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Dual No. 7:<?xml:namespace prefix="o" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"?>
No. 14/13 Nebraska (4-2) vs. Bloomsburg (5-2)
Devaney Center Track?Lincoln, Neb.?Monday, Jan. 2?7 p.m.
Last Meeting: Nebraska won, 49-6, on Jan. 20, 2002, in Morgantown, W. Va.
Series History: Series Tied, 1-1
Dual No. 8:
No. 14/13 Nebraska (4-2) vs. Virginia Tech (0-5)
Devaney Center Track?Lincoln, Neb.?Saturday, Jan. 7?7 p.m.
Series History: first meeting
Nebraska Opens 2006 with Pair of Duals
After a 16-day break from competition, the 13th-ranked Nebraska wrestling team returns to the mat on Monday, Jan. 2 to take on Bloomsburg at the Devaney Center Track at 7 p.m. The Huskers’ dual with the Huskies will start a two-dual week for NU, as Nebraska takes on Virginia Tech on Saturday, Jan. 7 at 7 p.m. at the Devaney Center Track. The meeting will be the first between the Huskers and Hokies.
The Last Time Out: # 11 NU 33, Oregon State 10/#23 Cal Poly 21, #11 NU 19
Nebraska head wrestling coach Mark Manning picked up his 100th career dual win Dec. 17 as the 11th-ranked Nebraska wrestling team defeated Oregon State, 33-10, at the Nebraska Duals at the NU Coliseum in Lincoln, Neb. In their second dual of the day, the Huskers lost to 23rd-ranked Cal Poly, 21-19. The teams each won five matches, but it was a pair of pins by the Mustangs that proved to be the difference in the dual.
NU opened the dual against Oregon State with four straight victories. Robert Sanders started the winning streak for the Huskers with a hard-fought 7-6 win over Orlando Perez. Sanders took the lead with eight seconds to go with his third reversal in a match that saw five lead changes and one tie. After a forfeit by the Beavers at 165 pounds, sixth-ranked Jacob Klein defeated Jeremy Larson, 10-5. Klein scored three takedowns in the first period to take a 6-3 lead and added an escape and a takedown in the third. At 184 pounds, Brandon Browne picked up his first dual win of his career with a pin of Neal Beaudry with 27 seconds to go in the first period to give Nebraska a 21-0 lead in the dual. After a major decision setback at 197 pounds, 17th-ranked heavyweight wrestler Jon May clinched the dual victory with a 3-2 win over 18th-ranked Ty Watterson. May broke a two-all tie with his escape 21 seconds into the third period. 13th-ranked Paul Donahoe followed May’s lead with a 13-6 win over 20th-ranked Eric Stevenson. Donahoe jumped ahead 7-3 after the first period, and sealed the victory with a third period that saw him score a takedown and two-point near fall. In the next match, Patrick Aleksanyan capped a frantic third period with his pin of Jake Gonzalez with one second to go in the match. Aleksanyan scored five takedowns in the final period of the match, including one with six seconds to go that set up his win by fall. With the dual already wrapped up, the Huskers suffered a setback at 141 pounds.
Against Cal Poly, Nebraska suffered a setback at 149 pounds before winning three straight matches to take the lead in the dual. Chris Oliver started the win string for the Huskers with a 15-4 major decision win over Ryan Williams. Oliver held a 3-2 lead after the first period, but a 7-1 second period that saw Oliver notch a pair of near falls and a takedown all but sealed the match for Oliver. Two takedowns and a bonus point for a 1:31 riding time advantage gave Oliver the final 15-4 score.
A strong start by 165-pound wrestler Marc Harwood gave him a 7-3 win over Rob Maxwell. Harwood scored two takedowns in the first period, then added to his edge with an escape and a penalty point in the second. Klein closed the winning streak with a gutsy 7-4 win over Nick Hernandez. His vision impaired by bandaging on a cut near his eye, Klein scored six unanswered points to rally from a 4-1 deficit to win. Back-to-back first period pins from 184-pound wrestler Ryan Halsey and 14th-ranked Matt Montiero at 197 pounds gave Cal Poly a 15-10 lead, but Nebraska would retake the lead with a win by fall by May over Arturo Basulto with 1:17 to go in the second period. At 125 pounds, Donahoe defeated ninth-ranked Chad Mendes, 7-6. With 29 seconds to go in the sudden victory period, Donahoe was awarded a penalty point when Mendes was called for stalling for the second time in the match. Third-ranked Darrell Vasquez needed a four-point third period to defeat Patrick Aleksanyan at 133 pounds, while at 141 pounds, Moyer was defeated by David Roberts, 7-5. Roberts scored a takedown with nine seconds to go in the sudden victory period.
The Last Time We Met: Jan. 20, 2002-Nebraska 49, Bloomsburg 6
The Nebraska wrestling team topped Bloomsburg, 49-6, in Morgantown, W.Va. on Jan. 20. 2002.The 49-point performance against Bloomsburg marked the most points scored in a dual by NU since the 1982-83 season (Jan. 22, 1983 vs. Colorado School of Mines, 55-0). Though Nebraska has scored at least 40 points thirteen times under head coach Mark Manning, the 49 points scored in that dual still stand as the most scored by the Huskers under Manning. Each of the nine Huskers that took to the mat against Bloomsburg scored bonus points, including five falls, two major decisions, a technical fall and a forfeit.
Joey Malia set the tone for NU with his first period win by fall over Mark Piermattaei at 133 pounds. At 141 pounds, Scott Burnett followed with a pin of Adam Castner just 1:37 into their match. NU would score their third six-point victory to start the dual at 149 pounds, as Bloomsburg was open at that weight. Top-ranked Bryan Snyder followed at 157 pounds with a 22-7 win by technical fall over B.J. Mikeska. Snyder closed out Mikeska with a takedown with 40 seconds to go in the second period. Tony Denke registered NU’s third win by fall in the dual and clinched the dual victory for the Huskers at 165 pounds with his first-period pin of Duane Bastress. Jason Zakaras followed with a major decision win at 174 pounds over Tom Anderson, 17-9, before Travis Pascoe earned Nebraska fourth win by fall of the day at 184 pounds. After Nebraska forfeited at 197 pounds, Pat Miron won by major decision at heavyweight and Jason Powell won by fall to close the dual against the Huskies.
Unfamiliar Foe
Virginia Tech is one of two teams on Nebraska’s schedule that will face the Huskers in a dual for the first time this season. The next home dual opponent, American, will also be facing Nebraska for the first time in a dual when it comes to the NU Coliseum on Saturday, Jan. 21 at 7 p.m.
Scouting Bloomsburg
Bloomsburg comes into its dual with Nebraska with a 5-2 record after a 2-1 mark at the Purdue Duals on Dec. 13. The Huskies knocked off William Penn and Eastern Michigan before falling, 21-15, to host Purdue. Bloomsburg opened the season with wins in three of its four duals, including a 17-16 home win over Pittsburgh. The Huskies are coached by John Stutzman, in his first year at the helm of the Bloomsburg wrestling program, and led by a pair of defending Eastern Wrestling League champions, Jim Bertulis at 165 pounds and Mike Sees at 125 pounds.
Scouting Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech enters the week with an 0-5 record and will face seventh-ranked Iowa State on Thursday, Jan. 5, before taking on Nebraska on Saturday. Virginia Tech will wrestle a pair of duals in the Midwest after participating in the Southern Scuffle in Greensboro, N.C., on Dec. 29-30. The Hokies are coached by former Iowa standout Tom Brands. Brands and Virginia Tech look to build on last year’s second place finish in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Hokies are led by sixth-ranked David Hoffman at 141 pounds and 11th-ranked Mike Faust at heavyweight. Hoffman and Faust are two of four VIrginia Tech wrestlers who wrestled in the NCAA Championships last year. This season, the Hokies have faced a difficult schedule, including second-ranked Minnesota, 10th-ranked Central Michigan and 23rd-ranked Northern Iowa.
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 entered the 2005-06 season as one of the nation’s best at 197 pounds. 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 Oklahoma State at the Big 12 Championships. Padden has started the 2005-06 season with a 12-1 record, putting him just 18 wins away from 100 in his career. He missed the Nebraska Duals with a ankle injury, but is expected to return to Nebraska’s lineup this week.
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 an 10-1 record, putting him 20 wins away from 100 for his career.
Starting Strong
Nebraska has been almost unbeatable in the months of November and December under head coach Mark Manning. The Huskers have won 36 of 38 non-conference matches in the first two months of the season under Manning and are 36-3 overall. During that time, Nebraska has beaten 11 ranked opponents, including an upset of second-ranked Michigan on Dec. 9. Included in the 34 wins are four shutouts, including two at the 2004 Nebraska Duals.
Youth Served for NU This Season
After losing five starters from last year’s lineup, Nebraska has had to rely on a talented redshirt freshman class to fill those holes this season, and the class has been more than equal to the task. Led by co-Redshirts of the Year Paul Donahoe at 125 pounds and Chris Oliver at 157 pounds, Nebraska’s redshirt freshmen have supported the more-experienced Huskers en route to a 4-2 record in the first five weeks of the season.
Against second-ranked Michigan on Dec. 9, a pair of redshirt freshmen combined to give Nebraska a lead they would not relinquish on the road against the Wolverines. Donahoe picked up a win by technical fall over Jim Shutich, 15-0, to give the Huskers an 8-3 lead before Aleksanyan broke through for his first dual win of his career with a 14-4 major decision triumph over Brandon Elliott at 133 pounds. Aleksanyan’s victory gave NU a 12-3 lead with six matches to go. The lead built by the redshirt freshmen held up, as Nebraska beat Michigan, 18-16.
Five NU wrestlers made their varsity debuts against Boise State on Nov. 19. Of those, Donahoe and 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 period 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. Against Michigan, 2005 Co-Redshirt of the Year Brandon Browne also made his varsity debut at 184 pounds. The youth in Nebraska’s starting lineup reflects a talented, but young roster. Of the 33 NU wrestlers on the roster, 23 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 23 of their last 25 duals in Lincoln and are 27-3 at home since the fall of 2002. Since Mark Manning’s arrival at Nebraska for the 2001-02 campaign, the Huskers are 33-10 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 season.
“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 Mount Saint Joseph High 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 Mount Saint Joseph High 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
Nebraska’s non-varsity wrestlers return to the mat on Saturday, Jan. 7 as they travel to Blair, Neb., for the Dana College Open. Last season, five Husker wrestlers won individual championships in Blair, including current starters Paul Donahoe (125), Chris Oliver (157) and Brandon Browne (165).
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 the 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.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. On Nov. 26, Cash Coolidge finished third at 141 pounds and Craig Brester placed second at 174 pounds for the Huskers at the Oklahoma Open in Norman, Okla.
On Sunday, Dec. 4, a pair of non-varsity wrestlers earned individual championships at the UNI Open. At 133 pounds, Kenny Jordan won five matches, including a 1-0 decision over teammate Patrick Aleksanyan in the finals, to earn the championship. At 184 pounds, Vince Jones won four of his five matches by fall en route to the championship. Jones has been dominant of late for NU, winning 11 of his last 12 matches including 10 victories by fall. In addition to Jordan and Jones, 174-pound wrestler Brandon Browne finished runner-up to Jacob Klein. The Nebraska non-varsity wrestlers closed first semester competition at the UNK Loper Open on Saturday, Dec. 10 in Kearney, Neb. Three Huskers earned individual championships including a pair of Huskers, 149-pound wrestler Ryan Davis and 165-pounder David Ingalls, who were making their 2005-06 season debuts. Craig Brester also was a champion at 174 pounds, while Stefan Tighe was third in the heavyweight division. NU will complete its open tournament schedule with the Glen Brand Open on Jan. 21 in Omaha, Neb.
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 Devaney Center 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.
Nebraska Fans Fill the Coliseum and Devaney for NU Wrestling
For the second straight year, the attendance for Nebraska wrestling went up in 2004-05. 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 Oklahoma State. 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 Boise State Nov. 18 drew 584 fans to the NU Coliseum.
Next up: Nebraska at National Duals, Jan. 14-15, 2006
After a four-year absence, the Nebraska wrestling team will compete in the NWCA National Duals in Cedar Falls, Iowa on Saturday, Jan. 14, and Sunday, Jan. 15. Nebraska participated in the first 13 national duals, and hosted five straight years, from 1993 to 1997. The Huskers finished in the top eight of the duals 11 straight times, beginning with a fifth-place finish in 1990. In its last trip to National Duals during the 2000-01 season, Nebraska finished 1-2. After knocking off host Penn State, 20-15, the Huskers lost to second-ranked Minnesota and 18th-ranked Lehigh. This year’s 16-team field will have a distinct Big 12 flavor, as all five conference schools that sponsor wrestling will participate in the National Duals. The first-round matches begin at the UNI Dome at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 14.
Dual No. 7:
No. 14/13 Nebraska (4-2) vs. Bloomsburg (5-2)
Devaney Center Track?Lincoln, Neb.?Monday, Jan. 2?7 p.m.
Last Meeting: Nebraska won, 49-6, on Jan. 20, 2002, in Morgantown, W. Va.
Series History: Series Tied, 1-1
Dual No. 8:
No. 14/13 Nebraska (4-2) vs. Virginia Tech (0-5)
Devaney Center Track?Lincoln, Neb.?Saturday, Jan. 7?7 p.m.
Series History: first meeting
Nebraska Opens 2006 with Pair of Duals
After a 16-day break from competition, the 13th-ranked Nebraska wrestling team returns to the mat on Monday, Jan. 2 to take on Bloomsburg at the Devaney Center Track at 7 p.m. The Huskers’ dual with the Huskies will start a two-dual week for NU, as Nebraska takes on Virginia Tech on Saturday, Jan. 7 at 7 p.m. at the Devaney Center Track. The meeting will be the first between the Huskers and Hokies.
The Last Time Out: # 11 NU 33, Oregon State 10/#23 Cal Poly 21, #11 NU 19
Nebraska head wrestling coach Mark Manning picked up his 100th career dual win Dec. 17 as the 11th-ranked Nebraska wrestling team defeated Oregon State, 33-10, at the Nebraska Duals at the NU Coliseum in Lincoln, Neb. In their second dual of the day, the Huskers lost to 23rd-ranked Cal Poly, 21-19. The teams each won five matches, but it was a pair of pins by the Mustangs that proved to be the difference in the dual.
NU opened the dual against Oregon State with four straight victories. Robert Sanders started the winning streak for the Huskers with a hard-fought 7-6 win over Orlando Perez. Sanders took the lead with eight seconds to go with his third reversal in a match that saw five lead changes and one tie. After a forfeit by the Beavers at 165 pounds, sixth-ranked Jacob Klein defeated Jeremy Larson, 10-5. Klein scored three takedowns in the first period to take a 6-3 lead and added an escape and a takedown in the third. At 184 pounds, Brandon Browne picked up his first dual win of his career with a pin of Neal Beaudry with 27 seconds to go in the first period to give Nebraska a 21-0 lead in the dual. After a major decision setback at 197 pounds, 17th-ranked heavyweight wrestler Jon May clinched the dual victory with a 3-2 win over 18th-ranked Ty Watterson. May broke a two-all tie with his escape 21 seconds into the third period. 13th-ranked Paul Donahoe followed May’s lead with a 13-6 win over 20th-ranked Eric Stevenson. Donahoe jumped ahead 7-3 after the first period, and sealed the victory with a third period that saw him score a takedown and two-point near fall. In the next match, Patrick Aleksanyan capped a frantic third period with his pin of Jake Gonzalez with one second to go in the match. Aleksanyan scored five takedowns in the final period of the match, including one with six seconds to go that set up his win by fall. With the dual already wrapped up, the Huskers suffered a setback at 141 pounds.
Against Cal Poly, Nebraska suffered a setback at 149 pounds before winning three straight matches to take the lead in the dual. Chris Oliver started the win string for the Huskers with a 15-4 major decision win over Ryan Williams. Oliver held a 3-2 lead after the first period, but a 7-1 second period that saw Oliver notch a pair of near falls and a takedown all but sealed the match for Oliver. Two takedowns and a bonus point for a 1:31 riding time advantage gave Oliver the final 15-4 score.
A strong start by 165-pound wrestler Marc Harwood gave him a 7-3 win over Rob Maxwell. Harwood scored two takedowns in the first period, then added to his edge with an escape and a penalty point in the second. Klein closed the winning streak with a gutsy 7-4 win over Nick Hernandez. His vision impaired by bandaging on a cut near his eye, Klein scored six unanswered points to rally from a 4-1 deficit to win. Back-to-back first period pins from 184-pound wrestler Ryan Halsey and 14th-ranked Matt Montiero at 197 pounds gave Cal Poly a 15-10 lead, but Nebraska would retake the lead with a win by fall by May over Arturo Basulto with 1:17 to go in the second period. At 125 pounds, Donahoe defeated ninth-ranked Chad Mendes, 7-6. With 29 seconds to go in the sudden victory period, Donahoe was awarded a penalty point when Mendes was called for stalling for the second time in the match. Third-ranked Darrell Vasquez needed a four-point third period to defeat Patrick Aleksanyan at 133 pounds, while at 141 pounds, Moyer was defeated by David Roberts, 7-5. Roberts scored a takedown with nine seconds to go in the sudden victory period.
The Last Time We Met: Jan. 20, 2002-Nebraska 49, Bloomsburg 6
The Nebraska wrestling team topped Bloomsburg, 49-6, in Morgantown, W.Va. on Jan. 20. 2002.The 49-point performance against Bloomsburg marked the most points scored in a dual by NU since the 1982-83 season (Jan. 22, 1983 vs. Colorado School of Mines, 55-0). Though Nebraska has scored at least 40 points thirteen times under head coach Mark Manning, the 49 points scored in that dual still stand as the most scored by the Huskers under Manning. Each of the nine Huskers that took to the mat against Bloomsburg scored bonus points, including five falls, two major decisions, a technical fall and a forfeit.
Joey Malia set the tone for NU with his first period win by fall over Mark Piermattaei at 133 pounds. At 141 pounds, Scott Burnett followed with a pin of Adam Castner just 1:37 into their match. NU would score their third six-point victory to start the dual at 149 pounds, as Bloomsburg was open at that weight. Top-ranked Bryan Snyder followed at 157 pounds with a 22-7 win by technical fall over B.J. Mikeska. Snyder closed out Mikeska with a takedown with 40 seconds to go in the second period. Tony Denke registered NU’s third win by fall in the dual and clinched the dual victory for the Huskers at 165 pounds with his first-period pin of Duane Bastress. Jason Zakaras followed with a major decision win at 174 pounds over Tom Anderson, 17-9, before Travis Pascoe earned Nebraska fourth win by fall of the day at 184 pounds. After Nebraska forfeited at 197 pounds, Pat Miron won by major decision at heavyweight and Jason Powell won by fall to close the dual against the Huskies.
Unfamiliar Foe
Virginia Tech is one of two teams on Nebraska’s schedule that will face the Huskers in a dual for the first time this season. The next home dual opponent, American, will also be facing Nebraska for the first time in a dual when it comes to the NU Coliseum on Saturday, Jan. 21 at 7 p.m.
Scouting Bloomsburg
Bloomsburg comes into its dual with Nebraska with a 5-2 record after a 2-1 mark at the Purdue Duals on Dec. 13. The Huskies knocked off William Penn and Eastern Michigan before falling, 21-15, to host Purdue. Bloomsburg opened the season with wins in three of its four duals, including a 17-16 home win over Pittsburgh. The Huskies are coached by John Stutzman, in his first year at the helm of the Bloomsburg wrestling program, and led by a pair of defending Eastern Wrestling League champions, Jim Bertulis at 165 pounds and Mike Sees at 125 pounds.
Scouting Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech enters the week with an 0-5 record and will face seventh-ranked Iowa State on Thursday, Jan. 5, before taking on Nebraska on Saturday. Virginia Tech will wrestle a pair of duals in the Midwest after participating in the Southern Scuffle in Greensboro, N.C., on Dec. 29-30. The Hokies are coached by former Iowa standout Tom Brands. Brands and Virginia Tech look to build on last year’s second place finish in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Hokies are led by sixth-ranked David Hoffman at 141 pounds and 11th-ranked Mike Faust at heavyweight. Hoffman and Faust are two of four VIrginia Tech wrestlers who wrestled in the NCAA Championships last year. This season, the Hokies have faced a difficult schedule, including second-ranked Minnesota, 10th-ranked Central Michigan and 23rd-ranked Northern Iowa.
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 entered the 2005-06 season as one of the nation’s best at 197 pounds. 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 Oklahoma State at the Big 12 Championships. Padden has started the 2005-06 season with a 12-1 record, putting him just 18 wins away from 100 in his career. He missed the Nebraska Duals with a ankle injury, but is expected to return to Nebraska’s lineup this week.
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 an 10-1 record, putting him 20 wins away from 100 for his career.
Starting Strong
Nebraska has been almost unbeatable in the months of November and December under head coach Mark Manning. The Huskers have won 36 of 38 non-conference matches in the first two months of the season under Manning and are 36-3 overall. During that time, Nebraska has beaten 11 ranked opponents, including an upset of second-ranked Michigan on Dec. 9. Included in the 34 wins are four shutouts, including two at the 2004 Nebraska Duals.
Youth Served for NU This Season
After losing five starters from last year’s lineup, Nebraska has had to rely on a talented redshirt freshman class to fill those holes this season, and the class has been more than equal to the task. Led by co-Redshirts of the Year Paul Donahoe at 125 pounds and Chris Oliver at 157 pounds, Nebraska’s redshirt freshmen have supported the more-experienced Huskers en route to a 4-2 record in the first five weeks of the season.
Against second-ranked Michigan on Dec. 9, a pair of redshirt freshmen combined to give Nebraska a lead they would not relinquish on the road against the Wolverines. Donahoe picked up a win by technical fall over Jim Shutich, 15-0, to give the Huskers an 8-3 lead before Aleksanyan broke through for his first dual win of his career with a 14-4 major decision triumph over Brandon Elliott at 133 pounds. Aleksanyan’s victory gave NU a 12-3 lead with six matches to go. The lead built by the redshirt freshmen held up, as Nebraska beat Michigan, 18-16.
Five NU wrestlers made their varsity debuts against Boise State on Nov. 19. Of those, Donahoe and 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 period 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. Against Michigan, 2005 Co-Redshirt of the Year Brandon Browne also made his varsity debut at 184 pounds. The youth in Nebraska’s starting lineup reflects a talented, but young roster. Of the 33 NU wrestlers on the roster, 23 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 23 of their last 25 duals in Lincoln and are 27-3 at home since the fall of 2002. Since Mark Manning’s arrival at Nebraska for the 2001-02 campaign, the Huskers are 33-10 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 season.
“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 Mount Saint Joseph High 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 Mount Saint Joseph High 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
Nebraska’s non-varsity wrestlers return to the mat on Saturday, Jan. 7 as they travel to Blair, Neb., for the Dana College Open. Last season, five Husker wrestlers won individual championships in Blair, including current starters Paul Donahoe (125), Chris Oliver (157) and Brandon Browne (165).
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 the 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.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. On Nov. 26, Cash Coolidge finished third at 141 pounds and Craig Brester placed second at 174 pounds for the Huskers at the Oklahoma Open in Norman, Okla.
On Sunday, Dec. 4, a pair of non-varsity wrestlers earned individual championships at the UNI Open. At 133 pounds, Kenny Jordan won five matches, including a 1-0 decision over teammate Patrick Aleksanyan in the finals, to earn the championship. At 184 pounds, Vince Jones won four of his five matches by fall en route to the championship. Jones has been dominant of late for NU, winning 11 of his last 12 matches including 10 victories by fall. In addition to Jordan and Jones, 174-pound wrestler Brandon Browne finished runner-up to Jacob Klein. The Nebraska non-varsity wrestlers closed first semester competition at the UNK Loper Open on Saturday, Dec. 10 in Kearney, Neb. Three Huskers earned individual championships including a pair of Huskers, 149-pound wrestler Ryan Davis and 165-pounder David Ingalls, who were making their 2005-06 season debuts. Craig Brester also was a champion at 174 pounds, while Stefan Tighe was third in the heavyweight division. NU will complete its open tournament schedule with the Glen Brand Open on Jan. 21 in Omaha, Neb.
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 Devaney Center 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.
Nebraska Fans Fill the Coliseum and Devaney for NU Wrestling
For the second straight year, the attendance for Nebraska wrestling went up in 2004-05. 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 Oklahoma State. 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 Boise State Nov. 18 drew 584 fans to the NU Coliseum.
Next up: Nebraska at National Duals, Jan. 14-15, 2006
After a four-year absence, the Nebraska wrestling team will compete in the NWCA National Duals in Cedar Falls, Iowa on Saturday, Jan. 14, and Sunday, Jan. 15. Nebraska participated in the first 13 national duals, and hosted five straight years, from 1993 to 1997. The Huskers finished in the top eight of the duals 11 straight times, beginning with a fifth-place finish in 1990. In its last trip to National Duals during the 2000-01 season, Nebraska finished 1-2. After knocking off host Penn State, 20-15, the Huskers lost to second-ranked Minnesota and 18th-ranked Lehigh. This year’s 16-team field will have a distinct Big 12 flavor, as all five conference schools that sponsor wrestling will participate in the National Duals. The first-round matches begin at the UNI Dome at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 14.