they’re gonna have to carry us not only though this weekend but through Tulsa (and the NCAAs) a second time.”

The Cyclones boast five top-10 wrestlers in Paniro Johnson (10th, 149), David Carr (No. 1, 165), Coleman, Yonger Bastida (No. 7, 197) and Sam Schuyler (No. 8, heavyweight).

Carr is poised to become ISU’s first four-time Big 12 champ since Cael Sanderson won four in a row from 1999-2002, but will likely have to beat No. 2 Keegan O’Toole of Missouri a second time this season to accomplish the four-peat. Carr beat then-No. 1 O’Toole, 7-2, in a dual meet last month.

“Just got a feel for him,” said Carr, who carries a 26-match win streak into the Big 12s. “I’ve made some adjustments this past week, some different things I’ll have to try to use the next time I wrestle him, but it was good to wrestle him. I’ll see him again. Obviously, one match at a time, and if I see him in the finals, I’ll see him in the finals.”

But what type of adjustments did Carr make?

“It’s a secret,” Carr said smiling. “Me and Dresser, we don’t want to — I can’t tell everybody, you know. You’ll just have to see it.”

It’s no secret that the Cyclones want to be better both this weekend and the following week when Tulsa hosts the national tournament, and Carr believes the team is poised to take a next step up in terms of postseason results.

“The adjustments I’ve seen, the focus, that’s what you want at the end of the year,” Carr said. “You want to see everybody locked in, very focused, very calm.”

That’s where Coleman finds himself as he stares down the Big 12 field one last time.

“I belong,” Coleman said. “Last year was when I made a big jump from the top 20 to where I’m right there with the best guys in the country. I just (have) more confidence, really.”

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