Sunday’s Iowa-Iowa State Wrestling Dual Will Mark a Television First

It's always fun when Iowa and Iowa State meet on the mat, and this Sunday's dual meet will feature two programs that are both ranked in the top ten nationally. To be more exact, they're both ranked in the top eight.

When the Hawkeyes and Cyclones meet at Hilton Coliseum in Ames on Sunday, the teams will look different than fans expected months ago due to a number of competitors being suspended for gambling.

The Cyclones will be without sophomore Paniro Johnson, last year's 149-pound Big 12 champion. He remains on the Iowa State roster.

The Hawkeyes lost nearly half of their starting lineup with Abe Assad (184 pounds), Nelson Brands (174 pounds), Tony Cassioppi (heavyweight), and Cobe Siebrecht (157 pounds) all sidelined. They're all seniors.

Iowa's Real Woods (top left above) and Iowa State's David Carr (top right above) are both expected to wrestle on Sunday. Woods finished 2nd at 133 pounds in the NCAA Championships in March, while Carr was the NCAA runner-up at 165 pounds last season.

Woods has moved up to 141 pounds this season, where he's ranked number one, while Carr stayed at 165 pounds and is ranked second nationally.

The Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series dual between Iowa and Iowa State begins at 2 p.m. Sunday and will be televised live by ESPN. The TV network is in its 44th year, but Sunday's meet between the Hawkeyes and Cyclones will be the first regular season dual ever televised by ESPN. They picked a good one.

The visiting Hawkeyes are ranked 4th nationally in this week's NWCA (National Wrestling Coaches Association) Coaches Poll, while Iowa State is ranked 8th. Iowa comes into the meet with a 2-0 record, including a 25-11 win over #16 Oregon State last weekend. Iowa State is 3-0, including a dominating 42-0 victory over #18 Wisconsin last weekend.

Iowa State has lost 18 in-a-row in the series, with their last win coming in December of 2004.