Huskers open 2004-05 season with home dual vs. Hofstra Friday

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No.  <?xml:namespace prefix="st1" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"?>3/4/3Nebraska (first dual) vs. No. 16/12/t13 Hofstra (first dual)

Devaney Center Track?Friday, Nov. 19?7 p.m.

 

Live Internet Video: Live Video Streaming on HuskersNside.com

 

Series Record: Nebraska leads, 3-0

 

Last Meeting: Nebraska won, 30-10 in Hempstead, N.Y. on Nov. 30, 2003

 

Tournament #1:

No.  3/4/3Nebraska at Kaufman-Brand Open

Sapp Fieldhouse, Omaha, Neb.?Saturday, Nov. 20?9 a.m.

 

Number of teams competing: 35

 

Last time NU competed: No team scoring; NU competed in Kaufman-Brand Open on Nov. 22, 2004; Jon May (HWT) finished 1st, Dominck Moyer (141) was 2nd, seven top-five finishes

 

Huskers open 2004-05 season with home dual vs. Hofstra Friday

 

    The Nebraska wrestling team will look for its 10th straight season-opening dual win when it entertains Hofstra Friday at the Devaney Center Track.  The dual, which will be broadcast over the internet on HuskersNside.com, is slated to begin at 7 p.m.

 

     Looking to follow up on last year’s fifth-place national finish, the Huskers will turn to a talented crop of seven returning starters, all of whom made it to the NCAA Championships last year.  The Huskers return three All-Americans from the 2003-04 second-ranked team, including preseason No. 1 141-pound wrestler Matt Murray. 

 

     Hofstra enters the dual ranked among the top 16 in all three nationally-recognized polls.  They are led by 149-pound Jon Masa, who is ranked fifth in all three polls, one spot behind NU returning All-American Travis Shufelt.

 

     After the dual, many of the Huskers will head to Omaha for the Kaufman-Brand Open at Sapp Fieldhouse on the campus of Nebraska-Omaha Saturday.

 

NU Wrestling, Athletic Department, to honor Borgialli before Hofstra Dual

 

    Orval Borgialli, Nebraska’s head wrestling coach from 1964-78, will be honored before the dual Friday night against Hofstra for his many years of service to the athletic department.

    

 In addition to his years as Huskers’ head wrestling coach, Borgialli served as administrative coordinator at the Bob Devaney Sports Center from 1978 until his retirement in 1997, and on the Husker Wrestling Club Board of Directors from 1998-2004.

 

 

Huskers Look to Build on Top-Five Finish

 

After capturing its highest national finish since 1995-96, the Nebraska wrestling team looks to build on last year's fifth-place showing and make a run toward the national championship.

 

Seven NCAA qualifiers return from last year's squad.  Of those, three earned All-America honors, giving NU its highest number of returning All-Americans since the 2000-01 season, when Brad Vering, Todd Beckerman and Bryan Snyder wrestled as defending All-Americans.

 

     The three returning All-Americans are led by senior 141-pounder Matt Murray.  The No. 7 seed in last year's NCAA Championships, Murray earned national runner-up honors after defeating second-seeded Nate Gallick of Iowa State in the quarterfinals in overtime, and the No. 3 seed Teyon Ware of Oklahoma in the semifinals, 5-4.   Murray fell in the national finals to Iowa's Cliff Moore, 5-2.

 

Murray also succeeded in the classroom.  A math education major, Murray's 3.85 GPA earned him second-team CoSIDA Academic All-America honors.

 

"He has developed into a team leader after being named an academic All-American and earning a second-place national finish last year," Coach Mark Manning said.  "He has a great work ethic and has developed into one of the nation's best at 141 pounds."

 

Also earning All-American honors was 149-pounder Travis Shufelt.  The native of Oconto, Wis. earned seventh in the NCAA Championships, clinching his All-American status with a victory over Ohio State's Jeff Ratliff, 5-1.  Shufelt started the year on a 22-match winning streak before ending the season 28-7.

 

"He'll be a guy we lean on.  For our team to achieve what it can, we need Travis to do great things for us.  He's grown and matured ino one of our best competitors," Manning said.

 

At 165 pounds, Jacob Klein, who finished also finished seventh in last year's nationals, will be another cornerstone of the Husker attack.  Klein clinched his All-America status with an 8-2 victory over Virginia's Tim Foley.  Klein finished with a record of 22-9.

 

"He's a tremendous competitor that is the epitome of this team because he combines all the characteristics needed for success.  He earned All-American status last year in a tough weight class," Manning said.

 

The biggest hole in Nebraska's lineup is left by its eighth individual national champion, Jason Powell, who took the 125-pound crown after wrestling to a 26-2 mark during the regular season.  Powell's spot could be filled by one of Nebraska's eight national qualifiers from last year, sophomore Matt Keller.  At 133 pounds last season, Keller earned a 28-12 record while falling just one match short of being an All-American.  He lost to the No. 2 seed, Mark Jayne of Illinois, 12-5.  His 28 wins put him in a tie for sixth on Nebraska's charts for wins by a freshman.

 

"He was disappointed in his finish at NCAA's last year, but he's come back and grown as a person," said Manning.  "He's really matured as a student-athlete, and has become a big spark to our team."

 

If Keller stays at 133 pounds, it would open up the spot at 125 for a four-man race to fill Powell's shoes.  Frontrunners include Chad Sportelli and Jeremy Emerson.

 

At 133 pounds, the frontrunner if Keller drops down is Dusty Spaulding, who is coming off a redshirt year.

 

"He gained experience last year as a redshirt.  He's improved in all areas of his wrestling," Manning said.

 

Another candidate to fill Keller's shoes at 133 pounds is sophomore Dominick Moyer.  The Oskaloosa, Iowa native finished second at the UNO Open and first in the Great Plains Open during a season in which went 11-4, including three wins by fall.

 

"He's a guy who carries the characteristics of a Nebraska wrestler.  He has a strong work ethic and he's a tremendous competitor," Manning said.

 

At 157 pounds, the job belongs to B.J. Wright, a fifth-year senior from Elberta, Utah.  Like Keller, Wright fell just one match short of All-America status when he fell to Iowa State's Travis Paulson 5-3 in overtime.  That capped a season in which Wright went 21-11, including 11 bonus-point victories.

 

The Huskers will look toward Marc Harwood to take over at 174 pounds.  He has healed from an elbow injury which limited his mat time during the 2003-04 season.  However, during the 2002-03 season, Harwood was named co-redshirt of the year, sharing the award with Keller and Wright.  The Lakefield, Minn., native wrestled to a 21-2 mark including 10 bonus-point victories.

 

"He put in a hard spring and summer.  He's hungry to prove himself on a national level," Manning said.

 

Meanwhile, at 184 pounds, Travis Pascoe looks to qualify for the NCAA Championships for the fourth time.  He started the 2003-04 season on a 23-match win streak before finishing the year at 28-7.  Of Pascoe's 28 wins, 19 earned NU bonus points. 

 

"We look for Travis to be a consistently strong performer and a contender for the Big 12 and national championships," Manning said.

 

Another returning NCAA qualifier, B.J. Padden, will start for the Huskers at 197 pounds.  Just one match away from achieving All-America status in 2003-04, Padden will look to build on his 25-7 sophomore season.  Padden won five of his first seven matches by fall.  Padden won eight of his first nine overall, and finished with 10 wins by fall.

 

"He's grown and matured into one of the best in the nation at 197 pounds," Manning said. 

 

The best battle for varsity matches will be at the heavyweight position.  Senior Mitch Manstedt, ranked 14th in the nation before suffering a knee injury to end his 2003-04 season, will battle 2004 redshirt-of-the-year Jon May for time at 285 pounds.

 

"It will be a good battle at heavyweight.  Both guys see themselves as All-America caliber wrestlers," Manning said.

 

Nebraska's season opens with home duals against Hofstra and West Virginia. 

 

"Having back-to-back duals against top 20 teams will start the year in a big way," Manning said.

 

From there, the Huskers travel to the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational to defend their title.  The Huskers won their first team championship since the 1999 Sheridan Open in the 2003 edition of the event.

 

"We'll see over 50 teams there in December," Manning said.  "We'll see a lot about our team makeup there."

 

The Huskers will return to the western part of the country the next weekend (Dec. 11-12) for three duals in two days, against Oregon State, Oregon and Boise State.  NU returns home for the Nebraska Duals on Dec. 18 before winter break.

 

NU starts 2005 with an important home dual against Minnesota.

 

"We need a big crowd for that dual because it's going to be a great matchup," Manning said.

 

Nebraska travels for the balance of the month of January, heading to Grand Prairie, Texas for the Lone Star Duals on Jan. 8.  The following weekend, Nebraska heads to Hampton, Va., for the Virginia Duals.  The Huskers took home the 2004 Virginia Duals championship, beating No. 7 Lehigh 25-13 in the finals.

 

The following weekend, the Huskers return to the Southeast for duals against North Carolina and North Carolina State.

 

Nebraska wraps up the month of January with its Big 12 Conference opener at Missouri on Jan. 29. 

 

After a week off, the Huskers return home for their dual against defending national champion Oklahoma State on Feb. 10.

 

"It's a great challenge for us and we're looking for a big crowd with a lot of energy," Manning said.

 

Two days later, NU goes to Norman to take on Oklahoma.  The following weekend, the Huskers wrestle back-to-back days at the NU Coliseum, taking on Air Force on Feb. 18 before wrapping up the regular season the following day against Iowa State at the Coliseum.

 

Postseason action begins on March 5, when the Huskers make the short trip up I-80 to Qwest Center OMAHA for the 2005 Big 12 Championships.  Two weeks later, the NCAA Championships will be held at the Savvis Center in St. Louis, Mo.

 

Know the Foe-Scouting Hofstra

 

Hofstra opens its 2004-05 season in Lincoln, Neb. ranked as high as 12th in the national polls.  They finished 20th at the NCAA Championships last season, and return four national qualifiers from that squad.  The 2004-05 team is led by 149-pound wrestler Jon Masa and 197-pound wrestler Chris Stretkowicz, who are both ranked among the top five in their respective weight class. 

 

The Last Time We Met-Nebraska 30, Hofstra 10, Nov. 29, 2004

 

Hempstead, N.Y. -- Led by upset wins from sophomore B.J. Padden and junior B.J. Wright, Nebraska defeated 11th-ranked Hofstra, 30-10. Padden dominated second-ranked Chris Skretkowicz pinning him 2:29 into the first period, while Wright scored the first offensive point in overtime to defeat 12th-ranked Paul Siemon, 8-6. Travis Pascoe added a 21-6 technical fall over 13th-ranked Brad Chrstie, while Jason Powell was a takedown better than ninth-ranked Tom Noto, 4-2.

 

Huskers Ink Three During National Signing Period

 

The Nebraska wrestling team signed three wrestlers during the week-long national signing period.  Fifth-year head wrestling coach Mark Manning was pleased with his returns.

 

“These three are all hard workers.  They’re hard-nosed kids who want to be national champions,” Manning said.

 

The in-state member of the trio is Aurora native Levi Wofford.  Projected to wrestle either in the 184-pound or 197-pound weight class, Wofford has won two class B state championships under his father, Bill, who is Aurora’s head coach.

 

“Levi brings a great deal of character to our program,” Manning said.  “He has a great work ethic, and our coaching staff sees tremendous upside in him because he’s a hard worker who is always looking for ways to get better.  He fits in well with our family, and we see him as a future leader on this team.”

 

Also signing was Vince Jones, the fifth-ranked high school wrestler in the nation at 189 pounds according Wrestling International Newsmagazine.  A native of Sicklerville, N.J., Jones has won two state championships for Winslow Township High School.  At the 2004 Junior National Tournament, Jones finished fourth.  He is projected to wrestle at 184 pounds in college.

 

“He’s a great athlete with a lot of ability,” Manning said.  “He is a tremendous wrestler with a lot of upside who’s going to do special things at Nebraska.”

 

The third high school wrestler to sign with NU is Mike Rowe from DeMatha, Md.  Wrestling at the alma mater of former Husker and All-American Todd Beckerman, Rowe has won three state championships for DeMatha High School.  Rowe, the second-best high school wrestler in the nation in his weight class according to WIN, won the Cadet National Championship and is a two-time placewinner at Junior Nationals.  He is likely to wrestle at either 133 or 141 pounds.

 

“He’s one of the top kids in the country and he fits in our program well,” Manning said.  “He wants to be part of a great program.  Mike is tough and hard-nosed, and we expect him to do great things for us.”

 

Up Next

 

The Nebraska wrestling team will next be in action on Saturday, Nov. 27 as they host No. 10/15/10 West Virginia at 7 p.m. at the NU Coliseum.  The Mountaineers are led by two-time national champion and consensus no. 1 184-pound wrestler Greg Jones.