Nebraska Heads East to Face Rider and Hofstra

Dual 15: Nebraska (12-2) vs. Rider (6-11)
Date: Saturday, Feb. 16
Time: 1 p.m. CT
Location: Alumni Gym, Lawrenceville, N.J.
Live Video: Gobroncs.com

Dual 16: Nebraska (12-2) vs. Hofstra (13-7)
Date: Sunday, Feb. 17
Time: Noon CT
Location: Hofstra Arena, Hempstead, N.Y.
Live Video/Audio: Livesportsvideo.com

Lincoln - The Nebraska wrestling team hits the road for its final major trip of the season as the No. 2 Huskers travel to the East Coast to face Rider and No. 16 Hofstra. The Huskers (12-2, 3-0 Big 12) face Rider (6-11, 3-3 CAA) at 1 p.m. on Saturday in Lawrenceville, N.J., before squaring off against Hofstra (13-7, 6-0 CAA) at noon on Sunday in Hempstead, N.Y.

NU is coming off a hard-fought 21-9 dual win over No. 18 Oklahoma. The victory wrapped up the Huskers’ home schedule as Nebraska wrestled for the final time this season in the NU Coliseum. The Huskers honored their lone senior Jon May as he came away with a 6-3 win to help NU to the win.

Nebraska now heads east to face two Colonial Athletic Association foes in Rider and Hofstra. Several Huskers will be making a return to their old stomping grounds as both Vince Jones and Jordan Burroughs grew up in Sicklerville, N.J. Jones and Burroughs will be in the starting lineup for NU at 149 and 184 pounds, respectively.

The Huskers will attempt to stay perfect against Rider as all four of their previous meetings have been NU victories, while Nebraska will look to avenge a 32-6 loss to Hofstra at last year’s National Duals.

NU concludes its regular season against Iowa State on Feb. 24 in Ames at 2 p.m. A Husker win over the Cyclones would give NU a perfect mark in Big 12, a feat which Nebraska has never accomplished.

Last Time Out: Nebraska Knocks Down Oklahoma, 21-9
The No. 2 Husker wrestling team claimed the final three matches of its dual with No. 18 Oklahoma to win 21-9 in front of more than 1,300 fans at the NU Coliseum on Feb. 10. Nebraska improved to 12-2 on the year, including a perfect 3-0 in the Big 12, while the Sooners dropped to 12-5 overall and 0-4 in conference duals.

NU won seven of the 10 contested matches in a dual that started at 157 pounds. The turning point came at 133 pounds as sophomore Kenny Jordan earned a come-from-behind win to stop a Sooner rally. Oklahoma’s Brian Shelton scored an early takedown to take a 2-0 lead, but Jordan battled back with two takedowns in the third period to claim an 11-4 decision.

The Sooners had upset on their mind just one match before as OU’s unranked Joey Fio topped No. 4 Paul Donahoe, 6-5, at 125 pounds to pull the Sooners within three points at 12-9. Jordan stopped the bleeding at 133 pounds and sophomore Mike Rowe sealed the match at 141. Rowe caught No. 15 Zack Bailey in a cradle late in the first period and parlayed it into a three-point nearfall. Rowe scored four points in the final period to cruise to a 7-4 decision and put the Huskers up 18-9.

The Huskers honored their lone senior before the dual as part of Senior Day and NU’s Jon May gave the fans what they came for with a 6-3 decision over Oklahoma’s Nathan Fernandez at heavyweight. May notched two takedowns and had a 1:37 riding-time advantage to finish his final home dual with a win.

The upset of the night came at 197 pounds as NU’s Craig Brester won a 6-1 decision over Joel Flaggert. Brester, a sophomore, entered the match ranked No. 10 in the nation to Flaggert’s No. 5 ranking. Brester was the aggressor the whole match as Flaggert was penalized twice for stalling. The win improved Brester to 10-3 in duals this year.

Brandon Browne (174), Stephen Dwyer (165) and Jordan Burroughs (149) all recorded wins for the Huskers as every match was decided by a decision. Browne, a junior, improved his overall record to 26-2 to lead the Huskers in wins, while Burroughs, a sophomore, has an 11-3 dual record this season.

NU finished its home season with a perfect 4-0 record in the NU Coliseum as the Huskers went undefeated at home for the first time since 2003-04.

Scouting Rider (6-11, 3-3 Colonial Athletic Association)
Rider will be looking to avoid a Big 12 sweep in its Saturday dual with Nebraska. The Broncs opened their season with combined 69-4 losses to Missouri and Iowa State in November, before losing 39-9 to Oklahoma State at the Virginia Duals in January. The Huskers will be Rider’s fourth and final Big 12 opponent. After starting the season with five consecutive dual losses, the Broncs have rebounded to go 6-6, including winning five of their last seven duals.

The Broncs returned six national qualifiers to this year’s squad, including All-American senior Don Fisch who finished fifth at last year’s NCAA Championships. Fisch is currently No. 18 in the nation at 149 pounds after a 17-8 start to the season. Rider’s two other ranked wrestlers are junior Doug Umbehauer at 184 and senior T.J. Morrison at 197 pounds. Umbehauer is No. 20 with a 20-8 record, while three-time NCAA qualifier Morrison is ranked No. 17. He is 16-6 on the year, including 12-4 in duals.

In their latest action, the Broncs lost to Lehigh, 24-16, last Thursday.

Husker History versus Rider
Although both Nebraska and Rider have storied wrestling programs, the two have met just four times. The Huskers and Broncs first bumped heads in New Jersey in 2000, as Rider visited Lincoln the following year. The two other meetings occured at the Virginia Duals in 2004 and 2005 as the Huskers won the event both years. All four meetings have come in Nebraska’s Mark Manning era and all four run-ins have been Husker wins. The most memorable dual came at the Virginia Duals in 2004 as NU ran over Rider 31-3 in the second round. Nebraska, ranked No. 8 at the time, claimed three bonus-point victories on its way to allowing only one victory for the Broncs.

Nebraska and Rider last met at the Virginia Duals in 2005 with a fifth-ranked Nebraska squad topping Rider 30-12. The Huskers got bonus-point victories from Travis Pascoe, B.J. Padden and Jon May to clinch the win.

Scouting Hofstra (13-7, 6-0 Colonial Athletic Conference)
In his first season at the helm of the Pride, head coach Tom Shifflet took Hofstra to a school-best seventh-place finish at last year’s NCAA Championships. Shifflet qualified seven wrestlers for the tournament and crowned four All-Americans. Returning to those heights may be more difficult in 2007-08, though.

Hofstra lost five starters from last year’s squad, including three NCAA qualifiers, as the Pride are a young squad that has developed over the season. Hofstra started the season 1-3 in duals with losses to Oklahoma State, Penn State and Missouri, however those teams are all ranked in the top 11 in the country. The Pride have hit their stride as of late with an 8-1 record in their last nine duals, including a 19-18 upset of Iowa State in the first round of the National Duals. Hofstra is currently ranked No. 16 by InterMat with five wrestlers ranked in the top 13.

During the season, the Pride has relied heavily on leadership from its upperclassmen, including senior Charles Griffin at 141 pounds. Griffin is a returning All-American who was named the 2007 CAA Wrestler of the Year and is a three-time CAA Champion. Griffin is currently 29-3 on the year and the highest ranked member of the team at No. 4 in the country.

Fellow senior Joe Rovelli is a three-time NCAA qualifer and a three-time CAA Champion at 197 pounds. Rovelli started the season 10-3, but has since reeled off 13 consecutive victories to up his mark to 23-3 overall and 6-0 in the CAA. He has nine major decisions on the season and is currently ranked No. 10.

Hofstra’s junior Alton Lucas is ranked sixth at 174 pounds. Lucas is 9-1 in his last 10 matches with a 22-3 overall record and 6-0 in the CAA. He has eight major decisions on the year.

In its latest action, Hoftra swept Drexel, 39-0, last Tuesday in Colonial Athletic action.

Husker History versus Hofstra
Mark Manning has continued to stretch the boundaries of Nebraska wrestling as all five Husker meetings with Hofstra have occured under Manning’s watch. NU owns a 4-1 all-time record against the Pride, with its one loss coming in the first round of last year’s National Duals. Third-ranked Hofstra topped Nebraska, 32-6, as the Huskers could only claim two matches. Paul Donahoe defeated fifth-ranked Dave Tomasette at 125 pounds and Craig Brester beat fourth-ranked Chris Weidman, 13-8, at 197. The program’s biggest meeting occured on Nov. 29, 2003, as a ninth-ranked Husker squad won 30-10 over No. 11 Hofstra in Hempstead. Travis Shufelt and B.J. Padden both earned pins to lead NU.

Jersey Boys Return to Jersey
Several Huskers will return to their old stomping grounds this week as NU travels to the East Coast for duals with Rider and No. 16 Hofstra. After traveling over 1,200 miles to attend college in Lincoln, Jordan Burroughs, Vince Jones and Mike Rowe will all compete within 170 of their hometowns this weekend.

Burroughs and Jones grew up together in Sicklerville, N.J., as both attended Winslow Township High School. Jones, a junior, was a two-time state champion and earned a 137-12 career record, while Burroughs, a sophomore, capped a 35-2 senior season with a state championship at 135 pounds. Nebraska’s dual with Rider in Lawrenceville, N.J. will be just 51 miles from Sicklerville.

Sophomore Mike Rowe hails from Huntington, Md., where he was a four-time state champion under the direction of Dick Messier at DeMatha Catholic High School. Rowe was a three-time national prep champion while finishing in the top four three times at the Beast of the East tournament. The Huskers will compete 170 miles from Huntington.

Burroughs 5-0 in the Big 12
National championships are always a goal in the Husker program, but wrestlers have to win in their own backyard before they can step on to the big stage. Sophomore Jordan Burroughs has exemplified that this year as he has a 24-5 record and a No. 8 national ranking, but more importantly is 5-0 against Big 12 opponents.

Burroughs met several conference foes in open tournaments early in the year. He bested Oklahoma’s Will Rowe 12-10 at the Kaufman Brand Open before defeating Missouri’s Josh Wagner, 8-3, at the Las Vegas Invitational. Burroughs started Big 12 play on a hot streak as his 25-11 major decision over Oklahoma State’s Quinten Fuentes helped the Huskers upset the Cowboys. Burroughs notched two more wins over Wagner and Rowe in home duals as NU went 4-0 in the Coliseum this season.

Burroughs’ wins have positioned him for a high seed in the Big 12 Championships, which he can hopefully parlay into a high seed at the NCAA Championships.

Ten for the Title
With the release of the Feb. 13 NWCA poll, all 10 weight classes have a Husker in the top 20 for the first time this season. NU started the season with eight wrestlers ranked, but Kenny Jordan soon jumped into the rankings at 133 with an individual title at the Las Vegas Invitational. The last Husker to crack the top 20 was Mike Rowe whose 7-4 upset of No. 15 Zack Bailey of Oklahoma earned him a No. 15 ranking this week.

Paul Donahoe is the highest ranked Husker at No. 4 after starting the season ranked No. 1 at 125 pounds after his national championship season last year. Brandon Browne is ranked No. 5 after amassing a 26-2 record this season at 174 pounds, while Craig Brester has been in the top 10 all season and is currently No. 7. Jordan Burroughs started the season ranked No. 11, but has worked his way up to eighth, while Stephen Dwyer has worked his way up to No. 10. Vince Jones is ranked No. 9 while both Jon May and Chris Oliver have earned the No. 17 spot.

Nebraska has seven wrestlers ranked in the top 10 in their respective weight class, including three in the top seven. Nebraska has never had all 10 wrestlers ranked in the top 20 in the NWCA poll before.

Brandon Approaching Records
With his 5-4 decision over Oklahoma’s Jeff James, junior Brandon Browne inched closer to breaking into the Husker record books. Browne currently leads the Huskers in wins with his 26-2 record and is 11-1 in duals. Browne is approaching the top 10 in season wins for a junior. Ryan Tobin is 10th with a 33-9 record in 1995-96, while Tolly Thompson is first with a 42-2 record in 1995-96. Browne is also nearing the top 10 season winning percentages. His .929 winning percentage trails Bryan Snyder’s .935 in 1999-2000. Matt Lindland in 1992-93 and Bill Scherr in 1983-84 hold the best season winning percentage at .973.

Browne Named Big 12 Wrestler of the Week
The Big 12 Conference announced Jan. 21 that Husker junior Brandon Browne was named the Big 12 Wrestler of the Week for his performances in competitions from Jan. 14-20. Browne defeated second-ranked Brandon Mason of Oklahoma State 2-1 on Jan. 20 as the Huskers topped the Cowboys 22-13 in Oklahoma City, Okla. Browne, a native of Plattsmouth, Neb., was ranked sixth at 174 pounds at the time.

Browne felt out Mason in the first period until he capitalized on an opening and scored a takedown with eight seconds left. Mason chose down in the second and scored an escape 25 seconds in. Browne chose the neutral position in the third, but neither was able to score a point as Browne held on for the 2-1 decision. Browne’s win broke a 10-10 tie as the Huskers never relinquished the lead after Browne’s win.

At the time, Browne was 24-2 on the year, including 9-1 in duals. Browne had scored 35 dual points for NU while allowing just three. He was second on the squad in bonus-point wins with seven major decisions, four technical falls and two pins.

Catching the Cowboys
The Huskers’ topped the Cowboys 22-13 on Jan. 20, which stopped a 15-dual losing streak to OSU, but the victory against OSU was the first for NU in 15 years. The win improves NU’s all-time record against the Cowboys to 3-48-1. The Huskers’ previous wins have come in 1993 in Stillwater, 39-12, and in 1922 in Lincoln, 36-11.

Movin On Up
The Huskers moved up to No. 2 in the Jan. 29 NWCA poll with a 10-2 dual record on the season at the time. The ranking is Nebraska’s highest since finishing the 2003-04 season ranked second. NU has never been ranked No. 1 in the NWCA poll, which was created in 2000.

Tumbling the Top Ranked
Nebraska knocked off No. 1 Penn State with a 19-13 win in the second round of the National Duals on Jan. 12 as the Huskers beat the top-ranked team in the nation for just the second time since 1991. NU’s other defeat of No. 1 also came in the National Duals. The Huskers topped No. 1 Iowa 24-20 on Jan. 23, 1993, as Lincoln hosted the National Duals. NU went on to finish third at the NCAA Championships that year.

Super Steve
Sophomore Stephen Dwyer’s performance at 165 pounds was a large part of the Huskers’ success at the National Duals. Dwyer was the only NU grappler to go 4-0 on the weekend as he led Nebraska to a second-place finish.

Dwyer started the tournament hot as he pinned Northwestern’s Dominic Marella in 2:55 after tweaking his ankle midway through the first period. He showed no sign of intimidation against top-ranked Penn State as he earned a 5-3 decision over the Nittany Lions’ Dave Rella. Dwyer started a Nebraska comeback with a 4-1 decision over Tyler Safratowich as the Huskers rallied to beat No. 6 Minnesota. He was one of only two Huskers to win against No. 2 Iowa in the finals with an 8-6 decision against Aaron Janssen.

Dwyer is currently second on the Huskers with 25 wins, thanks in part to two separate eight-match winning streaks. He sports an 9-3 dual record and has earned 32 dual points for NU. He has eight bonus-point victories on the season.

Rowe’s Revealing
The rotating door that was the 141-pound weight class early in the season for the Huskers stopped in January. Head Coach Mark Manning revealed sophomore Mike Rowe against top-ranked Penn State at the National Duals. Rowe has not seen starting time since last year’s National Duals after struggling with his weight and sitting out the fall semester.

Rowe returned to the starting lineup this season to make his debut against Penn State’s Jake Strayer, who was ranked second in the country. Rowe jumped on Strayer early by earning the first takedown, but a collision between Strayer’s teeth and Rowe’s forehead in the second period slowed Rowe down. Rowe battled blood throughout the rest of the match, but scored a reversal with a minute left in the final period to retake the lead and win.

Rowe faced No. 4 Manuel Rivera of Minnesota in the semifinals. Rowe was neck-and-neck with Rivera through two periods, before Rivera scored a takedown and two-point nearfall in the final stanza to win 10-6. Rowe headed into the third period tied at three with Iowa’s Dan LeClere, but the Hawkeye scored a reversal to win 5-4.

Rowe notched a 1-2 mark at National Duals, but his performance against three wrestlers ranked in the top 11 in the nation may have earned him the starting nod.

Streaking Donahoe
Junior Paul Donahoe lost to No. 3 Jayson Ness of Minnesota 6-4 in overtime of the semifinals at the National Duals, but the loss stung a little more for Donahoe. The defeat ended a winning streak for Donahoe that stetched all the way back to March 3, 2007. Donahoe went a whopping 316 days between losses. Before the National Duals, Donahoe’s last defeat came against Oklahoma’s Sam Hazewinkel at the Big 12 Championships. Donahoe went on to avenge that loss in the finals of the NCAA Championships by defeating Hazewinkel and earning a national title. Donahoe’s 16-0 winning streak included a 5-0 mark at nationals and a win over Ness at the NWCA All-Star Classic on Nov. 19.

Jordan’s Major Decision
Jordan Burroughs, another sophomore standout on the NU wrestling squad, has also begun to prove his worth this season, but in a different way. Burroughs leads the team in major decisions with 10 and leads the team in technical falls at five, thanks in part to his signature quickness. Burroughs is one of the fastest grapplers on the team and has taken advantage of it. Burroughs’ strategy in most matches is to use that speed to earn takedown after takedown. In fact, his 82 takedowns on the year is nearly triple any other squad members. Burroughs’ strategy seems to be paying off as he is 24-5 on the year, including 11-3 in duals.

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 earned a 6-3 win over Oklahoma’s Nathan Fernandez in the final home dual of his career. Wrestling in the Coliseum on Senior Day, May notched an early takedown to take the lead and never look back. May escaped six seconds into the second period and got another takedown in the third period to score his second consecutive victory over a Big 12 opponent.

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.

What Can Browne Do For You
Brandon Browne is having one of the most impressive seasons of any Husker. After being ineligible last season, Browne looks to be back on the right track as he has raced out to a 26-2 start. Browne leads the Huskers in wins with 26 on the season. Browne’s wins have not been close for the most part. He is second on the team in major decisions with eight and second with four technical falls.

More importantly, Browne has proven a reliable wrestler when it counts most with his 11-1 mark in duals. Browne scored a dramatic come-from-behind win in the Husker’s latest dual. Wrestling against Oklahoma’s Jeff James, Browne entered the third period tied at three, but an escape by James put him up one. Browne was the aggresor all match but did not score the winning takedown until 19 seconds remained in the match. His win gave NU a 6-3 lead in the dual.

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.

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 Minnesota, Oklahoma State and Iowa State. Nebraska will face all three of those opponents on the road.

Next up: Huskers Wrap Up Regular Season in Ames
After an East Coast trip to face two Colonial Athletic Association foes, Nebrask will conclude its regular season in Ames, Iowa, against No. 7 Iowa State on Feb. 24 at 2 p.m. The Huskers are currently 3-0 in the Big 12 as a win over the Cyclones would give NU a perfect mark in Big 12, a feat which Nebraska has never accomplished. NU is 3-3 in their last six matchups with ISU.