Varner ready to defend title

OMAHA, Neb. - Iowa State's Jake Varner doesn't put a lot of stock into seeds or rankings.

After all, when he was a sophomore he owned the No. 1 spot at 184, but finished second for the second straight year. Last year, he entered the tournament as the second seed and defeated the top seed Craig Brester of Nebraska at 197 for his first national title.

The Cyclones' top-seeded 197-pounder will look for his second NCAA title and attempt to be a four-time national finalist at the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships today at the Qwest Center.

“I guess it doesn't really matter where you're seeded in this tournament,” Varner said. “Anything can happen. You just take it one match at a time, one step at a time, and wherever you're at you just take it for what it's worth.”

Now that he owns a national crown and is the top dog again, Varner doesn't feel any added pressure.

“Nobody has won it yet,” Varner said. “Everyone is here competing the same. Everything that has happened in the past, that's the past. That has no factor now.”

The past has merged with the present in the practice room, however, allowing Varner to learn from former coach Cael Sanderson and first-year head coach Kevin Jackson. He compared himself to a sponge soaking in knowledge.

“I guess I would say going from one Olympic gold medalist to another, I've been fortunate to have that, to be able to pick from both of their brains,” said Varner. “Obviously, they have a little different style, but they have a lot of similarities too. It's just someone else to learn from and really see how they train, how they did things and how they wrestled.”

Jackson has suggested all season that Varner, who gained confidence from wrestling overseas at last years World Championships, could be the best wrestler at the collegiate level. He could become Iowa State's second four-time finalist, joining Sanderson who was a four-time national champ for the Cyclones.

“He is out to completely dominate, to pin the guy, beat him by 15 or major decision him,” Jackson said. “I just think with his past credentials, I think with his overall ability - his size, his strength, his technical skills - and what he's been doing on the mat for the last four years and especially what he is doing on the mat now has put him in position to be the best guy in the country.”

Varner (26-0) and No. 2 seed Brester (26-2) have developed a strong rivalry. Varner holds a 5-1 advantage, including a 5-2 win in the Big 12 finals a little more than a week ago. Varner said he doesn't know if Brester is gunning for him.

“If you're looking at the guy you're going to wrestle in the finals, you're probably not going to make the finals,” Varner said “Everyone is probably gunning for everybody in my opinion. Just worry about that first match.”