The Iowa State wrestling team placed fourth in team competition behind five top-four finishes Saturday at the 33rd-annual Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. Two-time All-American Kyven Gadson (Waterloo East) highlighted the day with a title-winning performance at 197.

The fourth-place team finish is four higher than last year’s showing, scoring 41.5 more points than a year ago.

No. 3 Kyven Gadson went head-to-head with Minnesota’s top-ranked Scott Schiller in the 197-pound title match. Gadson was immediately on the offensive, scoring a takedown 9 seconds into the match. The No. 3-ranked Waterloo, Iowa, native tacked on a second takedown late in the third period on a counter move to seal the victory, 5-3.

All five Cyclones that took the mat Saturday notched top-four finishes. Earl Hall took fourth after a loss to Ohio State’s No. 8 Johnni DiJulius.

Gabe Moreno took third in the 149-pound bracket after a 6-1 victory over Nebraska’s Justin Arthur. Moreno scored a pair of takedowns, the biggest coming out of a scramble that saw the Urbandale, Iowa, native secure a single-leg for two points. Moreno tacked on an escape and a minute and a half of riding time to take the win.

At 165, Michael Moreno was pitted against UNI’s No. 12 Cooper Moore. The two started slow in the first period, but the two-time All-American scored a takedown and put the Panther on his back en route to a pin in 2 minutes, 36 seconds. No. 3 Moreno improves to 3-0 all-time against Moore with the victory.

Tanner Weatherman accepted a forfeit in the 174-pound consolation final to take third place over Minnesota’s Logan Storely.

NEXT UP: The Cyclones are back in action Jan. 1-2 in Chattanooga, Tennessee, at the Southern Scuffle.

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