AMES, Iowa -- Many have argued that Iowa State 184-pounder Cael Sanderson might be the best college wrestler ever. Next weekend, that might not even be a question anymore.

	Cael Sanderson used a single-leg takedown against Ralph Everett before pinning the Hofstra wrestler in the second period.

On Sunday afternoon, in a home dual meet against Hofstra, Sanderson became the first NCAA wrestler ever to record 100 consecutive victories as he pinned Ralph Everett in 4 minutes, 4 seconds. The win ties an Iowa State record held by former Cyclone Dan Gable for the most consecutive victories in a career.

Sanderson picked Everett apart, as he had done to 99 previous victims in his career, before pinning him in the second period. For Sanderson, though, it was just another win.

"It's not anything I'm real excited about," Sanderson said after the match. "I just wanted to go out there and win the match, and the rest would fall into place."

Sanderson, a junior from Heber City, Utah, was joined by Gable for a ceremony after the meet and said he was glad to reach the milestone so he could focus on the rest of the season and a third consecutive NCAA championship.

"It's time to move on and look forward to next week," said Sanderson, 21-0 this season. "I was trying to score some points. That's been my strategy and always is."

Gable stopped short of calling Sanderson the best collegiate wrestler ever.

"That all depends on what he does in the next three, four, or five years," Gable said. "His career is not done yet. But he's ahead of anybody ever at this stage, but there's a lot of time left and that's why he's got to stay focused."

Gable lost only once in 183 high school and college matches, in the 1970 NCAA finals. He went on to Olympic gold in 1972 without allowing a point and later guided Iowa to 15 NCAA championships in his 21 seasons as coach.

"I am very proud to be able to have this young man reach my record," Gable, who wrestled at Iowa State from 1966-71, said to the crowd. "Maybe this isn't so much a product of great individuals, but the product of a great institution.

"He's so humble. That's why he's good. He's not an accomplished wrestler in his mind. He wants to get better with every match and continue to improve. He'll probably be working out somewhere tonight or studying."

The 197-pound match was drawn as the starting weight class for the dual, and Iowa State's Zach Thompson got things rolling for the Cyclones with a 24-8 technical fall over Matt Daddino. The normally defensive Thompson scored on a series of double-legs throughout the match in earning the win.

Cyclone heavyweight Mark Knauer kept the home crowd excited as he locked Mike Eberle in a cradle in the first minute of the match, taking a quick 5-0 advantage on his way to a 12-6 victory. The win gave Iowa State an 8-0 lead in the team score.

In the 133-pound match, No. 5 Roman Fleszar of Hofstra and No. 7 Matt Azevedo battled for ranking position. Fleszar took early control of the match, scoring two takedowns, to take a 4-1 lead at the end of the first period. In the second period, Azevedo chose the bottom position and quickly earned an escape to narrow the margin to 4-2.

That lead held up until the third period when Fleszar then chose bottom and earned an escape 20 seconds into the period, and then scored a single-leg takedown to widen his advantage to 7-2.

The Cyclones scored revenge in the following match, however, as 141-pound redshirt freshman Zach Roberson, ranked ninth, earned a mild upset win over Hofstra's Jason DeBruin, ranked sixth in the nation.

After a scoreless first period, Roberson chose bottom in the second period and scored a reversal on a switch. DeBruin escaped to narrow the margin to 2-1, and in the third, DeBruin chose bottom, hoping to earn an escape to tie the match, but that plan backfired. DeBruin was warned for stalling twice, awarding Roberson one point on the second warning. Roberson also racked up more than two minutes of riding time, helping him to a 4-1 decision.

In another match of ranking importance, No. 5 Eric Schmiesing of Hofstra defeated No.8 Billy Maldonado 4-1, using first- and third-period takedowns, a third-period escape and riding time to earn the 7-1 decision. The win pulled Hofstra within one point of the Cyclones after six matches.

Cole Sanderson, a 157-pound older brother of Cael, and 165-pound Joe Heskett of Iowa State also earned victories over Dennis Papadatos and Noel Thompson, respectively, while 174-pound Perry Parks won by forfeit. Tom Noto of Hofstra earned the team's other win with a major decision over Jacob Moore at 125 pounds.

But Cael Sanderson's match was by far the most anticipated of the night, as he destroyed Everett on his way to tying the record. The Hilton Coliseum crowd gave him a standing ovation both before the match and once it was over.

Sanderson remains undefeated in a career where he became the only freshman to win the Hodge Award for Most Outstanding Wrestler in a season. He has been the NCAA Division I Championships Most Valuable Wrestler, and won numerous tournaments.

"I would have never even thought twice about trying to match or beat a record like that," Sanderson said. "It's good for Iowa State and it's good for wrestling as a whole."

Last weekend in Dallas, Sanderson apparently broke Gable's NCAA record for consecutive wins, which stood at 98, but Iowa State officials say the record stands at 100, counting two All-Star matches Gable won during his career. Those All-Star matches are not counted in NCAA records.

Iowa State coach Bobby Douglas said he never envisioned Sanderson as a record-setter.

"There's no way you can see someone like that coming down the pike," Douglas said. "We knew he was a talented individual, but never had any idea he'd be able to compete the way he's competing. It's an unusual situation."

Douglas said Sanderson will have people "climbing out of the walls coming after him" as a senior.

"Everybody's going to be trying to make their name by beating Cael Sanderson," Douglas said. "If he continues to train the way he's training and is able stay focused, he shouldn't have any problems ..."

The Cyclones' win Sunday extended their streak to four duals. Iowa State is 11-1 this season, with its only loss coming to Iowa.

Up next for Sanderson? In his first match Saturday, he will compete to break the Iowa State record for consecutive wins with 101 at the National Duals at Penn State.

Carlton Haselrig of Pittsburgh-Johnstown holds the record for longest unbeaten streak with a record of 122-0-1 during his collegiate career.

Match results:
(Team Score In Parentheses)
125 -- Tom Noto (Hofstra) major dec. Jacob Moore (Iowa St.), 17-6 (8-4 ISU)
133 -- Roman Fleszar (Hofstra) dec. Matt Azevedo (Iowa St.), 8-3 (8-7 ISU)
141 -- Zach Roberson (Iowa St.) dec. Jason DeBruin (Hofstra), 4-1 (11-7 ISU)
149 -- Eric Schmiesing (Hofstra) dec. Billy Maldonado (Iowa St.), 7-1 (11-10 ISU)
157 -- Cole Sanderson (Iowa St.) dec. Dennis Papadatos (Hofstra), 10-3 (14-10 ISU)
165 -- Joe Heskett (Iowa St.) by disqualification over Noel Thompson (Hofstra), ref. decision (20-10 ISU)
174 -- Perry Parks (Iowa St.) won by forfeit (26-20 ISU)
184 -- Cael Sanderson (Iowa St.) pinned Ralph Everett (Hofstra), 4:04 (32-10 ISU)
197 -- Zach Thompson (Iowa St.) technical fall over Matt Daddino (Hofstra), 24-8 in 7:00 (5-0 ISU)
285 -- Mark Knauer (Iowa St.) dec. Mike Eberle (Hofstra), 12-6 (8-0 ISU)

For more information, check out InterMat at www.intermatwrestle.com.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.