DETROIT, Mich. — The state of Iowa’s two Big 12 wrestling programs both finished in the top-20 at this week’s NCAA Championships, but they both got there by taking opposite paths through this three-day rollercoaster of a tournament.
Iowa State and Northern Iowa locked up 17th and 20th place, respectively, this week and combined for four total All-Americans — three for the Cyclones, and just one for the Panthers.
Let’s start with Iowa State, who started slow and finished strong this week — slow being a 4-14 overall record during Thursday’s first two sessions; strong being a 15-3 record the rest of the way.