Huskers Host In-State Foe for Final Home Dual of 2007

Dual No. 4: No. 11 Nebraska vs. Dana College
Date: Saturday, Dec. 15
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: NU Coliseum, Lincoln, Neb.
Live Stats: Huskers.com

Lincoln-The Nebraska wrestling team will wrap up 2007 with a home dual against in-state foe Dana College on Dec. 15 at 7 p.m. in the NU Coliseum. The Vikings (3-0) compete in the NAIA, but still present a challenge to the Huskers (3-1). Dana is ranked fourth as a team with six of its wrestlers ranked in the top eight in the nation. The two storied programs will showcase the talented level of wrestling in the state.

The Huskers return to action early in the New Year as NU travels to Northern Colorado and Oregon State on Jan. 2 and 4, respectively. Nebraska will once again travel to the prestigious NWCA National Duals on Jan. 12 and 13.

Last Time Out: Nebraska Notches 37-12 Victory over Jackrabbits
The No. 12 Nebraska wrestling team rebounded with a 37-12 win over South Dakota State on Dec. 7 by winning six of the seven contested matches. The Huskers pulled away by earning three bonus-point victories out of their six wins.

Nebraska forfeited the 125-pound match to start the dual, but it was all NU after that. Sophomore Austin Baier won a 7-1 decision over SDSU’s Nick Kulseth, and redshirt freshman Curtis Salazar followed with a 7-5 decision over Adam Everson. Sophomore Jordan Burroughs marked NU’s first bonus points with a pin of Sean Flynn in 3:44 and also earned his first pin of the season. Sophomore Rob Plambeck followed with an 8-3 win over Martin Konechne as Plambeck got his first career dual win.

Nebraska’s final two victories also earned the Huskers bonus points as redshirt freshman Andy Johnson notched a 20-7 major-decision win and Jon May pinned Brady Punt in 5:17.

SDSU forfeited at 184 and 197, and the Jackrabbits scored their lone victory of the night at 165 pounds.

Huskers Fall to No. 2 Golden Gophers
The No. 12 Nebraska wrestling team won four of the eight contested matches against No. 2 Minnesota, but the Huskers came up short, 25-13, in front of more than 1,600 fans on Dec. 6 at the Sports Pavilion.

Junior Brandon Browne, sophomore Stephen Dwyer and senior Jon May all won decisions over their Minnesota opponents, while sophomore Craig Brester added an 11-1 major decision. However, Nebraska forfeited two matches to give the Gophers the deciding 12 points in the win. The Huskers (2-1) won the first two matches of the dual to jump out to a 7-0 lead, but a forfeit at 125 pounds cut the lead to 7-6. Three straight Gopher wins and an NU forfeit at 157 put Minnesota (4-1) up 22-7 and in control, before the Huskers rallied to win two of the final three matches.

The dual began at 197 pounds as Brester claimed an 11-1 major decision over Minnesota’s Justin Bronson. May, competing just 80 miles from his hometown, earned a 6-5 decision over Ben Berhow. The Huskers forfeited the 125-pound match, before Kenny Jordan surrendered a takedown to Minnesota’s Mack Reiter with just two seconds left in a 5-4 setback at 133.

Minnesota’s Manuel Rivera won a 14-3 major decision over NU’s Curtis Salazar, before the Gophers’ Dustin Schlatter earned a narrow 2-1 win over Jordan Burroughs at 149.

Another forfeit by the Huskers at 157 put the Gophers up big, but Nebraska refused to quit. Dwyer won an 8-7 decision over UM’s Scott Glasser at 165 pounds, before Browne claimed a 5-2 win over Gabe Dretsch at 174. The dual ended after Vince Jones suffered a 6-2 defeat to UM’s Roger Kish at 184 pounds.

Scouting Dana (3-0, 2-0 Great Plains Athletic Conference)
The Vikings are a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), and Dana has made a name for itself in wrestling. The Vikings have won the Great Plains Athletic Conference the last five years, the Central Region the last three years and have finished in the top six in the nation the last four years. After finishing fourth last year, Dana looks to be a competitor again in 2007-08 as the Vikings return six national qualifiers, including five All-Americans. Dana is currently ranked fourth as a team with six of its wrestlers ranked in the top eight in the nation.

Dana is led junior Burke Barnes, who is a two-time All-American at 133 pounds. Barnes has finished third nationally the last two years and is currently ranked second in his weight class. Sophomore Ryan Tuzon is another All-American that rejoins the Vikings after finishing fifth last year. Tuzon, wrestling at 165, is 16-6 on the year, including 2-0 in duals, and was named GPAC Wrestler of the Week on Dec. 3. Other returning All-Americans for Dana include junior Dan Pray, senior Jason Bilinski and junior Wade Jordan.

Husker History versus Dana
Nebraska has faced Dana College just once before. The Huskers dumped the Vikings 44-3 as part of the Nebraska Duals on Dec. 22, 2003. Dana, ranked No. 13 at the time, was only able to take one match the whole dual as No. 2 Leister Bowling earned a 4-3 decision over NU’s Trevor Hill. The Huskers won the rest of the nine matches in dominating fashion. All nine were bonus-point victories, including three pins. Joey Malia, James Pummel and B.J. Padden all pinned their Dana opponents. Travis Shufelt, Travis Pascoe and Nathan McClain earned technical falls, while Jeremy Emerson, Matt Keller and B.J. Wright notched major-decision wins. The Huskers also faced Nebraska-Kearney and Chadron State as NU won 29 of 30 matches on the day.

Points for Plambeck
Rob Plambeck scored three points for Nebraska in the Huskers’ dual with South Dakota State on Dec. 7. Those points mean a lot more to Plambeck, though. The victory was the sophomore’s first career dual victory. Wrestling the Jackrabbit’s Martin Konechne, Plambeck trailed after the first period 3-2, but two takedowns and a riding-time advantage gave Plambeck the 8-3 decision. His win put Nebraska up 15-6.

Jordan Named Big 12 Wrestler of the Month
The Big 12 Conference announced Dec. 3 that Husker sophomore Kenny Jordan was named the Big 12 Wrestler of the Month for November. Jordan, a Frankfort, Ill., native, went a perfect 6-0 at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational in Las Vegas on Nov. 30-Dec. 1.

Jordan, competing at 133 pounds, racked up three bonus-point victories to start the tournament. He recorded a 15-0 technical fall over Jerome Greco of Columbia in the opening round, followed that with a pin of Old Dominion’s Kyle Hutter in 3:51 and notched a 13-2 major decision over Rick Rappo of Penn.

Jordan’s last three wins in the tournament included a 7-6 decision over Reece Humphrey of Ohio State and a 7-0 decision over Cal State-Fullerton’s T.J. Dillashaw in the finals. His performance helped propel the Huskers to a fourth-place team finish.

The national junior college champion at 133 pounds last year, Jordan is 8-1 on the season with two pins, one technical fall and one major decision. He is ranked No. 13 in the country in the latest NWCA poll.

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.

Donahoe finished in sixth place at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invite on Dec. 1 in Las Vegas. Donahoe, who won the tournament last year, won his first three matches by decisions. He injury defaulted his final three matches as a preventative measure and did not wrestle against Minnesota and SDSU.

What Can Browne Do For You
Brandon Browne is off to arguably the best start of any Husker this season. After being ineligible last season, Browne looks to be back on the right track as he has raced out to a 18-1 start to the season. Browne is tied for the team lead in wins, while he suffered his first loss on Nov. 30 at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invite. Browne’s wins have not been close for the most part. He added four more major-decision victories in Las Vegas to put him second on the team with six. He leads the team with four technical falls. He is also a perfect 3-0 in duals. He has notched 11 takedowns in dual competition, while allowing just two.

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 sit out last season. Aleksanyan moves up to 141 after competing at 133 last season. 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. Sanders started the weight for the Huskers at the Cliff Keen Invite in Las Vegas, but went 2-2 to exit early. A minor injury temporarily sidelined him, as Salazar went 1-1 on Dec. 6 and 7. Salazar lost a 14-3 major decision to No. 2 Manuel Rivera of Minnesota, but claimed a 7-5 decision over South Dakota State’s Adam Everson the following day. 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. The Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invite on Nov. 30-Dec. 1 saw May go 3-2 to exit in the fifth round of the consolation bracket.

Wrestling just 80 miles from his hometown of Hutchinson, Minn., May defeated Minnesota’s 6-5 on Dec. 6 in Minneapolis. May kept his weekend perfect with a pin of South Dakota State’s Brady Punt in 5:17, his second pin of Punt on the year. May currently leads the team in dual wins with a 4-0 mark.

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 wrapped up the fall semester of competition at the UNK Loper Open last Saturday. Leading the way for Nebraska was sophomore Cameron Browne, who went 3-0 on the day to win the title at 197 pounds. Browne began the day with 5-4 decision of Dana’s Ross Miliam, pinned Josh Majerus of Chadron State in 5:26 and capped the day with a 6-4 decision over Augustana’s Ty Copsey in the finals. Browne is now 5-2 on the year with one technical fall and one major decision.

Freshman Tucker Lane went 3-1 to place third in the heavyweight division. He lost a 3-1 decision to Tony Lewis of Nebraska-Omaha in the second round, but rebounded with two straight wins, including a 9-1 major decision in the finals over Augustana’s Brett LeBrun. The major decision was his first of the year. Lane’s loss was just his second on the season as he moved his record to 18-2.

The non-varsity wrestlers begin the new year on Jan. 5 at the Dana Open in Blair, Neb.

Next up: Nebraska Travels to Begin New Year
The Huskers open 2008 with all four competitions in January scheduled for the road. Nebraska gets a jump on the new year with a dual against Northern Colorado on Jan. 2. The Huskers dual Oregon State on Jan. 4 before traveling to the prestigious NWCA National Duals on Jan. 13 in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The Huskers begin Big 12 action with a Jan. 20 dual against Oklahoma State at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City, Okla. NU does not return to friendly confines of the NU Coliseum until a Feb. 2 dual against Missouri.