(Ames) Marcus Coleman has been named the NCAA Wrestler of the Week after a 2-1 performance at the Collegiate Duals in New Orleans last week, it was announced Tuesday morning.
Coleman responded to his first loss of the year by bumping up a weight class to 197 pounds to defeat a 2022 U23 World Silver Medalist and No. 23 Jacob Cardenas, and backed that up with a win over two-time defending national champion and top-ranked Aaron Brooks from Penn State.
Coleman used a big six-point move to counter a shot from Brooks and put the Nittany Lion on his back in the second period. Coleman nearly got the fall, but no call was made as the Ames native took a 6-3 lead into the final period. Brooks got back into the match with a takedown in the third period, but Coleman managed a reversal and held on to win, 9-7.
It marked the highest-ranked win of Coleman’s career.
Coleman’s victory over Cardenas was crucial in an 18-13 Iowa State victory over No. 12 Cornell in which three Cyclones bumped up a weight class, and all won, to advance to the blue pool championship dual.
No. 4 Iowa State is back in action Jan. 1-2 at the Southern Scuffle in Chattanooga, Tenn. The Cyclones return home Jan. 7 against Wyoming and Jan. 8 against No. 3 Arizona State.
