MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Sophomore Nick Kiussis picked up his second straight dual victory, as the West Virginia University wrestling team dropped a 36-3 contest to No. 16 Iowa State at the WVU Coliseum, in Morgantown, on Sunday afternoon.
 
Kiussis, who is ranked at No. 20 by Intermat, squared off with Logan Schumacher at 165 pounds. Following a scoreless first period, Schumacher chose to start the second in the defensive position, which allowed him to escape for the 1-0 advantage. Kiussis did not back down though, earning a quick escape in the third to knot the match at 1-1. Both wrestlers continued to scramble for a takedown, but it was Kiussis who came out on top with 13 seconds left, as he claimed the 3-2 decision to put the Mountaineers on the board. With the win, Kiussis has won seven of his last eight duals for a 16-5 record on the year.
 
The Cyclones started off with a win by fall at 197 pounds for the 6-0 lead before adding a win by decision in the heavyweight bout. Iowa State made it three in a row with another win by decision at 125 pounds for a 12-0 match advantage.
 
Redshirt sophomore Matthew Schmitt, who is ranked at No. 15 by Intermat, took on his second ranked opponent of the weekend, as he wrestled No. 7 Austin Gomez at 133 pounds. Schmitt notched an early takedown in the first period for the 2-1 lead. Gomez started the second on bottom, earning an escape, as well as a takedown, to put the score back in his favor, 4-1, following five minutes of action. Schmitt started the final frame in the defensive position, but Gomez used two nearfall points and another takedown for the 8-4 victory.
 
True freshman Caleb Rea came close to a pin in the 141-pound bout, as he took down No. 14 Ian Parker for four nearfall points in the second period. However, Parker used a last-minute reversal to tie the match at 7-7 heading into the final frame. Both wrestlers started on their feet, as Parker scored the first takedown for the 9-7 advantage and never looked back, eventually claiming a 14-9 decision over Rea to increase the Cyclones' lead to 18-0 at the break.
 
Wrestling at 149 pounds, redshirt senior Christian Monserrat, who is ranked at No. 16 by Intermat, dropped a hard-fought 6-3 decision to No. 11 Jarrett Degen. Monserrat scored a takedown right out the gate, but Degen escaped and countered with a takedown of his own for the 3-2 advantage. Degen elected to start the second on bottom, earning an escape and another takedown for the 6-2 edge. Monserrat escaped in the final frame, but there just wasn't enough time on the clock, as Degen walked away with the 6-3 decision.
 
Redshirt junior Zachary Moore dropped a 13-4 major decision to Chase Straw at 157 pounds, as the Mountaineers found themselves trailing 25-0. Kiussis then put the Mountaineers on the board with two bouts remaining.
 
The Cyclones added a pin at 174 pounds to take a 31-3 lead into the final bout of the evening, as Iowa State capped the dual with a technical fall victory at 184 pounds for the 36-3 team victory.
 
WVU will hit the road for the next three matches to close out the month of January. The team will start the road swing in Orem, Utah, as WVU faces CSU Bakersfield in a neutral-site matchup on Jan. 25, at 5 p.m., followed by a dual against Big 12 affiliate Utah Valley at 9 p.m.
 
The Roadrunners own a 2-0 lead in the all-time series, with the last meeting taking place in 2017. West Virginia met Utah Valley for the first time in program history last season, as the Wolverines walked away with the 24-9 neutral-site victory.
 
From there, the Mountaineers will trek to Laramie, Wyoming, to square off with Wyoming, the squad's second Big 12 match of the weekend, on Jan. 27, at 3 p.m. Wyoming holds a 1-0 all-time series advantage, though the squads have not faced each other head-to-head since 2009.
 
No. 16 Iowa State 36, West Virginia 3
197: No. 4/6/6 Willie Miklus (ISU) wins by fall Noah Adams (WVU), F 4:37
HWT: Gannon Gremmel (ISU) dec. Brandon Ngati (WVU), 2-0
125: Alex Mackall (ISU) dec. Joey Thomas (WVU), 8-2
133: No. 7/7/7 Austin Gomez (ISU) dec. No. 11/17/15 Matthew Schmitt (WVU), 8-4
141: No. 10/18/14 Ian Parker (ISU) dec. Caleb Rea (WVU), 14-9
149: No. 10/12/11 Jarrett Degen (ISU) dec. No. 19/-/16 Christian Monserrat (WVU), 6-3
157: Chase Straw (ISU) major dec. Zachary Moore (WVU), 13-4
165: No. 20/20/20 Nick Kiussis (WVU) dec. Logan Schumacher (ISU), 3-2
174: Marcus Coleman (ISU) wins by fall James Wujek (WVU), F 3:27
184: No. 18/16/19 Sam Colbray (ISU) tech. fall Jackson Moomau (WVU), 20-4 [TF – 4:39]
 
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUWrestling on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.