NU Wrestlers Travel to Wyoming

Dual No. 1: No. 14 Nebraska at Wyoming
Date: Friday, Nov. 9
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: UniWyo Sports Complex
Last Meeting: Dec. 16, 2006-Nebraska 34, Wyoming 10 in Lincoln, Neb.
Series History: Nebraska leads, 28-13

Tournament No. 1: No. 14 Nebraska at Cowboy Open
Date: Saturday, Nov. 10
Time: 10 a.m.
Location: UniWyo Sports Complex

Huskers Open 2007-08 Season at Cowboy Open
The Nebraska wrestling team will begin its regular season this weekend as the Huskers travel to Laramie, Wyo., for their first dual and tournament. NU will face Wyoming on Friday at 7 p.m. before competing in the Cowboy Open on Saturday.

Season Preview: National Experience Expected to Carry Huskers in 2007-08
The 2007-08 Nebraska wrestling roster is filled with youth. Seven true freshmen join a squad that went 10-7-1 last season, including a 16th-place finish at the NCAA Championships. Nine redshirt freshmen and nine sophomores are the bulk of the team, while eight juniors and one lone senior fill out the rest of the upperclassmen.

Looks can be deceiving, though.

The Huskers return nine wrestlers with experience at the NCAA Championships, including a national champion in 125-pounder Paul Donahoe. A Davison, Mich., native, Donahoe highlighted last season with a 3-1 overtime win over No. 1 Sam Hazewinkel of Oklahoma in the national championship finals. The title run completed a 35-5 season.

"We have a lot of experience coming back," eighth-year head coach Mark Manning said. "Having Paul Donahoe as a national champion as a sophomore bodes well for our program for the next couple years."

Donahoe will be joined on the mat by three of the Huskers’ six NCAA qualifiers last season. Sophomore Jordan Burroughs split time between 141 and 149 pounds, but qualified at 149. Stephen Dwyer and Craig Brester, both sophomores, saw NCAA action at 165 and 197, respectively. Dwyer defeated Indiana’s Max Dean 7-5, while Brester recorded two wins. Brester had a 7-2 decision over Wynn Michalak of Central Michigan and recorded a 15-2 major decision over Old Dominion’s David Mendoza before being eliminated. Chris Oliver is back for his junior season after qualifying last year at 157 pounds while recording a 20-9 record.

"We have a lot of young guys that want to be on the top of the podium at the NCAA Championships," Manning said. "We expect a lot, but we’re working hard for it."

One known hard-worker is junior Robert Sanders. He steps down to 141 pounds this year to fill in the hole left by the graduated Dominick Moyer. Both wrestlers bring national experience back to the Huskers this season. Sanders qualified during the 2005-06 campaign, while Moyer finished his senior season at nationals, but will be back this year as a volunteer assistant coach.

Four key wrestlers take to the mat again after sitting out last season. Heavyweight Jon May is back for his senior year as a Husker. He was on his way to a stellar season with a 14-4 record before tearing his ACL last January. May notched a 1-2 record at the 2006 NCAA Championships.

Juniors Vince Jones and Brandon Browne return after sitting out last season. Jones made the national trip two years ago, finishing 3-2 at 184 pounds. Browne will compete for time at 174 after a 14-6 record during the 2005-06 season.

Sophomore Kenny Jordan rejoins the Huskers after a year in junior college. Jordan returns to Nebraska after a national championship season at 133 pounds at Lincoln Community College in Illinois. In his lone year at Nebraska, Jordan went 11-0 in open tournament competition as a redshirt freshman.

The Huskers’ probable starting lineup includes five juniors, four sophomores and just one senior. Manning plans to redshirt all eight incoming freshmen, a luxury he hasn’t had in previous years because of injuries, but that doesn’t mean the starting spots are set.

"It’s about stepping up and proving yourself," Manning said. "You should be counting on being an All-American because you have the resources to accomplish great things here."

After having issues with injuries at 133 last season, the Huskers find themselves with a slew of young talent at the spot. Jordan will battle for the start with redshirt freshman Matt Vacanti, who steps up to the weight after finishing 17-2 in open tournament at 125 last year.

Nebraska has several choices to replace the graduated Moyer at 141, including junior Robert Sanders, junior Patrick Aleksanyan and redshirt freshman Curtis Salazar. A product of Blanding, Utah, Sanders added depth last season, finishing 17-12 at 149. Aleksanyan gained national experience two years ago, while Salazar racked up an impressive 18-9 record in open competition last season.

"Some positions are going to be a dogfight," head assistant coach Mike Greenfield said. "Those young guys got a lot better last year."

The return of May at heavyweight sets up a potential battle between sophomores Brester and Cameron Browne at 197. Browne finished 12-11 last season after splitting time at both weights, while Brester racked up a 19-7 record and a trip to nationals after being ranked as high as No. 8 during the season.

The graduation of Marc Harwood leaves another spot open at 174. Brandon Browne will contend for the start with redshirt freshman Alex Ward, who put up a 17-10 record in open tournaments, backing up Dwyer last season at 165.

The Huskers will have plenty of chances to test those spots as the team faces another rigorous schedule. After finishing 16th at the NCAA Championships for the second consecutive year, Nebraska will face the top three teams from 2007. Duals against No. 1 Minnesota, No. 2 Iowa State and No. 3 Missouri will test the strength of the team.

"We wrestle Minnesota there," Manning said. "That is, and always will be, a great dual meet. It’s always an intense, heated battle. That’s great for our sport."

Those tough duals will be topped with trips to several prestigious tournaments, including the National Duals, Jan. 12-13. The Huskers went 1-2 last year, with their one win coming against Michigan, 23-13. The Wolverines went on to finish sixth as a team at the NCAA Championships. Nebraska lost at the hands of Hofstra, but the Huskers have a chance for payback this year as they travel to Hofstra for a dual on Feb. 17.

The Huskers will make their annual trips to several top-notch open tournaments in the Cowboy Open on Nov. 10 and the Kaufman-Brand Open the next weekend, Nov. 17.

"The Kaufman-Brand Open is arguably one of the toughest tournaments of the year," Manning said. "It’s an open tournament that is no walk in the park."

Nebraska will head further west for the Las Vegas Invitational Nov. 30-Dec. 1. The Huskers return to the tournament after finishing fourth as a team last year, including a title by Donahoe at 125.

The Huskers will look to improve on their fourth-place conference finish last season, as Oklahoma State hosts the Big 12 Championships on March 8. The NCAA Championships will be held March 20-22 in St. Louis.

"It’s all about what we do in March," Manning said. "I think we have guys thinking and believing; now we just have to go out and do it."

Scouting Wyoming
The Wyoming wrestling team will look to replace two of last year’s four NCAA qualifiers. The Cowboys return 12 letterwinners and five starters from a squad that placed 65th at the national tournament. Wyoming’s top returner and only ranked grappler is senior Carter Downing. Wrestling at 149 pounds, Downing was the West Regional champion last year, but went 0-2 at nationals. Cory Vombaur at 133 is another qualifier that returns for the Cowboys. Vombaur also went 0-2 at nationals, but is only a sophomore this season. Wyoming may face similar challenges as Nebraska this year as nearly half of the Cowboys’ squad is newcomers. UW’s roster sports 11 freshmen.

Husker History vs. Wyoming
Nebraska has historically dominated the Cowboys as the Huskers own a 28-13 all-time series lead. NU’s last loss to Wyoming came in 1987 as the Cowboys eeked out a 20-19 win in Lincoln. The Huskers rebounded to win the last 20 meetings between the teams, including a 42-0 drumming in 2004 in Lincoln.

Last year’s meeting saw the 18th-ranked Huskers ride 10 bonus-point victories to a 34-10 win over the Cowboys in Lincoln as part of the Nebraska Duals. NU built a 15-point lead after four matches, thanks in part to two bonus-point wins. It started with Paul Donahoe’s 20-7 major-decision victory over Nick Ramirez at 125 pounds. After Patrick Aleksanyan’s 8-6 overtime victory over Cory VomBaur, Dominck Moyer gave NU its second bonus-point win with a 19-2 technical-fall win over Brandon Gifford at 141 pounds.

With the win, Mark Manning became just the third coach in school history with 90 dual wins. He needed only 123 duals to reach the milestone, eight fewer than Bob Fehrs, the first coach in Husker history to win 90, and nine fewer than Tim Neumann, who holds the school record in dual wins with 199.

The Huskers have a little bit of extra history against Wyoming as NU squares off against one of their own in Cowboy assistant coach Travis Shufelt. Entering his second year with UW, Shufelt was an All-American and captain in his time at NU. At 149 pounds, Shufelt was a four-time national qualifier and a two-time Big-12 runner up. As a junior, he was the Las Vegas Invite champion and was the outstanding wrestler at the Virginia Duals.

Donahoe Defends
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.

Single Senior
The Nebraska wrestling team sports plenty of youth this season as its rosters 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.

Manning’s Meanderings
Nebraska wrestling head coach Mark Manning took his talents half way 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.

Manning is entering his eighth year as Nebraska’s head coach in 2007-08, having compiled a 118-63-4 dual record. 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.

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.

Non-Varsity Notes
The Huskers’ non-varsity wrestlers have already been busy this season as freshmen Tucker Lane and Brett Landrum competed in the NIACC Open last weekend in Mason City, Iowa. Tucker recorded three straight victories, including two falls, but lost a 2-0 decision in the finals to take second place. Landrum did not place.

Nebraska’s non-varsity wrestlers will be split this weekend between Laramie, Wyo., and Fort Dodge, Iowa, where the Harold Nichols Open will take place on the campus of Iowa Central Community College. The non-varsity wrestlers will wrestle with the varsity for the Kaufman-Brand Open on Saturday, Nov. 17 in Omaha, Neb. With the schedule expanded this year, the redshirts will head to several quality open tournaments, including the Oklahoma Open on Nov. 24 in Norman, Okla., and the UNI Open on Dec. 2 in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The redshirts will wrap up their first semester of competition at the UNK Loper Open on Dec. 8 in Kearney, Neb. 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. 5 in Blair, followed by the Glen Brand Open in Omaha on Jan. 19.

Huskers Battle for Starting Spots at Wrestle-Offs
The 2007-08 Nebraska wrestling team made its public debut last Friday night 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.

Next up: Nebraska Hosts Lehigh
Nebraska returns to tournament wrestling next weekend with the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, to be held on Dec. 1-2 at the Star of the Desert Arena in Primm, Nev. Wrestling starts at 10 a.m. both days, with the field including 13 of the top 25 in the preseason USA Today/Intermat/NWCA Coaches Poll. Last season was the first that the Huskers did not compete in the Las Vegas Intvitational since Mark Manning took over as head coach for the 2000-01 season. In 2004, Nebraska took second after winning the championship in 2003. NU also took second in Manning’s first year, 2000.