Huskers Come Home to Take on American

Huskers Come Home to Take on American<?xml:namespace prefix="o" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"?>

Coming off an impressive third-place finish at the National Duals, the fifth-ranked Nebraska wrestling team returns home to take on American in NU’s final non-conference dual before entering Big 12 competition.  It is the first-ever matchup between the Huskers and the Eagles.

 

Last Week: #14 <?xml:namespace prefix="st1" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"?>Nebraska Finishes Third at National Duals

The 14th-ranked Nebraska wrestling team earned third place at the 2006 NWCA National Duals in Cedar Falls, Iowa, with a 3-1 weekend capped by a 21-10 win over No. 7 Central Michigan in the third-place match.  In the semifinals, the Huskers lost to top-ranked OklahomaState, 20-14.

 

Nebraska’s third-place finish marks the second time in school history that the Huskers finished third at the National Duals, as NU also finished third in 1995.  This year’s effort also marks the fourth time in program history that the Huskers finished in the top three at the National Duals, including runner-up finishes in 1993 and 1996.

 

Against Central Michigan, Nebraska put the dual away early by winning seven of the first eight matches.  125-pound wrestler Paul Donahoe picked up his third win of the weekend with a 4-3 victory over Luke Smith.  Patrick Aleksanyan followed with another narrow victory, a 6-4 sudden-victory triumph over Jason Borrelli.  Dominick Moyer earned Nebraska’s third straight close victory with a 2-1 win over Eric Kruger at 141 pounds to give the Huskers a 9-0 lead after the first three matches.

 

NU continued their winning ways with four straight victories after a setback at 149 pounds.  Chris Oliver got NU back on the winning track with a 3-2 win over Zach Strunk at 157 pounds.  At 165 pounds, Marc Harwood defeated Justin Petrone, 5-1.  Jacob Klein earned his fourth win of the weekend with a 6-0 triumph over Brandon Sinnott.  At 184 pounds, Vince Jones followed with his fourth straight victory in his first weekend of dual wrestling with a 9-4 win over Christian Sinnott.  With the outcome of the dual decided, Central Michigan earned wins at 197 pounds and at heavyweight.

 

Earlier in the day, Nebraska fell to top-ranked OklahomaState, 20-14, as a late Husker rally fell just short.  The Cowboys earned wins in five of the first six matches, with only Moyer earning a win for the Huskers with a 12-4 major decision victory over Daniel Frishkorn.  But through six matches, NU faced a 16-4 deficit.  Nebraska stormed back into the dual with three straight wins.  Klein defeated Brandon Mason, 3-0, and Jones followed with a 15-4 major decision win over Brent Parkey at 184 pounds.  At 197 pounds, Padden defeated second-ranked Jake Rosholt, 5-3, to pull the Huskers within two points entering the heavyweight match.  Top-ranked heavyweight Steve Mocco earned a major decision victory over Nebraska’s Jon May to clinch the dual for OSU.

 

On the first day of the NWCA National Duals, the 14th-ranked Nebraska wrestling team won both of its duals, and qualified for the semifinal matchup with top-ranked Oklahoma State after defeating sixth-ranked Iowa, 24-13, and fifth-ranked Michigan, 24-16.

 

In the first round, unseeded Nebraska knocked off fifth-seeded Iowa, 24-13.  The Huskers jumped out to a 12-0 lead after the first two matches with back-to-back first-period pins from Paul Donahoe at 125 pounds and Patrick Aleksanyan at 133.  After three straight setbacks cut NU’s edge to 12-10, 165-pound wrestler Marc Harwood stopped the Hawkeye win string and started a four-match winning streak for Nebraska with his 3-2 triumph over Eric Luedke.  Fifth-ranked Jacob Klein followed with a 4-3 win over third-ranked Mark Perry at 174 pounds.

 

In his varsity debut at 184 pounds, Vince Jones defeated second-ranked Paul Bradley, 4-3.  Fifth-ranked B.J. Padden closed out the winning streak with a solid 10-4 win over Dan Erekson to give NU a 24-10 lead and clinch the dual with one match to go.  With Nebraska’s ticket to the quarterfinals already punched, NU suffered a setback at heavyweight.  The victory marked Nebraska’s first win over Iowa since 1993 and just the eighth in 26 tries against the Hawkeyes in school history. Nebraska also defeated Iowa in the National Duals in 1993. 

 

In the quarterfinals, Nebraska defeated fifth-seeded Michigan, 24-16.  Again, NU got an early spark from a win by fall by Donahoe at 125 pounds.  However, in this dual, the Wolverines responded with three straight wins at 133, 141 and 149, to give Michigan a 9-6 lead.  At 157 pounds, Chris Oliver slammed the door on Michigan’s charge with his second-period pin of fifth-ranked Steve Luke, but UM would answer with a win from third-ranked Ryan Churella at 165 pounds.

 

With the dual tied at 12, NU again got wins in succession from Klein, Jones and Padden to clinch the dual.  Klein opened the win streak with a 4-0 win over 10th-ranked Nick Roy at 174 pounds.  Jones picked up his first varsity fall and his second win of the day as he pinned 17th-ranked Tyrel Todd just 51 seconds into their match.  Padden clinched the dual for NU with a 10-5 win over Casey White to give the Huskers a 24-12 lead heading into the final match.  The win over Michigan was Nebraska’s second victory over the Wolverines in 2005-06. Nebraska defeated then-No. 2 Michigan, 18-16, in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Dec. 9.

 

Unfamiliar Foe

American is one of two teams on Nebraska’s schedule that will face the Huskers in a dual for the first time this season.  Nebraska defeated Virginia Tech, 41-3, in the first meeting between the two schools on Jan. 7, 2006.

 

Scouting American

American enters the dual with a 7-4 record after five straight dual wins by the Eagles.  American is led by a pair of wrestlers ranked in the top five in their respective weight classes.  At 165 pounds, Muzaffar Abdurakhmanov is fourth in the nation after winning his first 14 matches of this season.  Josh Glenn also spearheads the Eagles’ effort with a record of 20-1 at 184 pounds.  At 125 pounds, Omaha Skutt graduate Matt Morkel has an 8-3 record. 

 

Klein Named Big 12 Wrestler of the Week

Nebraska senior 174-pound wrestler Jacob Klein was named Wrestler of the Week by the Big 12 Conference Monday afternoon.  Klein, the fifth-ranked 174-pound wrestler in the country, went 4-0 at the NWCA National Duals last weekend in Cedar Falls, Iowa, helping the Huskers to a third-place finish.  Klein defeated four ranked wrestlers at National Duals, including three shutouts.  In the first round, Klein knocked off third-ranked Mark Perry of Iowa, 4-3, to help NU to a 24-13 victory over the No. 6 Hawkeyes.  Klein followed that performance with a 4-0 shutout of sixth-ranked Nick Roy of Michigan as the Huskers earned their second win of the season over the No. 5 Wolverines, 24-16.

 

On Sunday, Klein defeated ninth-ranked Brandon Mason of OklahomaState, 3-0, in Nebraska’s semifinal loss to the Cowboys before defeating 14th-ranked Brandon Stinnott of Central Michigan, 6-0, in the third-place dual which Nebraska won, 21-10, over the seventh-ranked Chippewas.  It is the second career Big 12 Wrestler of the Week citation for Klein.  As a junior, Klein was honored as both conference wrestler of the week and CSTV National Wrestler of the Week after he defeated then-ninth-ranked Tyron Woodley of Missouri, 3-2, on Jan. 24, 2004. 

 

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 OklahomaState at the Big 12 Championships.  Padden has started the 2005-06 season with a 16-2 record, putting him just 14 wins away from 100 in his career.  Padden was 3-1 at National Duals, including a victory over second-ranked Jake Rosholt of OklahomaState in a rematch of last year’s Big 12 Championship final at 197 pounds.

 

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 16-1 record, putting him 14 wins away from 100 for his career.  Klein was 4-0 at National Duals, with wins over four ranked opponents including three shutouts.    

 

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 freshmen 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, along with true freshman Vince Jones at 184 pounds, Nebraska’s freshmen have supported the more-experienced Huskers en route to a 9-3 record.

 

The impact of Nebraska’s younger wrestlers was never more apparent than at the National Duals.  In the first round against Iowa, Donahoe and Patrick Aleksanyan earned back-to-back falls to give the Huskers a 12-0 lead, a lead that they would not give up, despite losses in the next three matches.  After wins from veterans Marc Harwood and Jacob Klein, Jones, in his debut in a dual for Nebraska, defeated second-ranked Paul Bradley, 4-3, to give NU a 21-10 lead.  In the quarterfinals against Michigan, Donahoe again gave Nebraska 6-0 lead with a win by fall.  After three straight losses, Oliver put the Huskers back on top by pinning fifth-ranked Steve Luke to give Nebraska a 12-9 lead.  After the Wolverines tied the dual at 165 pounds, a win by Klein gave the Huskers a three-point lead before Jones gave Nebraska a nine-point lead with two matches to go with his pin of 17th-ranked Tyrell Todd. 

 

In the semifnals against OklahomaState, the Huskers’ comeback bid received a big jolt from Jones’ win by major decision, which pulled Nebraska within five points with two matches to go.  The third-place match against Central Michigan saw Nebraska again race to a 6-0 lead after wins from Donahoe and Aleksanyan in the first two matches.  After a setback at 149 pounds, NU picked up wins from Oliver and Jones in a four-match winning streak that clinched the dual for the Huskers.

 

Against second-ranked Michigan on Dec. 9, a pair of redshirt freshmen combined to give Nebraska a lead it 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 BoiseState 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, 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 it looks 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.  Nebraska is one dual win away from its 19th 10-win season in the last 21 years.

 

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.  With a win against American, Nebraska will match the four seasons between 1979 and 1982 for most dual wins in a four-year span.

 

Nebraska has built its success over the last three years on dominance at home.  The Huskers have won 25 of their last 27 duals in Lincoln and are 29-3 at home since the fall of 2002.  Since Mark Manning’s arrival at Nebraska for the 2001-02 campaign, the Huskers are 35-10 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 entered his senior year with a 103-0 high school career record 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

Nebraska’s non-varsity wrestlers return to the mat on Saturday, Jan. 21 as they travel to Omaha, Neb., for the Glen Brand Open.  At the Dana College Open on Jan. 7, seven Huskers finished in the top three in their respective weight classes.  The highlight for NU was the 184-pound weight class, where NU swept the top three spots.  Vince Jones earned the championship with four pins, while Casey Roberts took second and Craig Brester earned third.  David Ingalls earned the 165-pound championship, while Levi Wofford won the 197-pound championship.  James Pummel and Stefan Tighe finished third and 174 pounds and heavyweight, respectively.

 

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.   Jones and Wofford finished second at 184 and 197 pounds, respectively, while heavyweight Tighe finished third.  Brester earned fourth place at 174 pounds, while 197-pound wrestler Cody Millard and 184-pound wrestler Roberts each finished fifth.  On Nov. 26, Cash Coolidge finished third at 141 pounds and 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, Jordan won five matches, including a 1-0 decision over teammate Patrick Aleksanyan in the finals, to earn the championship.  At 184 pounds, 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 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 Ingalls, who were making their 2005-06 season debuts.  Brester also was a champion at 174 pounds, while Tighe was third in the heavyweight division. 

 

Next Up: Nebraska vs. Missouri, Jan. 29, 2006, 1 p.m., NU Coliseum

Nebraska opens conference dual competition against Missouri at the NU Coliseum on Sunday, Jan. 29 at 1 p.m.  The Huskers seek their third straight win over the Tigers, who are led by top-ranked 174-pound wrestler Ben Askren.  Nebraska has beaten Missouri in 14 of the last 16 duals, dating back to NU’s 29-7 win over Missouri on Feb. 24, 1990.

 

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 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.

 

This season, Nebraska has averaged 450 fans per home date.  Nebraska’s season-opening dual against BoiseState Nov. 18 drew 584 fans to the NU Coliseum.  On Dec. 17, the Nebraska Duals drew 286 fans, while the dual against Bloomsburg drew 315 fans to the Devaney Center Track on Jan. 2 and 547 fans saw Nebraska defeat Virginia Tech. 41-3, at the Devaney Center Track on Jan. 7.  Along with the American dual, Nebraska faces nationally-ranked conference foes Missouri and Oklahoma at home later this season. Those duals, along with Nebraska’s tussle with American on Jan. 21 at 7 p.m., will be held at the NU Coliseum.