12TH-RANKED HUSKERS DEFEAT SOUTH DAKOTA STATE, 38-6

Lincoln, Neb.--The Nebraska wrestling team won its sixth dual of the season against Division II powerhouse South Dakota State Thursday night at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. The Huskers won all matches that weren't forfeited to defeat the Jackrabbits, 38-6, and move to 6-2 for the season. South Dakota State, ranked fifth in Division II, dropped to 6-3 with the loss.

Husker freshman Josh Henson (8-4, 3-4) started the meet with a 16-6 major decision over Ryan Yoder in the 165-pound matchup to give Nebraska a 4-0 lead. Omaha native Zach Dominguez (8-2, 1-0), who made his first career start as a Husker, followed with a second consecutive major decision, besting SDSU's Aaron Althoff, 14-6.

At 184 pounds, eighth-ranked Brad Vering won by forfeit.

Nebraska's lead was pushed to 17-0 after 15th-ranked Scott Munson earned his 11th win of the season with a 7-0 decision over B.J. Jones in the 197-pound contest.

In a tight heavyweight competition, ninth-ranked J.R. Plienis escaped with a narrow 3-2 win over the Jackrabbits' Bob Fullhart. With a forfeit at 125 pounds, South Dakota State's Chad Wickman picked up a victory and put SDSU on the board, as the Huskers led 20-6.

After the forfeit, Nebraska won four straight matches to close out the meet. Husker Todd Beckerman earned a technical fall over Kris Dozark at the 3:47 mark in the 133-pound match. Beckerman's takedown with 13 seconds remaining in the second period pushed the score to 21-6.

Senior Jose DeAnda (13-0, 8-0) continued to dominate and stayed perfect for the season with a major decision over Paul Konechne, Division II's second-ranked wrestler at 141 pounds.

In the 149-poound matchup, 14th-ranked Joe Henson delivered with a 6-2 decision over Aaron Veskrna to build NU's lead to 32-6 entering the final match.

Bryan Snyder (10-2, 6-2) earned a win over Toby Bryant in the meet's final match -- the 157-pound contest. Snyder won by injury default at the 4:12 mark. At the time of the default, Snyder was already well on his way to his 10th win of the season with a 12-3 lead. Snyder's win secured a 38-6 victory for Nebraska.

"We wrestled well tonight," Nebraska Head Coach Tim Neumann said. "We saw some improvement on our scoring in the third (period), and that's positive because we've been working on that all week.

"We also found some things we need to work on, but with the Great Plains Open coming up on Saturday, we'll have plenty of chances to take care of some of those problems."

The Huskers play host to the seventh annual Great Plains Open, featuring No. 1 Oklahoma State and No. 2 Minnesota, along with NU and a number of solid teams, this Saturday, Jan. 9, beginning at 9 a.m. in the Devaney Sports Center.

#12 NEBRASKA 38, #5 (Division II) SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 6
165--Josh Henson (8-4, 3-4), NU maj. dec. Ryan Yoder, SDSU (11-9) 16-6
174--Zach Dominguez (8-2, 1-0), NU maj. dec. Aaron Althoff, SDSU 14-6
184--#8 Brad Vering (10-3, 6-2), NU win by forfeit
197--#15 Scott Munson (11-2, 7-1), NU dec. B.J. Jones (13-3), SDSU 7-0
Hwt--#9 J.R. Plienis (10-5, 6-2), NU dec. Bob Fullhart (11-8), SDSU 3-2
125--#4 Chad Wickman (14-3), SDSU win by forfeit
133--Todd Beckerman (9-4, 6-2), NU tech. fall Kris Dozark (8-9), SDSU 3:47 [21-6]
141--#10 Jose DeAnda (13-0, 8-0), NU maj. dec. Paul Konechne, (13-4), SDSU 12-3
149--#14 Joe Henson (10-2, 6-1), NU dec. Aaron Veskrna (14-11), SDSU 6-2
157--#12 Bryan Snyder (10-2, 6-2), NU win by injury default Toby Bryant, SDSU 4:12 [12-3]

Attendance: 850