About Iowa State Cyclones Wrestling

One of the most legendary programs in all of college sports resides in Ames, Iowa. Since their establishment in 1916, the Iowa State Cyclones wrestling program are proud winners of 17 conference titles, 69 individual national championships, and eight team national championships. The Cyclones are one of the most successful teams in all of collegiate wrestling, also boasting six Olympic gold medalists and some of the greatest names in the sport’s history.

Perhaps the two greatest college wrestlers of all time have grappled for the Cyclones. Dan Gable made national headlines with his dominance at Iowa State in the late 1960s and early ’70s, later winning gold at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich and becoming a legendary coach in his own right at the University of Iowa. Cael Sanderson went an unprecedented 159-0 in his career at Iowa State, winning four individual NCAA championships, four Big 12 championships, three Dan Hodge Trophies, and a gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics before launching a successful coaching career at Iowa State and Penn State. 

The Iowa State wrestling legacy also includes coaches like Hugo Otopalik, who led what was then known as Iowa Agricultural College to their first NCAA title in 1933, and Dr. Harold Nichols, who coached Iowa State to their greatest period of success in the ’60s and ’70s. Kevin Dresser, who wrestled under Dan Gable at the University of Iowa and led Virginia Tech to two ACC tournament and three dual championships, was hired by Iowa State in 2017 to bring further glory to this established program.

The Cyclones call the 14,356-seat James H. Hilton Coliseum home. Opened in 1971, the Hilton Coliseum is also the proud home of Iowa State men’s and women’s basketball, women’s gymnastics, and women’s volleyball.