Nebraska Travels In Search of Manning?s 100th Win

Dual No. 6: No. 11 Nebraska vs. Northern Colorado
Date: Wednesday, Jan. 2
Time: 8 p.m. CT
Location: Butler-Hancock Sports Pavilion, Greeley, Colo.

Dual No. 7: No. 11 Nebraska vs. Oregon State
Date: Friday, Jan. 4
Time: 9 p.m. CT
Location: Gill Coliseum, Corvallis, Ore.

Lincoln-The Nebraska wrestling team will hit the road in the New Year as NU travels to Northern Colorado and Oregon State on Jan. 2 and 4, respectively. Husker Head Coach Mark Manning will try for his 100th dual victory at Nebraska against Northern Colorado on Wednesday. Manning continues to cement his standing as one of NU’s winningest wrestling coaches ever. Friday night’s matchup will also feature some excitment as the Huskers look to avenge a narrow lose to the Beavers last year in Lincoln. Both duals against solid programs will prepare Nebraska for its one of its toughest tests of the year as the Huskers travel to the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals on Jan. 12-13 in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

Last Time Out: Huskers Dominate Dana, 40-6
The Nebraska wrestling team racked up seven bonus-point victories to hand Dana College a 40-6 loss at the NU Coliseum on Dec. 15. The Huskers earned three pins in the nine contested matches of the night to improve their dual record to 4-1 on the season.

Leading the way for NU was junior Vince Jones, who recorded the fastest pin of the night as he defeated Dana’s Jon Wilbourne in 1:33 after taking him down just eight seconds into the match. The fall gives Jones four on the year to lead the varsity wrestlers in that category, and also pushes his record to 7-4 on the season.

Also notching falls for the Huskers were junior Paul Donahoe and sophomore Austin Baier. All three of Donahoe’s dual wins this year have come by fall as he pinned Kevin Gray of Dana in 2:06. Baier also added his third dual win of the year by pinning Dana’s Matt Jacobson in 3:56.

Sophomore Craig Brester and Jordan Burroughs earned technical falls for the Huskers. Brester nearly pinned Dana’s Ross Milam as he notched four nearfalls in the match, on his way to a 19-2 win, clinched 1:20 into the second period. Burroughs earned his 23-8 technical fall by relying on his speed. Burroughs scored 11 takedowns in two and a half periods to win.

Junior Patrick Aleksanyan jumped on Dana’s Adam Manz early as he earned an 18-5 major decision. Aleksanyan, making his dual debut this season, earned a nearfall within the first minute of competition and had five takedowns in the match to take the win.

Nebraska’s Jon May won by forfeit at heavyweight to round out the Husker’s bonus-point victories. May has earned 21 dual points for NU this season, while allowing none. Redshirt freshman Andy Johnson won by decision, 8-2, over Dana’s Tony Ponce.

The dual is the third time that Nebraska has topped the 35-point mark this season and the second time the Huskers have held their opponent under 10 points.

Jones Competes at Midlands
Nebraska wrestler Vince Jones was went 3-2 last Sunday at the 45th annual Midlands Championships in Evanston, Ill. The No. 5 seed in the 184-pound bracket, Jones overcame a first-round loss to advance to the final day of competition. Jones won three straight matches in the consolation bracket, but was eliminated by No. 4 Louis Caputo of Harvard.

Scouting Northern Colorado (0-3, 0-0 Western Wrestling Conference)
Northern Colorado enters its second season in the Division I ranks this year. The Bears look to build on a 5-11 dual record last season, as they qualified three wrestlers for the NCAA Tournament with a second-place team finish in the Western Wrestling Conference. Head Coach Jack Maughan returns two of those qualifiers in Tony Mustari and Reece Hopkin. The Bears are 0-3 in duals this season, but their record may be deceiving. UNC has faced strong programs in Northern Illinois, North Dakota State and defending NCAA champion Minnesota. Not to mention they faced all three on the same day.

Mustari and Hopkin will look to be cornerstones of a program that has to replace five starters this year. Mustari, a sophomore, is off to a 18-3 start at 125 pounds, including a 4-2 showing at the Las Vegas Invite to help the Bears to a 33rd-place team finish. Hopkin, a senior, has notched a 14-3 mark at heavyweight so far this season and is currently ranked No. 20 in the nation by InterMat.

Husker History versus Northern Colorado
The Nebraska and Nothern Colorado rivarly dates all the way back to 1946. Unfortunately, it is not a pretty past for the Huskers. Nebraska is 5-12-1 against the Bears, including 3-6 all-time in Greeley. However, most of those meetings occured in the 1940s and ?50s as UNC held a six dual winning streak against the Huskers at one point. More recent run-ins have been in favor of NU as the Huskers have put up more than 30 points on the Bears in the last two meetings. Nebraska won 33-11 in Greeley on Feb. 7, 1981, before taking the most extended break in the rivarly.

The Huskers and Bears renewed familiarities last season in Lincoln as Nebraska opened the home portion of its 2006-07 season with a 34-9 defeat of Northern Colorado. The 18th-ranked Huskers won seven of the eight contested matches in the dual, including three technical fall victories along with a pin.

Nebraska 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. Stephen 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, Marc 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.

Levi 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. Craig 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, Paul 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. Mike 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 Oregon State (5-1, 3-1 Pacific-10 Conference)
In his first season at the helm, Head Coach Jim Zalesky guided Oregon State to a Pac-10 title last year and looks to have the Beavers headed in the right direction again. Zalesky returns two national qualifiers from last year’s squad and welcomes 17 newcomers as the Beavers have jumped out to a 5-1 start, including 3-1 in the Pac-10. OSU has topped the 30-point mark in three duals this season, while its lone loss on the year came to nationally-ranked Cal State-Fullerton. The Beavers finished 22nd as a team at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invite.

The Beavers will look for strong performances this season from returning national qualifiers Travis Gardner and Kyle Bresser. Gardner, a senior, wrestled at 197 in the 2007 NCAA Championships and steps up to heavyweight this season, while Bresser, a junior, wrestles at 184 and is 4-3 so far this season. One Beaver making a name for himself this season is junior Jake Gonzales. Forced to a reserve role last year behind national qualifier Eric Stevenson, Gonzales has stepped into the starting position this season and has notched a 9-2 mark thus far.

Husker History versus Oregon State
Nebraska holds just an 8-2 all-time record against the Beavers, but the Huskers have historically dominated Oregon State. NU was defeated 18-16 in the first meeting in 1983, but followed the loss with eight consecutive wins, including the last four by at least 15 points. The Beavers two wins have been by a combined eight points.

Oregon State handed Nebraska its first loss last season as OSU squeaked out a 21-15 win in Lincoln. The 17th-ranked Huskers lost despite getting major decision victories from Craig Brester, Paul Donahoe and Stephen Dwyer.

The dual was hotly contested throughout, as neither team held a lead larger than four points until the end of the dual. Consistent with the close nature of the dual, five of the nine actual matches were decided by two points or less.

Brester opened the dual at a strong pace with a 21-7 major decision triumph over Travis Gardner at 197 pounds. Brester took a 10-3 lead after the first period and never looked back en route to the victory.

After a forfeit at heavyweight gave Oregon State a two-point lead, Donahoe put Nebraska back into the driver’s seat with a 14-4 major decision over Jake Gonzales at 125 pounds. Donahoe put the match out of reach with a strong second period in which he outscored Gonzales 5-1, including a takedown with one second to go in the frame.

A setback at 133 pounds put the Beavers back out front, but Dominick Moyer gave the Huskers a two-point lead with an 8-7 overtime victory over Kyle Larson at 141 pounds. Moyer scored a reversal with seven seconds to go in regulation to send the match to overtime. After a quiet sudden victory period, Moyer notched a two-point nearfall nine seconds into the first half of the tiebreaker to take an 8-6 lead. In the second tiebreaker, Larson was awarded one penalty point, drawing the match to its final margin.

Back-to-back losses at 149 and 157 gave Oregon State a four-point lead with three matches to go, but Dwyer evened the dual with a 13-2 major decision win over Brett Arand at 165 pounds. Dwyer put himself into position to earn bonus points with a dominant second period, in which he scored a takedown and a pair of three-point nearfalls to build an eight-point lead going to the third period.

Oregon State won by two points in back-to-back matches at 174 and 184 pounds to earn the dual victory.

Mark One Down for Manning
Husker Head Coach Mark Manning will be going for his 100th dual win at Nebraska against Northern Colorado. Manning currently sits at 99-40-2 and trails only Tim Neumann (199-77-6) in wins at NU. Manning’s .714 winning percentage is second in Nebraska history only to Neumann’s .716. With his next win, Manning will become just the second wrestling coach in Husker history to win 100 duals. He is in his eigth season at Nebraska.

Pascoe’s Past
Travis Pascoe, in his second season as volunteer assistant coach at Oregon State, can claim some credit for Manning’s 99 dual wins. Pascoe was an All-American and four-time qualifier for the NCAA Championships during his time at Nebraska from 2001-05. While a Husker, Pascoe placed sixth in the 2005 NCAA Championships at 184 pounds. He also earned a Cliff Keen Las Vegas Collegiate title en route to 101 career wins. He recorded at least 22 wins in every season he competed for NU as he finished his career 14th on the school’s all-time wins list. Pascoe is currently training for the Olympic Trials.

Donahoe’s Defense
In his latest action, defending NCAA champion Paul Donahoe returned to the mat against Dana College on Dec. 15. He pinned the Viking’s Kevin Gray to improve to 6-0 overall and 3-0 in duals. Donahoe’s three dual victories have all come by fall, with the fastest in 1:29.

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 on Dec. 6 and 7.

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

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 is attempting to become the first wrestler to repeat as a national champion in Husker history.

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.

In his latest action, May got a forfeit win against Dana College on Dec. 15. He currently leads the team in dual wins with a perfect 5-0 mark.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Four 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 four talented Huskers deserve the starting nod. Vying for time are Patrick Aleksanyan, Robert Sanders, Curtis Salazar and Mike Rowe, 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. Rowe, in his third year at NU, spent much of the first three months of last season ranked in the top 20 at 133 pounds. 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. Sanders will have to forfeit the starting position for a month while he recovers from knee surgery.

Aleksanyan made his first dual start this season against Dana College on Dec. 15. Aleksanyan came away with an 18-5 major-decision win, but the race for the starting position may become even closer with Rowe stepping into the picture. After sitting out the fall semester, Rowe may see his first action of the season against Northern Colorado on Jan. 2.

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.

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.

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 on Dec. 8. 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 Treks to National Duals
The Huskers will face their first big test of 2008 at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals on Jan. 12-13 at the UNI Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The dual-format tournament features team brackets and draws the top programs in the nation. One of the biggest wrestling events in the nation, all three NCAA divisions will be represented including the NAIA, NJCAA, club division and women’s division.

The Huskers went 1-2 last year facing some tough opponents, including two teams ranked in the top five in the nation in No. 3 Hofstra and No. 5 Iowa. However, Nebraska finished third the previous year as the Huskers have seen some success at the prestigious tournament. NU has finished in the top three at the duals four times, including runner-up finishes in 1993 and 1996.