Four Huskers Earn 2-0 Records at Wrestle-Offs

The 2006-07 <?xml:namespace prefix="st1" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"?>Nebraska wrestling team made its public debut with its annual wrestle-offs, held at the BobDevaneySportsCenter on Friday.  The wrestle-offs saw four Husker wrestlers go 2-0, including senior Dominick Moyer, redshirt freshmen Mike Rowe and Craig Brester and freshman Curtis Salazar.<?xml:namespace prefix="o" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"?>

 

“Our guys wrestled hard,” head coach Mark Manning said.  “I thought their conditioning was good and that they wrestled the whole seven minutes.  We have a lot of things that we can work on going into our first competition, but that’s always the case.  I thought our young guys showed a lot of character.” 

 

Among the young standouts was Brester.  A candidate to start at 197 pounds for the Huskers this season, Brester won both his matches, including a first-period pin of Cameron Browne and an injury default victory.

 

At 133 pounds, Rowe won both of his matches, including a 12-0 major decision win over Patrick Aleksanyan.  In his first match, Rowe won by technical fall over Peter Roto, 18-2.

 

Salazar, a Valley, Colo., native, made his debut at Nebraska with a pair of victories, including a first period win by fall over Peter Barger and an 8-4 triumph over Derek Moyer.

 

Senior Dominick Moyer cruised to a 2-0 night by defeating Cash Coolidge, 7-2, and Jordan Burroughs, 5-0.  Moyer, a third-year starter at 141 pounds from Oskaloosa, Iowa, enters the season as the 16th-ranked 141-pounder, according to Intermat.

 

In addition to the success of the other wrestlers, 16 true freshmen wrestled their first matches in public in their college careers.

 

“It’s a good experience to let them get out in front of people in this setting,” Manning said.

 

The 18th-ranked Huskers will open the regular season on Saturday, Nov. 11 in Laramie, Wyo., at the Cowboy Open.  Nebraska returns seven NCAA qualifiers and eight starters from last year’s team, which finished 16th at the NCAA Championships.

 

Wrestle-Offs Results

174-Bobby Laraway by dec. over Casey Roberts, 4-2

197-Nick Schaefer by dec. over Cameron Browne, 10-6

133-Patrick Aleksanyan by fall over Austin Baier, 2:56

133-Mike Rowe by tech. fall over Peter Roto, 18-2

141-Dominick Moyer by dec. over Cash Coolidge, 7-2

149-Casey Gubbels by dec. over Jordan Burroughs, 15-8

149-Derek Moyer by fall over Brady LaMar, 2:41

165-Chris Oliver by fall over Frank Jonas, 3:38

165-Cody Foust by inj. def. over Andy Johnson

125-Paul Donahoe by dec. over Matt Vacanti, 7-1

174-Brandon Browne by major dec. over Casey Roberts, 18-6

197-Craig Brester by fall over Cameron Browne, :53

133-Mike Rowe by major dec. over Patrick Aleksanyan, 12-0

133-Austin Baier by dec. over Malcolm McGruder, 7-5

141-Dominick Moyer by dec. over Jordan Burroughs, 5-0

141-Cash Coolidge by dec. over Jeff Slaughter, 5-1

149-Brady LaMar by dec. over Peter Barger, 2-0

165-Alex Ward by dec. over Frank Jonas, 3-2

174-Brandon Browne by major dec. over Bobby Laraway, 12-3

197-Craig Brester by inj. def. over Nick Schaefer

197-Levi Wofford by tech. fall over Cameron Browne, 27-10