NU Aims for Conference Championship in Ames

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The fifth-ranked Nebraska wrestling team looks to compete for the conference championship and qualify wrestlers for the 2006 NCAA Championships at the Big 12 Wrestling Championship on Saturday, March 4 at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa.  The top three finishers in each weight class, along with six wrestlers selected for wild-card berths to nationals, will move on the NCAA Championships in Oklahoma City, Okla March 16-18. 

 

At last year’s Big 12 Championship, held in Omaha, Neb., the Huskers finished third behind the program’s first individual champion since 2002, 197-pounder B.J. Padden, who defeated OklahomaState’s Jake Rosholt in the 197-pound championship match. 

 

The finals from the 2006 Big 12 Championships will be shown nationwide on a tape-delay basis.  The finals are slated to be first shown on FSN Midwest in Lincoln on Sunday, March 12 at 12:30 p.m.   Check local listings for the date and time in your area.   

 

Last Time Out: #5 Nebraska 22, #7 IowaState 21

The fifth-ranked Nebraska wrestling team picked up wins in five of the first seven matches and never looked back en route to a 22-21 win over seventh-ranked IowaState on Feb. 19 at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa.  The win was the Huskers’ 11th over IowaState in the last 18 duals between the two schools including three of the last four and was Nebraska’s first win over IowaState in Ames since the Huskers knocked off the then fifth-ranked Cyclones, 21-17, on Jan. 27, 1996.

 

Nebraska took an early 6-0 lead after Chris Oliver won by injury default at 157 pounds.  After a major decision loss at 165 pounds, the Huskers answered with a 2-0 victory by third-ranked Jacob Klein at 174 pounds.  IowaState’s Kurt Backes would respond with a technical fall victory to even the dual.  Nebraska took a 13-9 lead in the fifth match of the dual with an 18-5 major decision victory by fifth-ranked B.J. Padden over Joe Curran at 197 pounds.  Padden scored the first seven points of the match and never looked back en route to his 20th win of the season. 

 

Heavyweight Jon May extended the Huskers’ lead to seven with a 4-0 win over Richard Schopf.  May took the lead with an escape in the second period, then added a two-point near fall in the third period after Schopf started the period down.  May ended the match with a 1:50 advantage in riding time.

 

Paul Donahoe earned Nebraska’s third straight win with a pin of Ben Hanisch with 20 seconds left in their 125-pound match.  Donahoe, the ninth-ranked 125-pound wrestler, held a 10-3 lead in the match after a takedown with 54 seconds to go before closing out the match 14 seconds later. 

 

Three straight wins by IowaState drew the Cyclones within one of the Huskers, but the advantage gained by Nebraska in winning five of the first seven matches proved to be enough for the Huskers’ 12th dual win of the season.

 

Last Year: March 5, 2005: Nebraska-3rd

In a night highlighted by Nebraska’s first individual Big 12 Champion since 2002, the fourth-ranked Nebraska wrestling team saw seven wrestlers qualify for the 2005 NCAA Championships, at the 2005 Big 12 Championships held at Qwest Center OMAHA in Omaha, Neb. The Huskers finished third with 47.5 team points, behind OklahomaState and IowaState. 197-pound junior wrestler B.J. Padden defeated top-ranked Jake Rosholt of OklahomaState, 6-2, to earn the conference crown.

 

After a scoreless first period, Padden earned an escape three seconds into the second period to take an early 1-0 lead. Padden added to his lead with a takedown with 49 seconds to go in the frame. After giving up an escape toward the end of the second period, Padden registered a third-period takedown to seal the dual.

 

Travis Pascoe earned his fourth career trip to the NCAA Championships with his runner-up finish at 184 pounds. Pascoe defeated Oklahoma’s Justin Dyer, 10-5, in the semifinals before losing by fall to IowaState’s Kurt Backes in the first period of their match.

 

Dominick Moyer clinched his first career bid to the NCAA Championships with his runner-up finish at 133 pounds. Moyer defeated Tyler McCormick of Missouri by injury default in the semifinals before losing to OSU’s Nathan Morgan by major decision, 14-6, in the finals.

 

Matt Keller earned his second career trip to the NCAA’s with a 6-3 victory over IowaState’s Grant Nakamura at 125 pounds. The sophomore from McDonald, Tenn., rebounded from a first-round loss by fall against OklahomaState’s Coleman Scott, beating Missouri’s Tim Kephart, 10-3, and setting up Keller’s victory over Nakamura.

 

Also earning his way to nationals with a third-place finish was Jacob Klein at 165 pounds. He defeated Travis Paulson of IowaState, 3-1, to earn his spot at nationals. After losing in overtime to OklahomaState’s Johny Hendricks, Klein rebounded with a 1-0 win over Wes Roberts of Oklahoma in the consolation semifinals.

 

Matt Murray (141) and 149-pound wrestler Travis Shufelt were awarded wild-card berths to nationals.

 

Scouting the Big 12 Championships

The Big 12 Conference is traditionally known as one of the toughest wrestling conferences in the nation.  As the conference prepares for its10th championship tournament, this year is no exception.  All five Big 12 schools that sponsor wrestling enter the conference tournament ranked in the top 10 in both the WIN Magazine and the NWCA/USA Today/Intermat polls. 

 

Not only are the five teams strong, but each team’s depth should provide for some hotly contested battles within the weight classes.  Six of the weight classes have at least four wrestlers ranked, while the 165-pound and 174-pound weight classes feature all five wrestlers ranked in at least one of the polls.

 

The 165-pound weight class is headlined by OklahomaState’s Johny Hendricks, who is the defending conference champion in the weight class and the top-ranked 165-pound wrestler this season.  He will be pushed by ninth-ranked Travis Paulson of IowaState and sixth-ranked Matt Pell of Missouri.  Also battling at 165 pounds is 15th-ranked Marc Harwood of Nebraska and 18th-ranked Jarrod King of Oklahoma.

 

The 174-pound weight class shapes up to be similarly difficult.  Two of the top four 174-pound wrestlers in the nation lead the way in another tough bracket.  Undefeated and top-ranked Ben Askren of Missouri will face a strong challenge from NU’s Jacob Klein, the fourth-ranked 174-pound wrestler, along with 19th-ranked David Bertolino of IowaState and 10th-ranked Brandon Mason of OklahomaState.  Rounding out the weight class is Oklahoma’s Wes Roberts who is not ranked in the Amateur Wrestling News poll, but is ranked in the other two polls.

 

Three top-five wrestlers highlight the 197-pound weight-class.  Defending conference champion B.J. Padden of Nebraska leads the way.  Ranked fifth in the Amateur Wrestling News poll, Padden is in the top three in the other two polls.  Padden will be pushed by defending national champion Jake Rosholt of OklahomaState, who enters the conference tournament ranked third.  Fourth-ranked Joel Flaggert of Oklahoma will also make the 197-pound weight class one of the more compelling championship battles of the tournament.

 

Snyder, Vering Named to 10th Anniversary Team

The Big 12 Conference announced earlier this week that former NU wrestlers Bryan Snyder and Brad Vering were two of 12 wrestlers named to the conference’s 10th Anniversary Team.  

 

Snyder, currently a volunteer assistant coach with the Huskers, was a four-time conference champion at 157 pounds for Nebraska from 1999-2002.  Snyder was a four-time All-American, finishing as the national runner-up in 2001 and 2002.  Snyder finished second in school history with 136 career wins.  His .925 career winning percentage is the best in school history among wrestlers with at least 50 career matches.  Snyder also ranks second on NU’s career chart with 69 career dual victories.

 

Currently a member of the US National Team, Vering was a two-time conference champion and the 2000 national champion at 197 pounds.  Vering became the seventh Husker to win a national championship with his 2-1 overtime win over Zach Thompson of IowaState in the 2000 finals.  Vering was a three-time All-American from 1999 to 2001.   

 

Husker History in Conference Championships

While Nebraska has not won a Big 12 championship in its 10 years of competition in the league, the Huskers have improved to finish in the top three of the conference the last two years. 

 

Nebraska’s last visit to Ames was a successful one, as Nebraska finished second in the 2004 Big 12 Championship behind eventual national champion OklahomaState.  The Huskers’ runner-up showing was the best for NU since its runner-up finish in the final Big Eight Championship in 1996. 

 

In 2005, Nebraska finished third, but saw B.J. Padden win the school’s first individual conference championship since 2002 as Padden knocked off OklahomaState’s Jake Rosholt, 6-2, in the championship final.  Five Huskers finished in the top three of their respective weight classes, while two NU wrestlers were awarded wild-card berths to give Nebraska seven NCAA qualifiers last season.

 

Padden became the eighth NU Big 12 champion and the 48th conference champion in school history.  Bryan Snyder won four conference championships at 157 pounds from 1999 through 2002, while Jason Powell won the 125-pound crown in 2001.  In 1998, a pair of Nebraska wrestlers, Brad Vering (177) and Ryan Tobin (190), won the Big 12 Championship in their respective weight classes, while Tolly Thompson was the heavyweight conference champion in 1997, the first year of Big 12 oompetition.

 

Nebraska seeks its first conference championship since winning the 1995 Big Eight Championship.  The Huskers’ championships in 1993 and 1995 marked the first championships for Nebraska since the 1949 conference title, won by Nebraska in Ames, Iowa.  Overall, NU has claimed six conference tournament championships in program history, including the 1924 Missouri Valley Conference championship and the 1911 and 1915 W.I.A.A. championships.

 

Moyer Second Husker to be Named Big 12 Wrestler of the Week

Junior 141-pound wrestler Dominick Moyer was named Big 12 Wrestler of the Week on Monday, Jan. 30.  Moyer joined senior 174-pound wrestler Jacob Klein as the second Husker wrestler to be named conference wrestler of the week this season.  Moyer, the 19th-ranked 141-pound wrestler, all but clinched NU’s victory over Missouri on Jan. 29 with his pin of Chris McCormick with 22 seconds to go in the dual.  The victory by fall gave NU a 21-3 lead that it would not relinquish.  The award is the first career wrestler of the week citation for Moyer, who is now 16-7 on the season. 

 

Klein Climbs All-Time Charts

Jacob Klein took sole possession of third place on the career dual win charts at Nebraska with his 2-0 win over David Bertolino of IowaState on Feb. 19.  Klein’s 63 career duals wins top NU national champion wrestlers Brad Vering and Tolly Thompson, who entered the season tied for third all-time for career dual wins.  Klein tied Thompson and Vering with his pin of Oklahoma’s Shane Vernon 50 seconds into the second period of their match on Friday, Feb. 10 in Klein’s final home match at the NU Coliseum.  Klein finishes his dual wrestling career six career dual wins behind Bryan Snyder for second in school history and eight behind Bill Scherr’s school record 71 career dual wins.

 

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 12-5 record.  Freshmen have contributed nearly half of Nebraska’s dual wins and dual points.  Of the Huskers’ 98 wins in duals, 41 belong to freshmen and 176 of the 398 points Nebraska has scored in duals have been earned by freshmen.

 

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.

 

NU Looks to Continue Success

Despite a young roster, expectations are still high for the 2005-06 Nebraska wrestling team as it is continuing a 20-year tradition of success.  The win over American on Jan. 21 gave the Huskers their 64th dual win over the last four years, placing the last four years of Husker wrestling as the best in the school annals in terms of dual victories.  NU is 66-17-1 in the last four seasons.  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 Huskers secured their 19th 10-win season over 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.  Nebraska has built its success over the last three years on dominance at home.  The Huskers have won 27 of their last 30 duals in Lincoln and are 31-4 at home since the fall of 2002.  Since Mark Manning’s arrival at Nebraska for the 2001-02 campaign, the Huskers are 37-11 at home.

 

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 on Jan. 16.  Klein went 4-0 at the NWCA National Duals Jan. 14-15 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 day two, 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. 

 

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.

 

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.  Slated to wrestle at either 133 or 141 pounds, the Papillion-LaVista product closed his high school career with a record of 128-1 and four state championships.  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 three-time Colorado state champion and a four-time state finalist.  Salazar closed his high school career with a 38-0 record and a class 3A state championship at 145 pounds for EagleHigh School.  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 three-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

Seven Huskers finished in the top four in their respective weight classes at the Glen Brand Open in Omaha, Neb., at Jan. 21.  A pair of Nebraska wrestlers, 149-pound wrestler Robert Sanders and 197-pound wrestler Levi Wofford, won individual championships.  Heavyweight Stefan Tighe was second, while two Huskers, Mike Rowe (141) and Craig Brester (184) finished third, while three NU wrestlers, 157-pound wrestler Rob Plambeck, 184-pound wrestler Casey Roberts and 197-pound wrestler Cody Millard, took fourth in their respective weight classes.  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.  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.  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.

 

Next Up: NCAA Championships, March 16-18, Ford Center, Oklahoma City, Okla.

The 2005-06 wrestling season closes at the 2006 NCAA Championships at the FordCenter in Oklahoma City, Okla.  For the fourth straight year, nationals are being held in a Big 12 area city.  The last two NCAA Championships were held in St. Louis, Mo., while the 2003 event was held in Kansas City, Mo.  First round action begins on Thursday, March 16 with wrestling continuing into the finals on Saturday, March 18.  Portions of the tournament will be shown on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU.  Nebraska will serve as the host school for the 2010 NCAA Wrestling Championships at the Qwest Center Omaha.

 

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 668 fans per home date, including the season-high crowd of 1,517 fans that saw Nebraska and Oklahoma square off at the NU Coliseum in Lincoln.