EVANSTON, Ill. - Iowa State is counting on heavyweight David Zabriskie. He came through again Saturday. The fifth-seeded sophomore handed intrastate rival and fourth-seeded Matt Fields of Iowa a 2-1 defeat to push the Cyclones into the team lead after the first day of the Midlands Championships at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Five other ISU grapplers, Nick Fanthorpe (133), Mitch Mueller (149), Cyler Sanderson (157), Jon Reader (165) and Jake Varner (184), also advanced to Sunday's semifinal matches. Iowa State closed out Saturday's action with 90.5 points and Nick Gallick and David Bertolino still alive in consolation rounds. Iowa is second with 88.5 points. The Hawkeyes have five wrestlers in the championship bracket and four alive in wrestlebacks. Central Michigan is in third place with 80 points, followed by Illinois with 70.5 points.

Semifinal and consolation action will get underway at noon Sunday. 

"We had a nice round, although I was hoping to get all seven (ISU quarterfinalists) through to the semifinals," Iowa State head coach Cael Sanderson said. "How we are wrestling at this point in the season is more important than the score of any match. We are working on getting better and handling the different situations our guys encounter during their matches."

Zabriskie avenged the 6-3 loss he suffered to Fields in the ISU-Iowa dual Dec. 9 with a 2-1 decision. The first period saw both grapplers receive stalling warnings and it proved to be a factor in the match. Fields notched an escape to open the second stanza for a 1-0 lead. Zabriskie evened the match at 1-1 with an escape of his own in the third period. Fields was again called for stalling with eight seconds remaining in the match after two near Zabriskie takedowns to give the Cyclone a point and the win. Zabriskie, the country's sixth-rated heavyweight, pushes his record to 12-1. 

"I worked to stay closer to him during the whole match," Zabriskie said. "In Ames there was lots of motion, but I wanted to stay within striking distance the entire match and it paid off."

Fourth-seeded Fanthorpe returns to the semifinals for the second time in as many tournament appearance after an 8-3 decision over Indiana's fifth-seeded Andrea Hernandez. Hernandez struck first with a takedown mid-way through the first period, but Fanthorpe responded with an escape and a takedown to take a 3-2 lead into the second period. The score was tied 3-3 through the second period after the Hoosier was able to escape from Fanthorpe. Starting the third period from the down position, Fanthorpe iced the match with an escape and a takedown for a 6-3 lead. He then went for backpoints on Hernandez and was awarded a two-point nearfall to end the bout. 

"He is a big guy and is very competitive at this weight class," Fanthorpe said. "Once I got a couple of takedowns I felt I could go 2-of-1 with him and get more points. I stayed with it and got a tilt. My parents, my uncle and several of my former coaches are here."

Fanthorpe's semifinal opponent is top-seed Franklin Gomez of Michigan. These two grapplers took last year's semifinal match down to the wire, 9-7 in sudden victory, with Fanthorpe emerging victorious. 

Mueller, the third-seeded wrestler at 149 pounds, etched a 5-2 decision over Central Michigan's Nathaniel Holt. The Cyclone scored the first takedown, but Holt was able to get an escape. With the bout tied at two-apiece to start the third period, Holt was called for jumping the whistle too soon and received a second caution with under a minute to go. Holt then again moved before the whistle, giving Mueller a point and a momentum swing. He reversed Holt to take the match 5-2 and advance to the semifinals. 

"I was mad that I couldn't finish a takedown in the second period," Mueller said. "There was an opening for me to get (third period) the reversal and I did."

At 157 pounds, Sanderson's composure in sudden victory propelled the Cyclone past Central Michigan's Tyler Grayson, 6-5. Both wrestlers exchanged a takedown and escape, but Grayson held a single-point lead at 4-3 as the second period closed. Sanderson again deadlocked the match at 4-4 with a third-period escape, pushing the bout into sudden victory. With neither wrestler able to put any points on the board, overtime ensued with Grayson escaping from the grip of Sanderson, only to be reversed and allow ISU sophomore to take the bout. 

"I wasn't moving as much as I should have during the match," Sanderson said. "In overtime I was trying to get one, but when I made my move, the opportunity was there for two more."

Reader pushed into the semifinals with an 8-2 decision over Iowa Central's Colby Covington. The redshirt freshman carried a 4-1 lead after the first period of action on a takedown and a two-point nearfall. Seeded-fifth at 165 pounds, Reader added an escape and a takedown, along with 2:14 worth of riding time for his 14th victory. 

"Last year, everything was new to me," Reader said. "But right now it is early in the season. We are just out having fun. Everybody assumes 10 percent of the load and must give their best effort."

Varner posted his third pin in as many tournament opponents with a 5:54 stick of No. 7 Travis Pascoe (Sunkist WC). Varner held a 1-0 advantage heading into the second period as Pascoe opted to start the second period from the down position. The ISU All-American took advantage, putting the former Nebraska standout's shoulders to the mat for the fourth pin of his sophomore season. 

Nick Gallick picked up two wins in wrestleback action, including a 12-2 major decision over Tristen Deshazer of Northern Illinois. David Bertolino dropped into the consolation bracket after suffering a quarterfinal loss. Wrestling unattached and still competing are Tyler Clark at 125 pounds and Andrew Sorenson at 165 pounds. 

Ben Hanisch (125), Dalton Jensen (141), Chris Pursel (174), Aron Scott (174), Joe Curran (197) exited the tournament during the consolation championship action.