Nebraska Hosts OU on Dollar Days

Nebraska Closes 2005-06 Home Schedule vs. Oklahoma <?xml:namespace prefix="o" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"?>

The fourth-ranked Nebraska wrestling team closes its 2005-06 home schedule with a dual against 10th-ranked Oklahoma in a dual that will televised live statewide on NET-1/HD and on a tape-delayed basis nationally on CSTV.  Larry Punteney will provide the play-by-play while R.J. Nebe will provide analysis. 

 

The last matchup between the two teams was one of the more thrilling duals of the year, as the then sixth-ranked Huskers and the eighth-ranked Sooners split five matches, but Dominick Moyer’s major decision victory at 133 pounds in the first match of the dual proved to be the difference in the dual.  The dual win gave NU back-to-back wins over Oklahoma.

 

Last Time Out: #2 Oklahoma State 27, #5 Nebraska 15

The fifth-ranked Nebraska wrestling team picked up pins from 197-pound wrestler B.J. Padden and 141-pound wrestler Dominick Moyer, but it wasn’t enough as second-ranked Oklahoma State won seven of 10 matches and defeated the Huskers, 27-15, Friday night at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, Okla. 

 

Oklahoma State took an early lead after a win by technical fall by third-ranked Zack Esposito at 149 pounds.  Nebraska answered in the following match, as 16th-ranked Chris Oliver used a reversal earned early in the third period to defeat 15th-ranked Kevin Ward, 3-1, at 157 pounds.  Oliver started the period down 1-0 in the match, but reversed Ward early in the third frame and rode Ward for the duration of the match to earn the bonus point for riding time advantage.

 

After three straight losses, fifth-ranked B.J. Padden broke the losing string with a pin of second-ranked Jake Rosholt at 197 pounds.  The fall marked Padden’s third win in his last four matches against Rosholt.  Padden has won 16 of his last 17 matches and is now 11 wins away from 100 in his career.  The win brought NU to within six of the Cowboys, but Oklahoma State would rebuild their lead, though, with three straight wins. 

 

In the final match of the night, Dominick Moyer pinned Justin Porter 49 seconds into the second period of their 141-pound match.  Moyer, the 19th-ranked 141-pound wrestler, took control of the match early in the second period with a reversal, then earned the fall later in the period.  The win was Moyer’s third straight win by fall and his fifth straight win overall.

 

Dollar Days Promotion

Husker fans can take advantage of Dollar Days to enjoy Nebraska’s final home dual of the 2005-06 season on Friday night vs. Oklahoma.  The Dollar Days promotion includes $1 admission, along with $1 hot dogs and Pepsi products. 

 

Series History: Oklahoma leads, 33-15-1

Oklahoma leads the all-time series, 33-15-1, but Nebraska has won the last two matchups between the two schools, including last year’s 16-15 thriller in Norman, Okla.  The last time the Sooners traveled to Lincoln, the Huskers defeated the Sooners, 25-12, on Feb. 20, 2004.

 

Scouting Oklahoma

Oklahoma comes to Lincoln after losing to Missouri, 17-16, in Columbia, Mo.  The Sooners boast five wrestlers in the top seven in this week’s Amateur Wrestling News rankings.  The Sooners are led by Sam Hazewinkel at 125 pounds and Teyon Ware at 141 pounds, who are both currently ranked second in their respective weight classes.  Two other wrestlers, 197-pound wrestler Joel Flaggert and heavyweight Jake Hager, rank fifth in their respective weight classes.

 

The Last Time We Met: Feb. 12, 2005: Nebraska 16, Oklahoma 15

The No. 6 Nebraska wrestling won four of the first five matches and held on to defeat eighth-ranked Oklahoma, 16-15, last season at Norman High School in Norman, Okla. 

 

Both teams won five matches in a thrilling dual that saw three matches go to overtime, but it was the first match, Dominick Moyer’s 12-0 major decision victory over OU’s Trey Blakely at 133 pounds that would prove to be the difference in the dual.From there, No. 6 Matt Murray knocked off second-ranked 141-pound wrestler Teyon Ware, 3-1 in overtime.  Murray clinched the win with a takedown with 15 seconds to go in the first overtime period. 

 

After fourth-ranked Matt Storniolo won at 149 pounds for Oklahoma, the Huskers answered with a pair of victories.  At 157 pounds, 13th-ranked B.J. Wright defeated Charles Jones, 7-5.  Wright had a 5-3 lead over Jones entering the third period, but Jones earned a reversal of Wright with 16 seconds left to tie the match.  Wright notched an escape one second later, and earned a bonus point for his 1:41 riding time advantage.  No. 9 165-pound wrestler Jacob Klein followed with an 8-2 triumph over OU’s Wes Roberts.

 

The Sooners would answer with two wins of their own, at 174 and 184 pounds.  Eighth-ranked 174-pound wrestler E.K. Waldhaus defeated Marc Harwood, 6-1.  At 184 pounds, 16th-ranked Justin Dyer upset second-ranked Travis Pascoe, 13-11, in overtime.  Pascoe had a 11-10 lead with 30 seconds left in the match, but Dyer escaped 16 seconds later, and notched a takedown 12 seconds into the overtime period.  The loss broke Pascoe’s 21-match winning streak.  B.J. Padden, the 17th-ranked 197-pound wrestler answered with an upset of his own, defeating 15th-ranked Joel Flaggert, 3-0.  With the win, Nebraska held a 16-9 lead in the dual.  The Huskers held on, despite losing the heavyweight and 125-pound matches by decision.

 

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. 

 

Knocking on the Clubhouse Door

NU All-American wrestler B.J. Padden enters the homestretch of his senior season within reach of becoming the 17th member of Nebraska’s 100-win club.  After closing the 2004-05 season with a fifth-place finish at 197 pounds at the NCAA Championships, Padden entered the 2005-06 season as one of the nation’s best at 197 pounds with 70 career wins.  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 an 19-2 record on the 2005-06 season, putting him 11 away from the 100-win mark with an 89-37 career record.

 

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 11-4 record.  Freshmen have contributed nearly half of Nebraska’s dual wins and dual points.  Of the Huskers’ 89 wins in duals, 38 belong to freshmen.  157 of the 356 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 Oklahoma State, 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 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, 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.  After its 21-18 win over Missouri, NU is 65-16-1 in the last four seasons with two duals to go.  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.  The Huskers’ next dual win would give Nebraska its second three-year period in which the Huskers won at least 50 duals in a three-season span. 

 

Nebraska has built its success over the last three years on dominance at home.  The Huskers have won 27 of their last 29 duals in Lincoln and are 31-3 at home since the fall of 2002.  Since Mark Manning’s arrival at Nebraska for the 2001-02 campaign, the Huskers are 37-10 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 Oklahoma State, 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.

 

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.  

 

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 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

Seven Huskers finished in the top four in the 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: Nebraska vs. Iowa State, Feb. 19, 2006, 2 p.m., Hilton Coliseum, Ames, Iowa

Nebraska wraps up regular season competition with a dual at Iowa State on Sunday, Feb. 19 at 2 p.m. at Hilton Coliseum.  Last season, Nebraska defeated Iowa State, 16-15, in front of 1,708 fans at the NU Coliseum.

 

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.  This season, Nebraska has averaged nearly 550 fans per home date after a season-high crowd of 1,011 at the Huskers’ 21-18 win over 11th-ranked Missouri.