Bonus points lift Iowa over Iowa State in Cy-Hawk Series wrestling dual

IOWA CITY — The dual between Iowa and Iowa State rarely disappoints and the latest installment was as entertaining as any in the rivalry.

It had it all — great performances, exciting returns, energetic exchanges and heated battles.

Oh, and the wrestling on the mat was fun to watch as well.

In another memorable meeting, the teams split 10 bouts, but major decisions from three-time NCAA champion Spencer Lee, Cobe Siebrecht and Nelson Brands provided the difference in the second-ranked Hawkeyes’ 18-15 victory over No. 7 Iowa State Sunday in front of a sold out crowd at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

Tony Cassioppi closed with a decision at heavyweight, giving Iowa its 18th straight win in the Cy-Hawk Series and moving Iowa to 17-0 under Coach Tom Brands in the rivalry and 12-0 since the inception of the Dan Gable Traveling Trophy.

“An important win for our program,” Coach Brands said. “All the chatter, haven’t addressed that, yet, either. It’s about our guys. The chatter is for the fans. We love it and they love it, so great.”

One of the top questions before the meet was whether graduate transfer and former Stanford All-American Real Woods or Lee would take the mat. Both made their season debuts.

Lee said he found out Saturday that he was going to wrestle. He has been training as if his return would be soon. Plus, it’s Iowa-Iowa State.

“Honestly, it was day by day,” Lee said. “We didn’t know what the plan was. I had intention to wrestle this dual because I knew it would be a good one. Just the basis of the dual is a good one. The history. I love watching the old matches from the ‘80s. It’s awesome.”

Lee was his typical takedown-and-tilt self in a 16-5 major decision over Corey Cabanban at 125 pounds to start the meet. He jumped to a 12-2 lead in the first, tallying two takedowns and two sets of four nearfall. He did surrender a takedown

“It felt good, man,” Lee said about his first match since undergoing knee surgery to repair both anterior cruciate ligaments at the start of the calendar year. “You have to blow those lungs out in Carver. It’s a different place to compete. I’m appreciative of fighting and getting that first match out of the way my senior year. My last year wrestling (in college).”

Lee said he heard the loud ovation from the home crowd when he emerged, but he was focused on his match and getting his hands on the opponent. Lee said he was happy to compete in front of the raucous home crowd.

“It was awesome because I think it’s the first time I have had fans in Carver since maybe early 2020,” Lee said. “It was a lot of fun. The fans showed up. I was really appreciative that we packed that arena. For me, it was very exciting to be back in that arena again with fans packed in it.”

Woods had a tighter match than Lee, but was also successful in his Iowa debut. He used a penalty point, riding time from a second-period rideout and two escapes for a 4-2 decision over Casey Swiderski at 141.

“As a competitor, I always feel like I can always do better,” Woods said. “I believe I handled that match pretty well. I think you can see more out of me in the future. First match but no excuses. I’m content with that match. We’re moving forward. Not satisfied. Ready to go.”

Woods and Swiderski exchanged words after the bout and had to be separated by officials. After the match, he jumped across the mat and lifted his arms to pump up the frenzied Iowa crowd.

“Just thinking about the energy in the arena, imagining it in my head beforehand,” Woods said. “You hear stories but there’s nothing like really experiencing it.

“I wanted to get the crowd into it. I love those fans. They gave me energy. I just want to give that energy back.”

The dual was a back-and-forth affair. The Cyclones answered each of those Iowa wins with 3-1 decisions by Ramazan Attasauov (133) and 149-pounder Paniro Johnson. Johnson scored a takedown in overtime to defeat No. 6 Max Murin, pulling Iowa State within 7-6.

Iowa received more bonus points from Cobe Siebrecht at 157. Siebrecht cinched up a bodylock for a huge six-point throw in the first period and added a takedown and rideout for riding time, recording a 10-2 major decision over Jason Kraisser. Iowa led 11-6 at the midway point.

Nelson Brands used four takedowns and two nearfall with riding time for a 13-5 major decision over M.J. Gaitan at 174, resulting in the Iowa 174-pounder giving the Iowa State corner a thumbs down and turning to the Iowa corner to give a thumbs up with a 15-9 lead and three matches left.

“Five and five in matches, I believe. Bonus points (were the difference),” Coach Brands said. “We have to wrestle better. We took it maybe pace-wise from a couple of their guys. Always things to work on.”

The Hawkeyes (6-0) finished with a 14-0 edge in back points and 5-1 advantage in riding-time points. Three of those contributed to bonus points for the team.

“I look at Siebrecht — bonus points,” Brands said. “I look at Spencer Lee — bonus points. I look at Nelson Brands — bonus points. Nearfall (in each). If that’s riding, then yes. It’s more nearfall though. It’s not a slow, drawn-out, long type of ride.”

Iowa State (5-1) received decisions from David Carr at 165, 184-pounder Marcus Coleman and Yonger Bastida at 197.

Bastida scored two early takedowns and fended off a Warner takedown attempt for the last 20 seconds for a 4-3 decision, which included a coach from each team pointing at each other during a late review. Warner and Bastida also exchanged words, ending with Bastida blowing a kiss toward Warner and the Iowa corner.

Cassioppi closed with a 9-2 decision to close another classic Cy-Hawk Series dual.

“Bonus points were the difference,” Iowa State Coach Kevin Dresser said. “A lot of scrapping. A lot of good things. I told my team in the locker room that I loved their effort. I thought both teams gave a really great effort. I guess you get that in a rivalry.

“We wrestled really hard.”

AT IOWA CITY

Iowa 18, Iowa State 15

(Individual takedowns in parentheses)

125 pounds – Spencer Lee (I) major dec. Corey Cabanban, 16-5 (3,1); 133 – Ramazan Attasauov (ISU) dec. Cullan Schriever, 3-1 (1,0); 141 – Real Woods (I) dec. Casey Swiderski, 4-2 (0,1); 149 – Paniro Johnson (ISU) dec. Max Murin, 3-1 (1,0); 157 – Cobe Siebrecht (I) major dec. Jason Kraisser, 10-2 (2,0); 165 – David Carr (ISU) dec. Patrick Kennedy, 10-4 (4,0); 174 – Nelson Brands (I) major dec. M.J. Gaitan, 13-5 (4,1); 184 – Marcus Coleman (ISU) dec. Abe Assad, 3-2 (1,0); 197 – Yonger Bastida (ISU) dec. Jacob Warner, 4-3 (2,0); Hwt. – Tony Cassioppi (I) dec. Sam Schuyler, 9-2 (3,1)

MEETS STATISTICS

Takedowns – Iowa State 13, Iowa 12. Reversals – Iowa State 0, Iowa 0. Escapes – Iowa State 12, Iowa 18. Nearfall points – Iowa State 0, Iowa 14. Penalty points (awarded) – Iowa State 0, Iowa 2. Riding-time points – Iowa State 1, Iowa 5. Attendance – 14,905.