Huskers Dominate UNI Open

Six NU wrestlers were champions in their weight classes and 10 Huskers placed at the UNI Open in <?xml:namespace prefix="st1" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"?>Cedar Falls, Iowa on Sunday.  <?xml:namespace prefix="o" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"?>

 

Along with individual champions Paul Donahoe (125 pounds), Kenny Jordan (133), Dominick Moyer (141), Jacob Klein (174), Vince Jones (184) and B.J. Padden (197), Patrick Aleksanyan and Brandon Browne were runners-up for 12th-ranked Nebraska, at 133 and 174 pounds, respectively.  157-pound wrestler Chris Oliver and heavyweight Jon May both took third in their weight classes.

 

“Our team wrestled really well today,” said NU head coach Mark Manning.  “A day like this not only shows us what we need to improve on, but also indicates the things we do well already.”

 

Donahoe was 5-0 for the Huskers at 125 pounds.  Donahoe, the No. 1 seed at 125 pounds, defeated Cody Garcia of Nebraska-Omaha by major decision, 11-2, after winning three of his four preliminary matches by fall. 

 

“Donahoe was impressive today,” Manning said.  “He wrestled five really good matches.”

 

At 133 pounds, Aleksanyan and Jordan were both 4-0 heading into their clash in the championship finals, which Jordannarrowly won, 1-0.  Aleksanyan, who was unseeded at the start of the tournament, won his first round match by major decision, then defeated Illinois’ Joe Gomez in the sudden victory period in the preliminary rounds.  Jordan won in the first round by major decision and the second round by technical fall before rattling off a pair of wins to set up the matchup in the finals against Aleksanyan.

 

Moyer, the top seeded 141-pound wrestler at the UNI Open, proved worthy of his seed with a 5-0 day.  After earning a win by fall 53 seconds into his quarterfinal match with North DakotaState’s Dave Cunningham, Moyer knocked off Charles Lloyd of Minnesota in the third sudden-victory period, 4-0, before beating C.J. Ettleson of Northern Iowa, 6-2, in the finals.

 

The No. 1 seed 174-pound wrestler, Klein defeated Browne in the final, 9-3.  After winning his first round match by technical fall and his second by major decision, Klein earned a pair of shutout victories in the quarterfinals and semifinals before defeating Browne.  The third-seeded Browne earned a pair of wins by major decision and another by fall before losing to Klein in the final.

 

True freshman Vince Jones was dominant at 184 pounds, with four of his five wins coming by fall.  The third seed in his weight class, Jones clinched the championship with a pin of Wisconsin’s Justin Peterson 3:10 into their match. 

 

“Jones keeps impressing us,” Manning said.  “He’s an exciting guy to watch and a real go-getter.  That’s the style we like to see from our guys.”

 

Padden was 4-0 as the top seed at 197 pounds.  After a win by major decision in the first round, Padden earned three victories including a 10-4 defeat of Jon Jones of Iowa Central to clinch the championship.

Oliver and May were both 5-1 en route to third-place finishes at 157 pounds and heavyweight, respectively.

 

Nebraska (2-0) now prepares for a pair of challenging road duals.  The Huskers take on third-ranked Michigan on Friday at 6 p.m. and sixth-ranked Minnesota on Sunday at 2 p.m.

 

“Wrestling this well today gives us confidence heading into those duals and gets us battle-ready,” Manning said.

 

UNI Open Results

125 Pounds

Paul Donahoe (NU) by fall over Tom Magnani (Iowa), 3:30

Donahoe by fall over Justin Lebahn (St. Cloud St.), 3:37

Donahoe by dec. over Nick Fanthorpe (IowaState), 7-4

Donahoe by fall over Tim Kephart (Missouri), 3:12

Donahoe by major dec. over Cody Garcia (Neb.-Omaha), 11-2

 

Austin Baier (NU) by dec. over Drew Hammon (Wisconsin), 5-1

Baier by major dec. over Jeff Price (Purdue), 10-2

Cody Garcia (Neb-Omaha) by dec. over Baier, 3-1

John Olanowski (Missouri) by major dec. over Baier, 9-0

 

133 Pounds

Patrick Aleksanyan (NU) by major dec. over Dan Sneider (Wisconsin), 12-3

Aleksanyan by dec. over Joe Gomez (Illinois), 2-1 (SV1)

Aleksanyan by dec. Dan Hilario (Neb-Omaha), 7-3

Aleksanyan by dec. over Jayson Ness (Minnesota), 6-5

Kenny Jordan (NU) by dec. over Aleksanyan , 1-0

 

Kenny Jordan (NU) by major dec. over Chris Johnson (Iowa), 12-1

Jordan by tech. fall over Erik Senescu (Wisconsin), 20-5; 4:00

Jordan by dec. over Amond Prater (Missouri), 4-3 (SV1)

Jordan by dec. over Tony Valdez (Iowa Central CC), 6-4

Jordan by dec. over Patrick Aleksanyan (NU), 1-0

 

141 Pounds

Cash Coolidge (NU) by dec. over Seth Anderson (Ellsworth), 3-2

C.J. Ettleson (N. Iowa) by dec. over Coolidge, 3-0

Justin DeArment (Purdue) by dec. over Coolidge, 4-3

 

Brady LaMar (NU) by dec. over Keefer Jensen (SW Minn St), 7-3

Tyler Safratowich (Minn St-Mankato) by fall over LaMar, 1:17

Craig Gillison (Michigan) by fall over LaMar, 3:21

 

Dominick Moyer (NU) by dec. over Zach Stevens (Minn St.-Mankato), 2-0

Moyer by dec. over Ryan Osgood (Northern Iowa), 4-1

Moyer by fall over Dave Cunningham (N.D.State), 0:53

Moyer by dec. over Charles Lloyd (Minnesota), 4-0 (SV3)

Moyer by dec. over C.J. Ettleson (N. Iowa), 6-2

 

Christian Alt (Neb-Omaha) by dec. over Brad Zurek (NU), 7-2

Craig Gillison (Michigan) by fall over Zurek, 1:42

 

149 Pounds

Robert Sanders (NU) by fall over Tee Adams (Upper Iowa), 3:03

Sanders by major dec. over Alex Gunder (Iowa), 10-1

Charlie Ettelson (N. Iowa) over Sanders, 5-2

Justin Cole (Missouri) by dec. over Sanders, 2-1

 

157 Pounds

Chris Oliver (NU) by tech. fall over Mike Metzger (Wisconsin), 16-1; 5:59

Oliver by dec. over Henry Wahle (Neb-Omaha), 7-2

Oliver by dec. over Matt Everson (Minnesota), 3-1

James Williamson (Missouri) by dec. over Oliver, 6-5 (TB2)

Oliver by fall over Matt Collum (Iowa Central CC), 2:11

Oliver by dec. over Chris Bitetto (N. Iowa), 5-4

 

Adam Halverson (Luther) by fall over Rob Plambeck (NU), 3:40

Plambeck by fall over Kyle O’Toole (E. Illinois), 3:03

Plambeck by tech. fall over Mike Fiala (Iowa Central CC), 20-2; 5:00

Dallas Kuper (IowaState) by dec. over Plambeck, 5-2

 

174 Pounds

Curt Zinnel (N. Iowa) by dec. over Craig Brester (NU), 6-4

Brester by tech. fall over Cody Waters (Michigan), 16-0; 5:30

Brester by fall over Nick Skinner (Purdue), 5:04

Joey Garrity (Missouri) by dec. over Brester, 3-0

 

Brandon Browne (NU) by fall over Heath Lynnes (N.D.State), 1:30

Browne by major dec. over Clint Eakins (N. Iowa), 12-4

Browne by dec. over Matt Winterhalter (Illinois), 4-3

Browne by major dec. over Tim Johns (SW Minn. St.), 15-5

Jacob Klein (NU) by dec. over Browne, 9-3

 

Jacob Klein (NU) by tech. fall over Barry Jackson (Purdue), 15-0; 2:23

Klein by major dec. over Rick Loera (Iowa), 18-8

Klein by dec. over Joey Garrity (Missouri), 5-0

Klein by dec. over Curt Zinnel (N. Iowa), 4-0

Klein by dec. over Brandon Browne (NU), 9-3

 

184 Pounds

Vince Jones (NU) by fall over R.J. Oliver (Dubuque), 2:29

Jones by fall over Ryan Thomas (E. Illinois), 1:20

Jones by fall over Dan Dunning (N. Iowa), 3:30

Jones by dec. over Matt Wetterling (N.D.State),6-4

Jones by fall over Justin Peterson (Wisconsin), 3:10

 

197 Pounds

B.J. Padden (NU) by major dec. over Joel Wippenfurth (SW Minn. St.), 13-4

Padden by dec. over Alec Bonander (Luther), 8-3

Padden by dec. over Andrew Anderson (N. Iowa), 7-2

Padden by dec. over Jon Jones (Iowa Central CC), 10-4

 

Levi Wofford (NU) by fall over Chad Emery (St. Cloud St.), 1:33

Jon Jones (Iowa Central CC) by dec. over Wofford, 4-0

Wofford by dec. over Ben Janike (Minn St.-Mankato), 3-1

Wofford by dec. over Derrick Mehman (Ellsworth), 5-3

Jacob Brice (N.D.State) by dec. over Wofford, 5-2

 

Heavyweight

Jon May (NU) by dec. over Brady Wilson (Minn St.-Mankato), 7-2

May by fall over Danny Perez (E. Illinois), 3:11

May by dec. over Ryan Fuller (Iowa), 3-2

Les Sigmon (Unattached) by tech. fall over May, 16-1; 5:04

May by dec. over Ben Zulauf (Illinois), 5-2

May by fall over Tyler Rhodes (N. Iowa), 2:46