Nebraska Returns to Las Vegas Invite

Tournament No. 3: No. 14 Nebraska at Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational
Date: Friday, Nov. 30 - Saturday, Dec. 1
Time: 11 a.m. CT
Location: Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nev.
Live Stats: Thewrestlingmall.com

Huskers Head to Sin City for Cliff Keen
The Nebraska wrestling team will venture to the Silver State for the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational on Nov. 30-Dec. 1. The tournament limits wrestler to 10 competitors per team and keep scores, and unattached wrestlers are not allowed. The unique invite draws the attention of the Huskers for the seventh time under head coach Mark Manning, and for good reason. NU has historically had success in the desert, with four finishes in the top four, including a team championship in 2003. The Huskers will use the tough competition in Las Vegas to prepare for a Dec. 6 showdown with No. 1 Minnesota in Minneapolis.

Last Time Out: Donahoe Wins at All-Star Classic
Nebraska junior Paul Donahoe scored a takedown and near fall in the third period against No. 4 Jayson Ness of Minnesota to earn a 5-2 decision at the NWCA All-Star Classic in Eugene, Ore., on Monday.

Donahoe, ranked first in the nation at 125 pounds, won the hard-fought battle after entering the third period down 1-0. Donahoe scored a takedown and a near fall in the final frame to earn the win. Donahoe claims the victory after losing twice to Ness last season. Ness beat Donahoe in an 11-5 decision at the Kaufman-Brand Open and was on the winning end of an 8-6 decision in the Huskers’ dual with Minnesota on Feb. 11.

"In the past when we have lost to Jayson Ness, we have beaten ourselves," Head Coach Mark Manning said. "By wrestling well in all three areas tonight, Paul showed how much he has improved in a year."

The match was tied at zero after one period and Ness scored an escape in the second to take a 1-0 lead into the third. Donahoe earned an escape himself to tie the match at one midway through the third.

The win does not count towards Donahoe’s season record, but both of his previous wins have come by pin in under two minutes.

Huskers Hold Off Lehigh for 28-13 Win
The Husker wrestling team opened their home schedule with a 28-13 dual victory over a persistent Lehigh squad on Friday at the NU Coliseum in front of 828 fans.

Nebraska, ranked No. 14 in the nation, tangled with the Mountain Hawks into the eighth match of the night. David Craig scored a 9-4 decision over NU’s Andy Johnson at 184 pounds to pull Lehigh within two as LU looked for the upset. Sophomore Levi Wofford went down early in his 197-pound match and the Huskers looked to be on the ropes. Wofford collected himself to take the lead with a dramatic takedown with three seconds left in the first period and crank up the Husker’s momentum with a 13-4 major decision win over LU’s Alex Iacocca. Wofford’s win stretched the lead back to five and rousing victories by senior Jon May at heavyweight and junior Paul Donahoe at 125 capped the dual with three straight wins and a 15-point win for NU.

Nebraska found the Mountain Hawks to be a worthy adversary early in the dual. Lehigh jumped out to a 4-0 lead when Kevin Vinh recorded a 10-2 major decision over the Huskers’ Austin Baier to start the dual at 133 pounds. Junior Robert Sanders tied the match at four with a 14-4 major decision at 141 as the Huskers won the next two matches behind sophomore Jordan Burroughs at 149 and junior Chris Oliver at 157 to stretch the lead to 12-4.

Lehigh asserted themselves back into the dual with a Mike Galante pin of Nebraska’s Stephen Dwyer at 165 and cut the Huskers’ down to two. Junior Brandon Browne gained NU some breathing room with an 11-5 decision over LU’s Alex Caruso at 174, but Lehigh responded with Craig’s win over Johnson.

Nebraska won the next three matches and Donahoe put an exclamation point on the dual at 125 pounds. Donahoe pinned LU’s Mitch Berger in 1:29 to improve to 2-0 in his title defense.

Nebraska Crowns Two Champions at Kaufman-Brand Open
Junior Brandon Browne and freshman Tucker Lane earned individual titles at the Kaufman-Brand Open on Saturday as the Husker wrestling team placed seven wrestlers in the top five at the Sapp Fieldhouse in Omaha.

Both Browne and Lane went 4-0 on the day to capture first. Browne, competing in the 174-pound class of the elite division, started the day with two technical-fall wins, and followed with an 11-7 decision and capped the day with a 6-2 decision over Alex Dolly of Northern Iowa to take the title. Browne has now won 10 consecutive matches to start the season.

Lane competed in the heavyweight class of the amateur division, but was just as impressive. Lane pinned Brady Punt of South Dakota State in 3:03 to begin the tournament and notched three straight decisions, including a 3-2 win over Christian Brantley, competing unattached, in the final. Lane is 11-1 in open tournaments this season.

Nebraska, wrestling on one night’s rest after a dual with Lehigh on Friday night, placed four wrestlers in the elite division besides Browne. Sophomore Jordan Burroughs claimed second at 149, with his only loss coming to Brent Metcalf in the finals. Junior Chris Oliver, wrestling in his hometown, worked his way through the consolation bracket to finish third. He had several impressive matches, including an opening-round pin of Northern Iowa’s Tyson Reiner in 1:38 and a 16-6 major-decision victory in the consolation finals.

Sophomore Stephen Dwyer finished third at 165, but exacted revenge for his one loss on the day. Dwyer lost to Minnesota’s Scott Glasser, who was competing unattached, early in the day, but Dwyer worked his way through the consolation bracket for another chance at Glasser. Dwyer won a 3-2 decision in the third tie-breaker to make it to the consolation finals, where he won a 5-5 match over Glasser in the fourth tie-breaker to take third.

Senior Jon May rounded out the Husker placers in the elite division with his fifth-place finish in the heavyweight class. The open was May’s first tournament action of the season after returning from off-season surgery.

Not to be outdone by Lane, fellow freshman Chris Hacker finished second at 149 pounds in the amateur division. Hacker’s day included a pin of Nick Leclere, competing unattached, in 26 seconds. Hacker has started the season 8-2 in open tournaments.

Scouting the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational
The Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational is one of the nation’s most unique college tournaments. The invite is not an open tournament, and coaches are allowed to enter only wrestlers that are eligible to compete for their school. All schools are limited to one wrestler per weight class, and team scores are kept. This year marks the 26th year the event has taken place, and the invite has built quite a reputation for itself. More than 15 ranked schools plan to be in attendance, including last year’s champion and Big 12 foe Missouri. The fifth-ranked Michigan Wolverines will also make the trip, as matches begin at 11 a.m. CT each day. The championships finals are scheduled for 7 p.m. CT on Saturday.

Last Year at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational
Paul Donahoe earned the 125-pound championship and Dominick Moyer advanced to the final round and earned a runner-up finish to lead the Husker wrestling team to fourth-place finish with 94 points at the Las Vegas Invitational in Primm, Nev. Missouri won the meet with 157 points.

Donahoe and Moyer were two of three Husker grapplers in contention for individual titles Saturday, as Jon May was the only one in the trio not to reach the finals.

At 125 pounds, the second-seeded Donahoe reached the finals after defeating Matt Eveleth of Penn in the semifinals by a 4-3 decision early Saturday. Donahoe won the championship with a 2-0 decision to Angel Escobedo of Indiana. Donahoe had cruised through the field in Friday’s matches, defeating Nick Ramirez of Wyoming by technical fall, 21-4, before beating Mike Rodriguez of Cornell by major decision to advance to the quarterfinals, 11-3. Donahoe pinned Mark Moos of Michigan with 21 seconds remaining in the match to advance to the semifinals.

At 141 pounds, No. 5 seed Moyer pinned Chris Bencivenga of North Carolina-Greensboro with 1:40 remaining to claim his spot in the finals, before being defeated by Derek Moore of California-Davis, 11-0 in the final round. He won his first match of the meet by major decision over Heinrich Barnes of North Idaho, 10-2, and then earned another major decision victory, defeating Nick Walpole of Indiana, 8-0. After earning a spot in the quarterfinals with a 9-3 win over Kyle Rushell of Wisconsin, Moyer won his fourth match on Friday with a 9-6 victory over 16th-ranked Charles Griffin of Hofstra.

In the heavyweight division, Jon May’s bid to reach the finals was stopped by Bode Ogunwole of Harvard, 8-3. May won his opening round match over Andrew Skinner of Western State by fall with one second to go in the first period. In the second round, May pinned Benjamin Reiter of Penn 2:30 into their match. After that, May defeated Omar Maktabi of Michigan to move into the quarterfinals, 8-3. May punched his ticket to the semifinals with an 11-3 major decision victory over Wade Sauer of Cal State Fullerton.

In the consolation bracket at 133 pounds, Mike Rowe fought back to earn seventh place with a 2-0 decision over Matt DeLorenzo of Columbia. Rowe fell to the consolation bracket when he was defeated by second-ranked Matt Valenti of Penn, 9-6, on Friday.

At 165 pounds, Marc Harwood was ousted from the competition after two straight losses when he dropped a 4-0 decision to Christopher Vondruska and then was pinned by Zachary Lee of Western State at 4:20. Harwood earned back earned back-to-back, first-period pins Friday.

Donahoe’s Defense
Junior Paul Donahoe will attempt to become the first Husker to repeat as a national champion this season. Donahoe capped his sophomore year by going 5-0 at the NCAA Championships, including a 3-1 overtime win over No. 1 Sam Hazewinkel of Oklahoma in the finals. Donahoe started the season by winning 23 of his first 24 matches and never looked back. His 35-5 season record tied three Huskers for fourth-most wins by a sophomore in school history. He became the first NU wrestler since Jason Powell in 2002-03 to win at least 30 matches. Donahoe became the ninth national champion in school history and the 77th All-American.

Donahoe’s title defense has gotten off to a similar start. Donahoe recorded pins in six of his first seven matches last season, while he has started this season with two consecutive pins. His most recent victim was Lehigh’s Mitch Berger, who he pinned in 1:29 at the Huskers’ dual on Nov. 16.

Although the match does not count on his season record, Donahoe defeated Minnesota’s Jayson Ness, 5-2, at the NWCA All-Star Classic on Nov. 19 in Eugene, Ore. Donahoe scored a takedown and nearfall in the final period to earn the victory over the fourth-ranked Ness.

What Can Browne Do For You
Brandon Browne is off to arguably the best start of any Husker this season. After being academically ineligible last season, Browne looks to be back on the right track as he has raced out to a 10-0 start to the season. Browne is the only Husker with more than six wins to still be undefeated. Browne’s wins have not been close for the most part. His smallest margin of victory has been four points, which has happened twice. The junior has recorded four technical falls and two major decisions, while also being a perfect 2-0 in duals. He has notched nine takedowns in dual competition, while allowing just one.

Keep an Eye on Kenny
Kenny Jordan is undefeated during his time in the Husker fold. Wrestling at 133 pounds, Jordan went 11-0 in open competition two years ago during his redshirt season. Jordan attended Lincoln Community College in Lincoln, Ill., last year, but made it worth his time as he won four tournaments, including the National Junior College Championships. Jordan has rejoined the Huskers this season and has made a bid for the starting spot at 133. Jordan went 2-0 at the Cowboy Open on Nov. 10 before a tweaked knee sidelined him. Jordan pinned his first opponent in 3:15 and recorded an 11-4 decision over his second. Althought redshirt seasons do not count toward career totals, Jordan is now 13-0 in his two years in the Husker program.

Three for 141
The Nebraska wrestling staff has a problem at the 141 pound weight class, but it may be one they do not mind dealing with. The coaches will have to decide which of three talented Huskers deserve the starting nod. Vying for time are Patrick Aleksanyan, Robert Sanders and Curtis Salazar, as each wrestler brings unique ability and skill to the position. Sanders looked to be the likely candidate to fill the position headed into the season. The junior qualified for the NCAA Championships two years ago at 149 pounds as a redshirt freshman. Last season, he split time with Jordan Burroughs at 149, but with Burrough’s progression, Sanders has dropped to 141.

Another wrestler making a weight change this season is fellow junior Patrick Aleksanyan. Like Sanders, Aleksanyan qualified for the NCAA Championships two seasons ago, but an elbow injury forced him to redshirt last season. The return of Kenny Jordan at 133 will move Aleksanyan to 141. The darkhorse making a name for himself in this race is redshirt freshman Curtis Salazar, who finished 18-9 in open competition last season. None of the three seperated themself at the preseason wrestle-offs as Salazar beat Sanders, but lost to Aleksanyan, while Sanders beat Aleksanyan.

Salazar earned the start in the first dual of the season, but Wyoming forfeited the weight. Sanders earned the next start against Lehigh and recorded a 14-4 major decision win. Both are 6-4 on the season as all three have competed in the Cowboy Open and Kaufman-Brand Open. The position may come down to which wrestler is healthiest as the long wrestling season moves along.

Single Senior
The Nebraska wrestling team sports plenty of youth this season as its roster includes just one senior. Heavyweight Jon May returns for his senior year as a Husker looking to return to the NCAA Championships. May notched a 1-2 record at nationals in 2006, and looked to be well on his way last season before an ACL injury sidelined him. May recorded a 14-4 record before the injury. May’s experience will come in handy as 16 of NU’s 34 wrestlers are in their first or second year in the program. May made his return to dual action on Nov. 16 against Lehigh with a 7-3 win over Justin Allen. May finished fifth in the elite division of the Kaufman-Brand Open the following day.

Huskers Sign Five to 2008-09 Wrestling Squad
Nebraska head coach Mark Manning has announced the signing of five recruits that will join the Husker wrestling squad in the 2008-09 academic year.

The five signees, Riley Essay of Alliance, Neb., Jon Burns of Railegh, N.C., Romero Cotton of Hutchinson, Kan., Tyler Koehn of Pittsburg, Kan., and Josh Ihnen of Sheldon, Iowa, will add look to add depth to a talent-filled Nebraska squad.

Burns will join the Huskers after a standout career at Cardinal Gibbons High School in Raleigh, N.C. In his freshman year at Cary High School, Burns finished third at the state tournament, and took home the 140-pound title in the Jim King/Orange Invitational. Burns sat out his sophomore year after transferring, but rebounded with a phenomenal junior campaign. Burns completed a 65-0 season and won the state championship. He capped his year by winning the 140-pound title at the National High School Coaches Association Junior National Wrestling Championships in Virginia Beach, Va. Ranked as the ninth-best junior in the nation last year, Burns will compete at 141 pounds for the Huskers.

The Huskers again signed one of the top recruits in the state with Essay, who will look to cap his high school career with a fourth consecutive top-five finish at the state tournament this season. Essay earned a fourth-place finish his freshman year at 103 pounds and finished fifth at 112 his sophomore year. Last season saw Essay claim third at 125. Essay is projected to wrestle at 133 for NU.

NU adds two more talented athletes with Kansas natives Cotton and Koehn. Wrestling at 152 pounds, Koehn captured a state championship last season for Pittsburg High School. He earned All-American honors last summer in the freestyle division at the USA Wrestling Nationals. Koehn works hard off the mat also, earning a 3.8 GPA at his high school. Koehn will wrestle at 174 for NU.

Cotton also has his share of state championships. He will attempt to become a four-time state champion this winter, after winning titles in 2004 at 145, in 2006 at 160 and in 2007 at 171. One of the top recruits in the nation at 189 pounds, Cotton’s athleticism has transferred to other sports as well. A running back for the three-time defending state champion Hutchinson High School, Cotton rushed for 1,398 yards and 22 touchdowns his junior season. Cotton is expected to wrestle 184 pounds in college.

Rounding out the early signings is Ihnen. After a runner-up finish at 171 pounds at the state tournament last season, Ihnen competed this summer at the USA Wrestling nationals, where he earned All-America honors in the freestyle division. Ihnen has shown abilities in the classroom also, touting a 3.99 GPA and a 30 ACT score. Ihnen will wrestle at 197 pounds for the Huskers.

Manning’s Meanderings
Nebraska wrestling head coach Mark Manning took his talents halfway across the world, as he traveled with the U.S. delegation as an assistant coach to the 2007 World Championships in Bauke, Azerbaijan, on Sept. 17-23. Manning has his share of international experience. He was selected as the head coach of the U.S. team for the 2001 World Championships. He also coached in the 1996 and 2000 Olympics as an assistant.

Manning focused his efforts on the freestyle team, while two of his former wrestlers, Brad Vering and Justing Ruiz, competed for the U.S. in the Greco-Roman division. Vering, an NCAA Champion at 197 pounds at Nebraska in 2000, captured the silver medal in the 84 kilograms (185 pounds) division. He rolled off five straight wins before losing in the finals.

The country of Azerbaijan, where the World Championships were held, was a full 10 time zones ahead of Lincoln. The country is located north of Iran and east of Armenia. Manning is entering his eighth year as Nebraska’s head coach in 2007-08, having compiled a 118-63-4 dual record.

St. Louis Slated for Schedule
Eager Nebraska fans can mark March 20-22 on their calender right now. The NCAA Championships will be held on those dates at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Mo. and hopefully more than a few Huskers will be there. As the 2007-08 season begins, eight NU grapplers are ranked in their respective weight classes, but a tough road to St. Louis faces them. Nebraska’s schedule features seven schools ranked by InterMat, including the top three teams in Minnesota, Oklahoma State and Iowa State. Nebraska will face all three of those opponents on the road.

It’s All In the Family
The Nebraska wrestling team will be a family affair this season as three sets of brothers are on the squad. For the second consecutive year, two members of the Moyer, Sanders and Browne family will share time on the mat. Dominick Moyer, Robert Sanders and Brandon Browne will be joined by their younger brothers Derek, Paul and Cameron, respectively.

Dominick Moyer, a volunteer assistant coach this year after finishing his career with the Huskers, is joined on the NU wrestling squad by his brother, Derek, who was a three-time state champion at Oskaloosa High School in Iowa. Robert Sanders, an NCAA qualifier at 149 pounds in 2005-06, continues his wrestling career 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 Juan High School in Blanding, Utah. Brandon Browne, a projected starter at 174 pounds, is joined again by his brother, Cameron. Brandon was a two-time state champion at Plattsmouth High 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.

Huskers Battle for Starting Spots at Wrestle-Offs
The 2007-08 Nebraska wrestling team made its public debut Nov. 2 as the Huskers held their annual wrestle-offs at the Devaney Center Track. Several Huskers made cases for starting positions while several grapplers made a tough decision for NU head coach Mark Manning.

The wrestle-offs, held to assist Manning in deciding the final starting lineup, saw several grapplers go undefeated on the night. Junior Chris Oliver qualified for the NCAA Tournament last year and looks to be on his way again as he asserted his abilities at 157 pounds Friday night. Oliver pinned Rob Plambeck in 35 seconds, pinned Frank Jonas in 2:25 and recorded an 11-3 major decision over Paul Sanders. Sophomore Stephen Dwyer also qualified last year and also won both his matches Friday night. Dwyer recorded a 12-0 major decision over Cody Foust and followed up with a 4-1 decision over Alex Ward at 165 pounds.

The talented group of Huskers at 141 pounds continued to prove the weight class is the deepest for NU this season. However, a starter did not make himself immediately clear Friday night. Junior Robert Sanders won two matches against Jered Hensley and Patrick Aleksanyan, but redshirt freshman Curtis Salazar beat him. Salazar made his own bid for the spot with a win over Sanders, but came up short against Aleksanyan.

Non-Varsity Notes
The Huskers’ non-varsity wrestlers competed in the talent-filled Kaufman-Brand Open last Saturday, with several underclassmen showing great promise. Freshman Tucker Lane continues to show his future potential, as he finished first in the heavyweight division in the amateur divsion. Lane pinned Brady Punt of South Dakota State in 3:03 to begin the tournament and notched three straight decisions, including a 3-2 win over Christian Brantley in the final. Lane is 11-1 in open tournaments this season.

Not to be outdone by Lane, fellow freshman Chris Hacker finished second at 149 pounds in the amateur division. Hacker’s day included a pin of Nick Leclere, competing unattached, in 26 seconds. Hacker has started the season 8-2 in open tournaments.

Redshirt freshman Curtis Salazar continues to make his bid for starting time. He went 4-2 at the Kaufman-Brand Open, and was just one round away from placing. Salazar notched two technical falls on the day, while continuing to pressure Robert Sanders and Patrick Aleksanyan in the 141-pound weight class.

The non-varsity wrestlers next competition will be in Hays, Kan., on Dec. 1 at the Fort Hays State Open.

Next up: Nebraska Battles Defending-Champion Minnesota
The Huskers continue their tough road schedule with a Thursday-night dual against No. 1 Minnesota in Minneapolis on Dec. 6. Nebraska wrestles the Gophers just five days after competing in the Las Vegas Invitational, and will have little time for recovery, with another dual scheduled against South Dakota State in Brookings on Dec. 7. The trip will have special meaning for Jon May, the Huskers’ lone senior on the squad. May hails from Hutchinson, Minn., a town just outside Minneapolis.