Complete History of the Cy-Hawk Dual: Scores, Notable Matches

Iowa and Iowa State have been competing against each other since 1916.

Iowa associate head coach Terry Brands, left, assistant coach Bobby Telford, head coach Tom Brands (yellow) and assistant coach Ryan Morningstar (standing) watch during NCAA Big Ten Conference men's wrestling dual against Minnesota, Monday, Jan. 15, 2024, at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. / Joseph Cress/For the Register / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Cy-Hawk dual has been a storied rivalry between the No. 2 University of Iowa and No. 6 Iowa State University wrestling programs for over a century. The Hawkeyes lead the rivalry 69-16 since their first win on March 4, 1916, a 17-8 in Iowa City, Iowa. The Hawkeyes have not lost a dual to the Cyclones since head coach Tom Brands took over the program in 2006.

On November 23, 2024, the two programs will meet again in the Carver-Hawkeye Arena at 6 p.m. C.T. to continue the tradition of the Cy-Hawk rivalry. The dual will be streamed on the Big Ten Plus (subscription required).

Iowa and Iowa State Legacy Programs

Both schools have built legacy wrestling programs, with Iowa State placing fourth in the 2024 NCAA Wrestling Championships with 68.5 points and Iowa placing fifth with 67 points.

Iowa's wrestling program has produced many greats, including Barry Davis (1981-85), Tom Brands (1988-92), Troy Steiner (1990-93), Ed Banach (1980-83) and Terry Brands (1988-92) to name a few. The Hawkeyes have 24 NCAA titles all-time in program history.

Under head coach Tom Brands, the Hawkeyes have won four NCAA titles, had 21 Olympic and World Team members and 13 NCAA champions as of 2022. The latest title was won in 2021, but the program has back-to-back titles from 1975-76 and consecutive titles from 1978-86, 1991-93, 1995-2000, and 2008-2010.

Last season, Iowa placed fourth at the 2024 Big Ten Wrestling Championships with 110.5 points and nine wrestlers placed in their respective weight classes.

Iowa State has earned eight NCAA Wrestling Championships and 71 individual champions, including wrestling legends Dan Gable, Nate Carr and Cael Sanderson. Sanderson ended his run with the Cyclones as a four-time national champion.

The program also has 310 All-Americans. Most recently, David Carr has made a bigger name for Iowa State's program. He and his father, Nate Carr, combine for eight All-American awards and five national titles at Iowa State. They are one of six father-son duos to have NCAA wrestling titles.

The Origins of the Cy-Hawk Rivalry

The two programs have been competing against each other since 1916. In 2010, the Dan Gable trophy was created and add more of a motivation to win the honor named after the legendary Iowa coach and former Iowa State wrestling leading man. The trophy has yet to leave Iowa City.

Year-by-Year Cy-Hawk Dual Scores Since 2006

• 2023-2024: Iowa 18-14
• 2022-2023: Iowa 18-15
• 2021-2022: Iowa 22-11 
• 2019-2020: Iowa 29-6
• 2018-2019: Iowa 19-18
• 2017-2018: Iowa 35-6
• 2016-2017: Iowa 26-9
• 2015-2016: Iowa 33-6
• 2014-2015: Iowa 28-8
• 2013-2014: Iowa 23-9
• 2012-2013: Iowa 32-3
• 2011-2012: Iowa 27-9
• 2010-2011: Iowa 22-13
• 2009-2010: Iowa 18-16
• 2008-2009: Iowa 20-15
• 2007-2008: Iowa 20-13
• 2006-2007: Iowa 24-6

Unforgettable Cy-Hawk Matches in History

On February 23, 1986, Iowa State defeated Iowa 19-16 in a dominant win over Dan Gable's Iowa team, who had won the previous eight NCAA Championships. In the last match of the dual, John Heropoulos (ISU) defeated Jim Gibbons in the heavyweight match to catapult Iowa State to a secured victory.

On January 16, 1988, Iowa staged a comeback to defeat Iowa State 22-15 in a closely contest dual meet that almost gave Dan Gable his first dual loss in the Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

Brooks Simpson, who was unranked at the time, wrestled against Eric Voelker, the ranked returning NCAA champion from Iowa State, in the 190-weight class, at 190 pounds. This matchup favored Voelker and would have secured the win for the Cyclones.

However, in a surprising turn of events, Simpson achieved a fall victory, delivering a major upset.

The closest Iowa State came to winning and taking the Dan Gable trophy to Ames, Iowa, for the first time in history was December 1, 2018.

The dual was the first time the series came down to a one-point dual victory, according to the Iowa State athletics archives. The Hawkeyes had a four-point lead heading into the night's final match thanks to Spencer Lee, who won by a major decision.

Iowa's Austin DeSanto almost lost control of his match against Iowa State's Austin Gomez, almost losing by a pin, but DeSanto returned to win the match by decision, 14-9. Iowa won the dual 19-18.

From Gable to Sanderson: Iconic Wrestlers of the Cy-Hawk Rivalry

Dan Gable is one of the most notable names in wrestling history and a native of Iowa. He joined Iowa State University and won the NCAA championship in his weight class in 1968 and 1969 with 100 consecutive wins, a record at the time.

After leaving Iowa State, Gable went on to win the 1971 World and Pan-Americann championships and won a gold medal at the 1972 Munich Olympics, the first gold medal for the American team in 12 years.

In 1972, Gable joined the University of Iowa program, a controversy that Iowa State fans talk about to this day. Gable led Iowa from 1977-97 with 15 NCAA titles and 21 Big Ten championships. In 1980, he was inducted into the U.S. Wrestling Hall of Fame and in 1985, into the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum Hall of Fame.

Nate Carr is another notable Iowa State legend who wrestled in the 149-pound weight class. Carr won three NCAA titles and two Big Eight championships at 150 pounds. He also received the bronze medal at the 1988 Soul Olympic Games. While on the mat in high school, he boasted a record of 115-7 and won the state championship in Pennsylvania.

Once off the mat, Carr became an assistant coach at West Virginia University and was the 1991 National Assistant Coach of the Year, an honor given by the National Wrestling Coaches Association.

Of course, head coach Tom Brands is an Iowa wrestling legend. He was a four-time All-American and winner of three NCAA titles. He was also a three-time Big Ten champion and finished his Iowa career 158-7-2. In 1991, Brands finished his season undefeated, 45-0.

After graduating from Iowa, Brands won gold at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games at 136.5 pounds. He also won two World Cup gold medals in 1994 and 95, a 1995 Pan American Games Champion and won the 1993 World Championships in Toronto.

In his time coaching at Iowa, Brands has been named the Big Ten Coach of the Year five times and is a three-time NWCA Coach of the Year.

Cael Sanderson was the first wrestler to go undefeated in his college career at Iowa State,159-0. As of 2020, he was the only Division I athlete to go undefeated for four college seasons and is one of four athletes to win four NCAA titles.

Sanderson won the Hodge Trophies in his sophomore, junior and senior years. Sanderson began coaching at Penn State in 2009, where he won four consecutive NCAA titles starting in 2011, the first time since 1953 that Penn State had won a title. Sanderson launched the program into the prestigious wrestling school it is now known for today.

The Cultural Impact of the Cy-Hawk Dual in Iowa

Saturday's dual at Carver-Hawkeye Arena will mark the 88th dual meet between the programs and continue the long, rich history of Cy-Hawk duals. The two programs have produced 11 Olympic gold medalists and 33 NCAA team tiles as of March 2024.

With both teams highly ranked this season, there is no doubt that they will compete again at the 2025 NCAA Wrestling Championships.