Huskers Hit Mat for UNI Open

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The 17th-ranked <?xml:namespace prefix="st1" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"?>Nebraska wrestling team hits the road for the first of two trips to Cedar Falls for the UNI Open on Dec. 4.  No team scoring will be kept at this event, but the Huskers will send the majority of their roster to the UNI Open.  In addition to nationally-ranked hosts Northern Iowa,  Nebraska will also face top 10 foes Indiana, Iowa and Illinois along with Division II defending national champion Nebraska-Omaha.

 

The Last Time Out: #19 NU 40, Wyoming 3

The 17th-ranked Nebraska wrestling team won the first five matches in its dual at Wyoming Saturday and never looked back in a 40-3 dual victory.  Fifth-ranked 174-pound wrestler Jacob Klein opened the dual with a dominant 15-0 win by technical fall over Dan Barrone.  Klein scored eight of his 15 points in the second period with an escape, a takedown and two near falls. 

 

Matt Farrell picked up his first career dual win with a 9-3 victory over Preston Pavich at 184 pounds.  Farrell took the lead with a minute to go in the second period with a reversal to give him a 5-3 lead.  A three-point near fall and the riding time advantage gave Farrell the 9-3 edge.  At 197 pounds, third-ranked B.J. Padden defeated Malcolm Havens by major decision, 16-6.  Padden never trailed in the match and registered seven takedowns.

 

Jon May continued the hot streak with a first-period pin of Jason Still at heavyweight.  The win by fall was the fourth in May’s career.  Nebraska won its fourth match of the night when Paul Donahoe knocked off Bryce Leonhardt, 2-1, at 125 pounds.  Donahoe earned a point for an escape eight seconds into the second period and was awarded another point when Leonhardt was called for stalling for the second time in the period.

 

After a setback at 133 pounds, 20th-ranked Dominick Moyer got NU back on the winning track with his 15-2 major decision triumph over Shay Lawrence.  Lawrence scored a takedown 29 seconds into the match, but Moyer ran off 15 unanswered points to earn the victory and clinch the dual for the Huskers.  Robert Sanders earned his first dual win at 149 pounds with his 9-8 win over Kyle Dye.  Sanders took a 5-1 lead after two periods and held on for the victory.  After Chris Oliver was awarded a win by forfeit at 157 pounds, Marc Harwood gave NU its sixth bonus-point win with a first-period pin over Wyoming’s Gary Dack.

 

Jan. 7 Dual Moved to Devaney Track

Nebraska’s Jan. 7 dual against Virginia Tech has been moved to the Bob Devaney Sports Center Track.  It will be the second of two duals held at the DevaneyCenter during the month of January, as the Jan. 2 dual against Bloomsburg is also slated to be held at the Devaney Center Track.  Both duals will be held at 7 p.m.

 

Knocking on the Clubhouse Door

A pair of Husker wrestlers are within reach of Nebraska’s 100-Win club.  NU All-American wrestlers B.J. Padden and Jacob Klein both entered the 2005-06 with 70 career wins, just 30 away from joining the 100-Win Club at Nebraska.  Travis Pascoe was the last Husker to join the club, finishing his career with 101 wins after last year’s sixth-place finish at the 2005 NCAA Championship.

 

Padden closed the 2004-05 season with a fifth-place finish at 197 pounds and enters the 2005-06 season as one of the nation’s best at 197 pounds this season.  Padden became Nebraska’s first individual conference champion since Jason Powell in 2002 with his 6-2 victory over eventual national champion Jake Rosholt of OklahomaState at the Big 12 Championships.  Padden has started the 2005-06 season with a 5-1 record, putting him just 25 wins away from 100 in his career.

 

Klein enters his senior season as NU’s starter at 174 pounds after qualifying for nationals three times at 165 pounds.  Klein was an All-American as a sophomore at 165 pounds, and reached greater heights as a junior with a 28-7 record with a 19-2 dual record.  Klein was tied with Pascoe for the team lead in dual wins and finished second on the team with 74 dual points, just one behind B.J. Wright. Klein has opened the season with a pair of bonus-point dual wins.   

 

Starting Strong

Nebraska has been almost unbeatable in the months of November and December under head coach Mark Manning.  The Huskers have won all 34 non-conference matches in the first two months of the season under Manning and are 34-1 overall, with only loss coming against Missouri on Dec. 15, 2001.  During that time, Nebraska has beaten 10 ranked opponents, including three last season.  Included in the 34 wins are four shutouts, including two at the 2004 Nebraska Duals.  Nebraska’s streak will be put to the test in a difficult non-conference schedule including three ranked opponents.

 

Youth Served Against BoiseState

Five NU wrestlers made their varsity debuts against BoiseState on Nov. 19.  Of those, 125-pound wrestler Paul Donahoe and 157-pound wrestler Chris Oliver notched bonus-point wins for the Huskers.

 

Donahoe dominated in his 18-8 major decision win over Cory Fish.  Donahoe never trailed in his match with Fish, and finished by outscoring Fish 9-4 in the final two minutes of the match.  Oliver came back from a 2-1 deficit to pin Johnny Nunez in the second period at 157 pounds.  Oliver took the lead for good after starting the second down, then escaping 16 seconds into the period.  Oliver then took Nunez down with 30 seconds to go in the match and pinned him nine seconds later. 

 

Along with Oliver and Donahoe, Patrick Aleksanyan, Robert Sanders and Matt Farrell made their dual debuts at 133, 149 and 184 pounds respectively.  The youth in Nebraska’s starting lineup reflects a talented, but young roster.  Of the 34 NU wrestlers on the roster, 24 are either redshirt freshmen or true freshmen.

 

Klein Competes in All-Star Classic

NU senior 174-pound wrestler Jacob Klein wrestled in the 2005 NWCA All-Star Classic in Stillwater, Okla., Monday, Nov. 28.  Klein was defeated 8-5 by third-ranked Jacob Herbert of Northwestern. 

Klein nearly fought back from a 6-0 deficit.  After earning his first point with an escape with 41 seconds to go in the match, Klein registered two takedowns in the final 15 seconds of the match.  Klein’s rally fell just short, and with one point riding time, Herbert defeated Klein, 8-5.

Klein was one of nine Big 12 wrestlers to compete in the All-Star Classic.

 

NU Looks to Continue Success

Despite a young roster, expectations are still high for the Nebraska wrestling team as they look to continue a 20-year tradition of success.  Over the last 20 seasons, NU has won at least 10 duals in a season 18 times and at least 15 duals eight times, including the last three seasons. 

 

The 2004-05 season capped the best three-year stretch in school history.  The Huskers were 53-12-1 from the fall of 2002 to the end of the 2004-05 campaign, marking the first time Nebraska had won 50 duals in a three-year stretch since the wrestling program was started at Nebraska in 1910.  In fact, the last three years of Husker wrestling nearly equals Nebraska’s best four-year wrestling stretch.  The Huskers start this season within reach of the 63-21-2 record of the four seasons between 1979 and 1982 for the best four seasons in school history, and only 11 four-year runs have bettered Nebraska’s last three years in dual competition.

 

Nebraska has built its success over the last three years on success at home.  The Huskers have won 22 of their last 23 duals in Lincoln and are 26-2 at home since the fall of 2002.  Since Mark Manning’s arrival at Nebraska for the 2001-02 campaign, the Huskers are 32-9 at home. 

 

Huskers Sign Three in Early Period

The Nebraska wrestling team opened the early signing period with a flourish by receiving National Letters-of-Intent from three accomplished prep recruits, Husker Head Coach Mark Manning announced earlier this month.

 

“We got three really outstanding kids,” Manning said. “These guys all are good students, good wrestlers and have good character.”

 

NU’s class is led by in-state recruit Matt Vacanti.  The Papillion-LaVista product is 103-0 in his high school career and is slated to wrestle at either 133 or 141 pounds for the Huskers.  Vacanti was 35-0 with all wins by fall last season en route to his third career state championship.  Vacanti is also accomplished on the national stage, as a two-time cadet national champion.

 

“Matt has a great work ethic and is a tough, hard-nosed kid,” Manning said.  “His style of wrestling fits in well with the rest of our team.  He’s an exciting wrestler to watch and he gets after it.”

 

Joining Vacanti is Curtis Salazar of Greeley, Colo.  Salazar is a two-time Colorado state champion and a three-time state finalist.  Salazar, who is projected to wrestle at 149 pounds in college, is another valuable addition to the NU wrestling team, according to Manning.

 

“He’s a good wrestler who wants to get better, and he is a great student,” Manning said.  “He’s been dominating in-state and national competition and beat a lot of good, ranked opponents.  He’s come to our camp the last couple years and gets along well with our guys.  We’re happy to have him be part of our family now.”

 

Rounding out the signings is Alex Ward, from MountSaint JosephHigh School in Baltimore, Md.  Ward, projected to wrestle in the middle weights in college, is a two-time state champion at 145 pounds.  A fourth-place finisher the last two years in the national prep tournament, Ward is the son of three-time NCAA finalist and former NU assistant wrestling coach Kelly Ward.

 

“He’s an outstanding kid from a heralded program in MountSaint JosephHigh School,” Manning said. 

“We expect him to improve and develop a lot in our program.  He’s an intelligent young man with great potential and upside.  He will help us out in the future.”

 

Non-Varsity Notes

The UNI Open marks the second time this season that the non-varsity wrestlers have competed with the varsity wrestlers.

 

At the Kaufman-Brand Open on Nov. 19, seven of the 13 non-varsity wrestlers entered placed for the Huskers in the 20-and-under division,  led by Kenny Jordan, who won the 133-pound weight class in his first collegiate competition.  Vince Jones and Levi Wofford finished second at 184 and 197 pounds, respectively, while heavyweight Stefan Tighe finished third.  Craig Brester earned fourth place at 174 pounds, while 197-pound wrestler Cody Millard and 184-pound wrestler Casey Roberts each finished fifth.

 

Cash Coolidge finished third at 141 pounds and Craig Brester placed second at 174 pounds for the Huskers at the Oklahoma Open Nov. 26 in Norman, Okla., in the last non-varsity competition for NU.

Nebraska’s non-varsity wrestlers wrap up first-semester competition with the UNK Loper Open on Saturday, Dec. 10 in Kearney, Neb.  After the holiday break, NU will compete in the Dana College Open on Jan. 7 in Blair, Neb., before wrapping the open tournament schedule with the Glen Brand Open on Jan. 21 in Omaha, Neb.

 

Nebraska opened its non-varsity season Saturday, Nov. 12 at the Harold Nichols Open.  The Huskers were led by Brandon Browne, who opened his second year in the program with a 5-0 weekend and 174-pound championship.  Browne headlined a list of five Husker medalists, including four NU true freshmen who made their debut in college wrestling with a top-four performance in the Harold Nichols Open.  Mike Rowe finished second at 133 pounds, while Jones and Wofford finished third at 184 pounds and 197 pounds, respectively.  Freshman heavyweight Tighe finished fourth.  

 

Nebraska Fans Fill the Coliseum and Devaney for NU Wrestling

For the second straight year, the attendance for Nebraska wrestling went up.  For the first time in three years, the Huskers drew over 1,000 fans per dual.  NU averaged 1,209 fans per home wrestling dual in 2004-05, highlighted by the 3,442 fans that attended the Huskers’ dual against OklahomaState.  In 2003-04, Nebraska fell just shy of 1,000 fans per dual, averaging 927 fans per night.  That number was up from Nebraska’s average attendance of 2002-03 of 561.

 

Nebraska’s season-opening dual against BoiseState Nov. 18 drew 584 fans to the NU Coliseum.

 

Next up: Nebraska at Michigan and Minnesota

Nebraska continues its road trip with a pair of duals against Big Ten foes.  On Friday, the Huskers face third-ranked Michigan in Ann Arbor at 6 p.m.  Last year, the Wolverines dealt NU its first dual loss of the year, 27-12, at the Lone Star Duals in Grand Prairie, Texas.  Nebraska follows with fifth-ranked Minnesota on Sunday in Minneapolis, Minn., at 2 p.m.  The Huskers defeated the Gophers, 21-12, on Jan. 2, 2005 at the NU Coliseum in Lincoln, Neb.