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What's in a number??
For two of the nation's most distinguished wrestling programs -- Iowa and Iowa State -- nothing.
Not in December, anyway.
"If you put all your eggs in one basket in just this match and you lose, you don't want it to ruin your whole season," said Iowa State's NCAA champ Jake Varner, whose No. 2 Cyclones host the top-ranked and two-time defending national champion Hawkeyes at 6 p.m. Sunday at Hilton Coliseum in Ames.
According to rankings used by The Des Moines Register, this dual will be the first since 1999 in which the in-state rivals have occupied the No. 1 and No. 2 spots.
"There's a lot on the line for the future, being the No. 1 guy at your weight class or moving up in that direction," said Iowa coach Tom Brands, who played a key role in helping the Hawkeyes win two No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchups over the Cyclones in 1992.
"There's opportunities there. You're going to see a lot of the best wrestlers in the country. Other than that, it's a very interesting dual from a fan's point of view. That is important, but from our point of view it's very much a proving ground. It's very much a midterm, so to speak. It's a test."
• In 1999, the Cyclones stood atop the rankings and Iowa's Mike Zadick wanted to knock them off.
He got his wish by starting the dual with a 9-6 victory over Bill Maldonado. The Hawkeyes went on to win 24-12.
"Back then, Tom Brands was an assistant at the time and was very influential, kind of a personal coach to me," Zadick said. "He always talked about a spark plug, getting off on the right foot ... It was a positive that we had somebody who started things off right, and it was an opportunity for me at that meet because at the time they had Cael Sanderson and Joe Heskett."
Sanderson and Heskett posted wins for Iowa State, but Iowa's Doug Schwab helped the Hawkeyes prevail.
• Cyclones coach Kevin Jackson will experience the rivalry for the first time as a coach. He captained Iowa State's last national championship team in 1987, a season in which the Cyclones split duals with Iowa.
At that time, his roommate was two-time national champ Tim Krieger, who enjoyed the home-and-away series Iowa and Iowa State wrestled each season.
"They were all good," Krieger, now in Minneapolis, said of the matchups. "They were always a lot of fun, and we usually filled it up pretty good."
The tenor of the rivalry hasn't changed from then to now -- and it usually begins with a pen in hand.
"It's just a great opportunity to find out where you're at as team against the No. 1 team in the country, the two-time defending champions," Jackson said of Sunday's matchup. "So, definitely we circled it. I know they circled it on their calendar. It's a big part of the sport and its one of the reasons that I'm happy to be here, because it is a strong challenge."
• Another set of No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchups took place in 1992. Iowa won both, and eventually secured one of its 22 national titles.
Steve Hamilton furnished the Cyclones a key victory in the Feb. 9, 1992, dual loss to the Hawkeyes, upending then-defending national champ Mark Reiland -- who now is the coach at Class 3-A power West High.
Terry Brands, now an Iowa assistant, started Iowa's charge with a pin of Rick Williams and his brother, Tom, added fuel with a 21-6 win by technical fall.
More intensity about the rivalry exists now for Terry Brands, at least.
"This is way more important for me than it was as a competitor," he said. "And it's way more important to me than it was last year, and it's way more important to me than it was when I flew in for the first (Tom) Brands vs. Sanderson one (as coaches), when I flew in from Colorado for that. And next year ... It has to be that way. I have to be more excited next year, and I'm sure I will be, although I can't speak for next year yet."
• As for this season, Iowa State hopes to end a four-dual skid in the series. The Cyclones have been close, losing by seven or fewer points in three of those defeats.
But those numbers also fade into history as wrestlers gear up for another go-round in the nation's top rivalry.
It's important -- but it's December.
"Like coach (Jackson) was saying the other day, it's probably going to take an hour and a half for the entire dual meet," Varner said. "After that hour and a half, it's over. It's the past, it's history. Whatever happens, happens, win or lose.
"You have to look forward to the NCAA Tournament and your next match coming up. It's something you have to force yourself to bounce back from, win or lose, and learn from it."
What's in a number??
For two of the nation's most distinguished wrestling programs -- Iowa and Iowa State -- nothing.
Not in December, anyway.
"If you put all your eggs in one basket in just this match and you lose, you don't want it to ruin your whole season," said Iowa State's NCAA champ Jake Varner, whose No. 2 Cyclones host the top-ranked and two-time defending national champion Hawkeyes at 6 p.m. Sunday at Hilton Coliseum in Ames.
According to rankings used by The Des Moines Register, this dual will be the first since 1999 in which the in-state rivals have occupied the No. 1 and No. 2 spots.
"There's a lot on the line for the future, being the No. 1 guy at your weight class or moving up in that direction," said Iowa coach Tom Brands, who played a key role in helping the Hawkeyes win two No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchups over the Cyclones in 1992.
"There's opportunities there. You're going to see a lot of the best wrestlers in the country. Other than that, it's a very interesting dual from a fan's point of view. That is important, but from our point of view it's very much a proving ground. It's very much a midterm, so to speak. It's a test."
• In 1999, the Cyclones stood atop the rankings and Iowa's Mike Zadick wanted to knock them off.
He got his wish by starting the dual with a 9-6 victory over Bill Maldonado. The Hawkeyes went on to win 24-12.
"Back then, Tom Brands was an assistant at the time and was very influential, kind of a personal coach to me," Zadick said. "He always talked about a spark plug, getting off on the right foot ... It was a positive that we had somebody who started things off right, and it was an opportunity for me at that meet because at the time they had Cael Sanderson and Joe Heskett."
Sanderson and Heskett posted wins for Iowa State, but Iowa's Doug Schwab helped the Hawkeyes prevail.
• Cyclones coach Kevin Jackson will experience the rivalry for the first time as a coach. He captained Iowa State's last national championship team in 1987, a season in which the Cyclones split duals with Iowa.
At that time, his roommate was two-time national champ Tim Krieger, who enjoyed the home-and-away series Iowa and Iowa State wrestled each season.
"They were all good," Krieger, now in Minneapolis, said of the matchups. "They were always a lot of fun, and we usually filled it up pretty good."
The tenor of the rivalry hasn't changed from then to now -- and it usually begins with a pen in hand.
"It's just a great opportunity to find out where you're at as team against the No. 1 team in the country, the two-time defending champions," Jackson said of Sunday's matchup. "So, definitely we circled it. I know they circled it on their calendar. It's a big part of the sport and its one of the reasons that I'm happy to be here, because it is a strong challenge."
• Another set of No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchups took place in 1992. Iowa won both, and eventually secured one of its 22 national titles.
Steve Hamilton furnished the Cyclones a key victory in the Feb. 9, 1992, dual loss to the Hawkeyes, upending then-defending national champ Mark Reiland -- who now is the coach at Class 3-A power West High.
Terry Brands, now an Iowa assistant, started Iowa's charge with a pin of Rick Williams and his brother, Tom, added fuel with a 21-6 win by technical fall.
More intensity about the rivalry exists now for Terry Brands, at least.
"This is way more important for me than it was as a competitor," he said. "And it's way more important to me than it was last year, and it's way more important to me than it was when I flew in for the first (Tom) Brands vs. Sanderson one (as coaches), when I flew in from Colorado for that. And next year ... It has to be that way. I have to be more excited next year, and I'm sure I will be, although I can't speak for next year yet."
• As for this season, Iowa State hopes to end a four-dual skid in the series. The Cyclones have been close, losing by seven or fewer points in three of those defeats.
But those numbers also fade into history as wrestlers gear up for another go-round in the nation's top rivalry.
It's important -- but it's December.
"Like coach (Jackson) was saying the other day, it's probably going to take an hour and a half for the entire dual meet," Varner said. "After that hour and a half, it's over. It's the past, it's history. Whatever happens, happens, win or lose.
"You have to look forward to the NCAA Tournament and your next match coming up. It's something you have to force yourself to bounce back from, win or lose, and learn from it."