Huskers Prepare to Host Nebraska Duals

Dual No. 5:<?xml:namespace prefix="o" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"?>

No. 19/18 <?xml:namespace prefix="st1" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"?>Nebraska (4-0) vs. Wyoming (0-1)

NU Coliseum?Lincoln, Neb.?Saturday, Dec. 16?Noon

Series History: Nebraska leads, 27-13
Last Meeting: Nebraska won, 40-3, on Nov. 26, 2005 in Laramie, Wyo.

 

Dual No. 6:

No. 19/18 Nebraska (4-0) vs. Nebraska-Kearney
NU Coliseum?Lincoln, Neb.?Saturday, Dec. 16?2 p.m.

Series: Nebraska leads, 4-0

Last Meeting: Nebraska won, 46-0, on Dec. 22, 2003 in Lincoln, Neb.

 

Huskers Prepare to Host Nebraska Duals
The 18th-ranked Nebraska wrestling team prepares for its second straight weekend with two home duals as it takes on Wyoming and Nebraska-Kearney at the 2006 Nebraska Duals, starting at 10 a.m. with Wyoming taking on Nebraska-Kearney, before the Huskers wrestle against the Cowboys and the Lopers at the NU Coliseum in Lincoln, Neb.  The Huskers have dominated the Nebraska Duals in the three-year history of the event.  NU is 6-1 all time in the Nebraska Duals, winning by an average score of 38.86-4.86.  

 

Last Time Out: NU 32, South DakotaState 9; NU 34, Northern Colorado 9
The 18th-ranked Nebraska wrestling team opened the home portion of its 2006-07 season with a pair of wins, defeating South DakotaState, 32-9, then riding three straight technical fall wins to defeat Northern Colorado, 34-9.

The Huskers won seven of the eight contested matches in each dual, including two major decision triumphs and a win by fall against the Jackrabbits and three technical fall victories along with a pin against the Bears.

 

In the night’s first dual against South DakotaState, the Huskers climbed out of an early 3-0 hole behind a 16-5 major decision win by true freshman Stephen Dwyer over Ryan Meyer, 16-5.  The South Beloit, Ill., native made his debut in the varsity lineup in a big way, getting the first of six takedowns in the match 10 seconds into the first period.  Dwyer never trailed in the match and held a riding time advantage of 2:05. 

 

The Huskers slammed the door shut on any hopes of an SDSU upset with three straight wins after Dwyer’s victory to give NU a 14-3 lead five matches into the dual.  After Marc Harwood defeated Chris Moran at 174 pounds, 5-2, Levi Wofford came back from a three-point deficit after the first period to defeat Tyler Sorenson in overtime, 9-7.  The match was tied at seven after Wofford was awarded a point after Sorenson was called for stalling, then Wofford took Sorenson down 18 seconds into the sudden victory period to clinch the win.  At 197 pounds, Craig Brester gave Nebraska their fourth straight win with a 15-3 major decision win over Travis Gottschalk.  Brester never trailed in the match and took a 7-1 lead after the first period.

Paul Donahoe got the Huskers back on the winning track after a forfeit at heavyweight with a win by fall over Marcus Waters at 125 pounds.  Mike Rowe followed with a 4-2 win over Jeff Cooley at 133 pounds.  After a win by forfeit at 141 pounds by Dominick Moyer, Robert Sanders closed the dual for Nebraska with an 8-3 win over Dan Bonte.

 

In the second dual against Northern Colorado, the Huskers again climbed out of an early 3-0 hole thanks to a four-match winning streak.  Dwyer again sparked the win string with a 7-3 win over Devan Lewis.  Dwyer notched two reversals in the match, including one with 23 seconds remaining in the third period to all but seal the match. 

At 174 pounds, Harwood earned his first career win by technical fall against Ryan Johnson.  The match was stopped with 36 seconds to go after Harwood earned his fifth takedown of the match.  Harwood’s quick victory was sparked by a takedown 14 seconds into the second period.  Harwood collected three three-point nearfalls before Johnson earned an escape a minute later.

 

Wofford followed at 184 pounds with a 23-8 victory over Ed Matthews.  Wofford took down Matthews 10 times, earned one nearfall, and held a 3:23 riding time advantage to build the 15-point lead needed for a technical fall victory.  Brester dominated Caleb Nicholl in an 18-2 technical fall victory.  Brester took control of the match with a takedown of Nicholl 1:05 into the first period.  Brester rode Nicholl for the duration of the frame and earned three two-point nearfalls in the process.  Brester finished the match with an escape, takedown and two-point nearfall in the first 40 seconds of the second period.

After a setback at heavyweight, Donahoe came back from a 3-2, third-period deficit to take down Tony Mustari five times in an action-packed third period and earn a 14-7 win at 125 pounds.  Rowe stormed out of the gates with eight straight points en route to a 12-3 major decision win over Kyle Kaiser.  After a win by forfeit at 141 pounds by Dominick Moyer, Robert Sanders closed the night with a 5-2 win over Richard Lohr.

 

Scouting Wyoming

Wyoming enters its matchup with Nebraska with an 0-1 dual record losing by a narrow 19-17 margin in the season opener to Oregon on Nov. 9.  The Cowboys wrestled in three open tournaments after that dual and finished 34th at the Las Vegas Invitational in their last action.  Wyoming, which returns two of six NCAA qualifiers from last year’s squad, is coached by Steven Suder, who is 118-119-2 in 19 years as the head coach of the Cowboys.  Nebraska owns a 27-13 edge in the series between the two schools.

 

Last Matchup: Nebraska 40, Wyoming 3, Nov. 26, 2005 in Laramie, Wyo.

The 17th-ranked Nebraska wrestling team won the first five matches in its dual at Wyoming and never looked back in a 40-3 victory.  Fifth-ranked 174-pound wrestler Jacob Klein opened the dual with a dominant 15-0 win by technical fall over Dan Barrone.  Klein scored eight of his 15 points in the second period with an escape, a takedown and two nearfalls.  

 

After a Husker win at 184 pounds, third-ranked B.J. Padden followed at 197 pounds with a 16-6 major decision win over Malcolm Havens.  Padden never trailed in the match and registered seven takedowns.  Jon May continued the hot streak with a first-period pin of Jason Still at heavyweight.  The win by fall was the fourth in May’s career.

Nebraska won its fourth match of the night when Paul Donahoe knocked off Bryce Leonhardt, 2-1, at 125 pounds.  Donahoe earned a point for an escape eight seconds into the second period and was awarded another point when Leonhardt was called for stalling for the second time in the period.

 

After a setback at 133 pounds, 20th-ranked Dominick Moyer got NU back on the winning track with his 15-2 major decision triumph over Shay Lawrence.  Lawrence scored a takedown 29 seconds into the match, but Moyer ran off 15 unanswered points to earn the victory and clinch the dual for the Huskers.

Robert Sanders earned his first dual win at 149 pounds with his 9-8 win over Kyle Dye.  Sanders took a 5-1 lead after two periods and held on for the victory.  After Chris Oliver was awarded a win by forfeit at 157 pounds, Marc Harwood gave NU its sixth bonus-point win with a first-period pin over Wyoming’s Gary Dack.

 

Scouting Nebraska-Kearney

Nebraska-Kearney entered the 2006-07 season as the second-ranked team in the NWCA preseason coaches’ poll with seven wrestlers ranked among the top eight in their respective weight classes, led by preseason No. 1 Brent Allgood at 133 pounds and heavweight Tervel Dlagnev, who has been named the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Wrestler-of-the-Week three times already this season.  Last weekend, Dlagnev became just the eighth member of the UNK 100-win club as he went 5-0 on his way to the Loper Open championship at heavyweight.  The Lopers have competed in six open tournaments to start the season.  

 

Last Matchup: Nebraska 46, Nebraska-Kearney 0, Dec. 22, 2003 in Lincoln, Neb.

Nebraska swept the first dual of the first Nebraska Duals in a 46-0 triumph over Nebraska-Kearney at the NU Coliseum on Dec. 22, 2003.  In addition to winning all 10 matches, the Huskers won three matches by fall, one by technical fall and on by major decision.  Also, sixth-ranked B.J. Padden defeated Jeff Sylvester at 197 pounds.  Sylvester entered the dual ranked sixth in Division II.  The win was the first of three by Nebraska that day, two by shutout.  It was the first time since the 1995-96 season the Huskers recorded two shutouts in the same day.

 

Three Accomplished Student-Athletes Join NU Wrestling
Nebraska head wrestling coach Mark Manning announced the signing of three student-athletes during the early signing period that will join the Huskers for the 2007-08 academic year. 

The three signees, Andy Pokorny of Bennington, Neb., Tucker Lane of Nucla, Colo., and Chris Hacker of El Reno, Okla., represent Nebraska’s continued success in wrestling both on and off the mat.

“We are extremely pleased with all three joining our team,” Manning said.  “These young men are the type of people we need in this program.  All three have excelled in wrestling not only at the state level, but also at the national level.  These are outstanding young men that will represent Nebraska in a first-class manner.”

 

Pokorny is a two-time state champion, winning last year’s class C crown at 112 pounds after winning in 2005 at 103.  A 2006 Junior Freestyle All-American, Pokorny is the fourth-ranked 112-pound wrestler in the nation by Wrestling USA and is the 52nd ranked high school wrestler overall by Intermat.  His accomplishments are not limited to the mat, however, as he is currently second in his class with at 3.935 GPA and a 30 on his ACT.

“Andy is arguably the best high school wrestler in the state,” Manning said.  “He’s one of the top lightweights in the country and one of the top students in the state.  His work ethic, dedication and character are all tremendous.  He’s the type of young man we want on this team.”

 

Lane also comes to Nebraska with glittering athletic and academic credentials.  A two-time state champion, Lane is the nation’s second-ranked 215-pound wrestler by Wrestling USA and is the 40th ranked high school wrestler overall, according to Intermat, which has recognized him as a four-star recruit.  Lane also was a Junior Freestyle All-American in 2006.  Like Pokorny, Lane is also accomplished in the classroom.  He earned a 31 on his ACT and entered his senior year at NuclaHigh School with a 4.25 GPA, tops in his graduating class.

“Tucker is an outstanding student-athlete that will help our program on the mat and off it,” Manning said.  “He’s one of the top student-athletes that Nebraska will recruit this year.  He’s a young man with tremendous maturity, work ethic and desire to be the best.”

 

A four-time Cadet All-American and two-time Junior All-American, Hacker also joins the Huskers with an impressive resume at both the state and national levels.  Hacker captured the Class 4A championships at 152 pounds last year, and is the No. 6 152-pounder according to Wrestling USA and is the 53rd-best high school wrestler in the nation, according to Intermat.  Hacker also received recruiting attention from Oklahoma State, Oklahoma and Missouri, among others.

“Chris is a very accomplished wrestler, both in Oklahoma and on the national stage.  He’s one of the top middleweights in the country, and he wrestles year-round.  He epitomizes the tough, hard-nosed competitors that we like on our team.  We are very fortunate that Chris has chosen us over the other schools that were recruiting him.”

 

Tough Road To Detroit Awaits Nebraska

The Nebraska wrestling program has always dealt with a difficult schedule in the Big 12 Conference.  But few years have seen one conference so thoroughly dominate the rankings.  In both major polls, four of the top seven teams in the nation are from the Big 12.  In fact, according to the WIN Magazine rankings, four of the top six teams in the nation are in the Big 12, and top-ranked Minnesota also appears on Nebraska’s schedule.  Nebraska will take the challenge of the Big 12 Conference head on when it faces five of the top nine teams in a 22-day stretch from Jan. 20 to Feb. 11.  The Huskers, one of only three teams in the nation to see five of the preseason top six in the nation on their schedule, will start the difficult stretch with a home dual against IowaState and close it with a home dual against top-ranked Minnesota in Lincoln. 

Experienced but Young Huskers Set to Tackle the 2006-07 Season

Nebraska is in a unique position entering the 2006-07 season.  The Huskers return eight starters and seven NCAA qualifiers from last year’s team, which ranks among the highest total in those two categories in Mark Manning’s seven years as the Huskers’ head coach.  However, the two seniors on Nebraska’s roster match the fewest that Manning has had at NU.    

 

Both experience and youth have proven valuable for Manning as Nebraska’s coach.  When the Huskers had only two seniors in 2001-02, they rebounded from an 8-9 regular season to take eighth at the NCAA Championships, the program’s 14th top-10 finish.  The two times that Nebraska returned eight starters (2004 and 2005), the Huskers won 19 duals and, in 2004, took fifth at nationals.

Three Pairs of Brothers Lead Huskers

Most wrestling teams see themselves as families, but the 2006-07 Nebraska squad takes it to an entirely different level with three sets of brothers.  Among the 17 true freshmen on Nebraska’s roster, three are the younger brothers of returning Huskers.  Dominick Moyer, Robert Sanders and Brandon Browne were joined by their younger brothers Derek, Paul and Cameron, respectively.

 

Dominick Moyer, a returning starter and NCAA qualifier at 141 pounds, is joined on the NU wrestling squad by his brother, Derek, who was a three-time state champion at OskaloosaHigh School in Iowa.  Robert Sanders, who also started last season and qualified for nationals at 149 pounds, reunites with his brother Paul at NU.  With their father, Bob, as their head coach, both Robert and Paul won at least two individual state championships at San JuanHigh School in Blanding, Utah.  Brandon Browne, a frontrunner for starting time at 174 pounds, will be joined this season by his brother, Cameron.  Brandon was a two-time state champion at PlattsmouthHigh School, while Cameron earned one state title during his time at PHS.

Since 1990, six pairs of brothers have lettered for NU, including the Buxtons (Jason, 1991-92; John 1990-93), the Coltvets (Jeff, 1985-86, 1988-89; Rick, 1992-93), the DeAndas (Tony, 1995-96; Jose, 1996-99), the Hensons (Joe, 1999-2000; Josh, 1999-2000), the Malias (Joe, 2000-04; Ty, 2001) and the Verings (Brad, 1998-2001; Russ, 1994).  Among those wrestlers are three that attained All-America status, including three-time All-American and 2000 national champion Brad Vering.  Jose DeAnda and John Buxton also earned All-America honors during their Husker careers.  

 

In NU wrestling history, the most decorated pair of brothers are the Scherrs.  Bill and Jim Scherr each won a national championship in 1984, Jim at 177 pounds, and Bill at 190.  Jim earned a pair of All-America honors during his career, while Bill was a three-time All-American.  Both Bill and Jim are members of Nebraska’s 100-win club.

Non-Varsity Notes
Brandon Browne won the 174-pound championship while Vince Jones took 3rd at 184 and Curtis Salazar finished fourth at 149 pounds at the UNK Loper Open on Dec. 9 in Kearney, Neb.  The UNK Loper Open was the last scheduled tournament for Nebraska’s non-varsity wrestlers before the holiday break.  

 

In the first weekend of the season, Vacanti was the lone Husker to place at the Harold Nichols Open.  Vacanti took third with a 5-3 win over Robert Struthers of Wartburg at 125 pounds.  Austin Baier advanced to the semifinals at 141 pounds before he was defeated by Joey Slaton of Iowa.  Meanwhile, a pair of true freshmen earned gold medals at the Cowboy Open in Laramie, Wyo.  Salazar was 4-0 in a championship run in the amateur division at 149 pounds, while Dwyer was 4-0 en route to the 165-pound amateur championship.

 

At the Kaufman-Brand Open on Nov. 18, the Huskers were led by Vacanti, who dominated the field on his way to the championship in the 125-pound amateur bracket.  He won his first three matches in the tournament by fall in a total of 7:12.  Vacanti defeated Terrance Young of Iowa Central by decision, 3-1, before knocking off OklahomaState’s Ben Ashmore, 3-2, in the finals.  In addition to Vacanti’s title, a pair of Nebraska wrestlers earned third-place finishes in their respective amateur brackets, including Salazar at 149 pounds and Stephen Dwyer at 165 pounds.  Jordan Burroughs took fourth at 149 pounds, while Casey Gubbels and Cameron Browne finished in fifth place at 141 and 197, respectively.  Alex Ward finished sixth at 165 pounds.  On Dec. 2, Vacanti earned a third-place finish at 125 pounds to lead the Huskers’ effort at the UNI Open.

After the holiday break, the Huskers’ non-varsity wrestlers will compete in a pair of in-state opens, starting with the Dana College Open on Jan. 6 in Blair, followed by the Glen Brand Open in Omaha on Jan. 20.

 

Next up: Nebraska vs. OregonState, Jan. 5, 7 p.m., NU Coliseum, Lincoln, Neb.
After the holiday break, the Nebraska wrestling team will return to action with its fifth straight home dual as the Huskers take on Pac-10 power OregonState on Friday, Jan. 5, 2007 at 7 p.m., at the NU Coliseum in Lincoln, Neb.  The unranked Beavers are 6-0 after defeating in-state rival Oregon 33-6 on Saturday, Dec. 9.  Former Iowa head coach Jim Zalesky is in his first year as the head coach at OSU, which is next in action at the Reno Tournament of Champions on Dec. 20.  This is the seventh straight season that the Beavers and Huskers have squared off on the mat, with Nebraska winning the previous six matchups.