“Knock on wood.”

It’s an old-fashioned phrase meant to ward off bad luck when times are good, so it’s natural that Iowa State’s old-school head wrestling coach, Kevin Dresser, often uses it.

Especially now. It’s finally March. The Big 12 Championships beckon on Friday and Saturday at the BOK Center in Tulsa, and unlike last season, Dresser’s Cyclones enter the postseason relatively healthy.

“It sure is fun to be healthy,” Dresser said. “It really is. and I feel like for the most part we’re ready to go at every weight. You’re always gonna have some dings and owies here and there, but I think for the most part, we're really, really healthy. … Knock on wood, we've stayed healthy, and I think these guys are a fun group to watch, and I think you'll see some really good performances.”

Dresser’s also fond of the phrase “pep in their step” and his Iowa State grapplers are embodying it in the sport’s most important month. 

The Cyclones feature seeded competitors in all 10 weight classes at the Big 12s. Seven Iowa State wrestlers are seeded third or better, including top-seeded 197-pounder Rocky Elam and top-seeded heavyweight Yonger Bastida — both of whom are undefeated this season.

“I just see a little more pep in their step since (the dual win over) Missouri, both of them,” said Dresser, who hopes to challenge heavily-favored Oklahoma State for the Big 12 title. “Not that they didn’t have pep in their step before, but I think those guys know what’s on the line. They’ve been there enough times and they’re excited to go show off a bit.”

The Cyclones will need big performances from their headliners as well as spirited efforts from their lower-seeded wrestlers to contend for the crown. Piling up bonus points buoyed them to the Big 12 championship two years ago (their first since 2009), and they’ll need to do that again to have a chance to topple the Cowboys.

“Whether you’re on the front side or the back side — and we sure heck hope to have a lot more guys on the front side, you’ve gotta understand that every time you shake hands, that’s another opportunity. We’ll talk about that (this week) and remind them a lot that we don’t have time to feel sorry for ourselves. We’re not gonna win every match as much as we think we can, but those next matches (after a loss) are very important.”

Five of Iowa State’s 10 wrestlers expected to compete in Tulsa have won one or more Big 12 titles at some point in their respective careers. Three are one-and-done transfers: Stevo Poulin (125, from Northern Colorado); Vinny Zerban (157, also from Northern Colorado); and Elam, a four-time All-American while wrestling for Missouri.

So it’s a new-look Cyclone squad that’s eager to knock on the door for top finishes both at the Big 12s and the NCAA Championships in Cleveland. They’re poised. They’re responsive. They’re unfazed by the big stage.

And knocking on wood isn’t required, but it is appreciated.

“It’s been really good having new faces,” said Iowa State’s fourth-seeded 174-pounder MJ Gaitan, who outperformed his seed to take third at Big 12’s last season. “I mean, I've had a new (teammate at) 184 every year now, so t's really nice meeting other people, (and learning) how other programs work. And everyone here loves it, like when they come in, they say how much it's comfortable for them right away.”

That, as Dresser likes to say, puts “pep in their step,” which translates to hunger to compete.

“Feeling good, feeling ready to go,” Gaitan said. “We have a really good team this year, so it’s always fun being in the team trophy hunt.”

Dean’s Back

184-pound senior Isaac Dean said he’s “loved every second” of being a Cyclone after transferring in from Rider. But he didn’t love not wrestling since the Feb. 1 dual loss at Oklahoma State — so he’s raring to go now.

“I’ve been ready to go for a while now, so it’s kind of not really fun when it’s your last year and you’ve gotta miss out on some matches when you feel like you’re ready to go, but I’m excited to wrestle again,” said Dean, who reached the Round of 16 at NCAAs last season and is seeded seventh at 184. “So I’m glad it’s the postseason, the Big 12s.”

Dean didn’t wrestle in the Feb. 22 senior day dual win over Missouri and he didn’t love that, either. Iowa State’s been trying to help him heal as much as possible from a knee injury, however, which is why he’s been kept off the mat recently. 

“No comment,” Dean said. “That’s all I got.”

Dresser had more.

“No problems with Isaac Dean, ever,” he said. “I’ll live and die all day long with a guy that gets frustrated that he can’t wrestle. In this day and age of kids, I’ll take that kid every day of the week (who) gets so mad because you don’t let him wrestle. That’s the kind of guy you want on your team.”