Vering Takes NU?s First Midlands Title in 15 Years

Evanston, Ill.--Junior Brad Vering took the 197-pound title at prestigious Midlands Tournament Thursday night in Evanston, Ill. The title is the first since 1984 for a Husker wrestler at the Midlands.

In the semifinals, Vering defeated Chris Vike of Central Michigan 10-3 to advance to the finals. Verings opponent in the finals was Illinois Pat Quirk. Quirk, who is currently ranked fifth, was shutout by No. 3 Vering, 8-0. Vering is now 16-1 on the year.

Second-ranked Bryan Snyder fell from the ranks of the unbeatens after dropping his semi-final match to the No. 2 seed Chris Bono of the Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club, 4-2. After picking up a win in the consolation bracket, Snyder moved to the third-place match where he lost a heartbreaker to Brett Matter of Penn, 3-1. The match was tied at one, when Matter, who is currently ranked third, took down Snyder with 10 seconds remaining to take third. Snyder is now 18-2 on the year.

Coach Tim Neumann was pleased with both Vering and Snyders accomplishments today.

It was a great tournament for both of them, Neumann said. The level of competition is like the national tournament. Both Snyder and Vering have some things they need to work on, but there isnt a person here that doesnt have something to work on. Vering looked outstanding.

Nebraska returns to the mat on Sunday, Jan. 2, with the Great Plains Open at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. Action begins at 9 a.m., with the finals scheduled for 4 p.m.