Huskers Seek Big 12 Perfection Against Iowa State

Dual 17: Nebraska (14-2) vs. Iowa State (15-4)
Date: Sunday, Feb. 24
Time: 2 p.m.
Location: Hilton Coliseum, Ames, Iowa
Live Stats: Huskers.com
Live Video/Audio: Huskers.com
Television: Iowa Public Television

Lincoln - The Nebraska wrestling team will wrap up a regular season that saw them climb to No. 2 in the NWCA poll, defeat Oklahoma State for just the third time in school history and finish second at the National Duals with a chance to make history against Iowa State on Sunday. The No. 2 Huskers (14-2, 3-0 Big 12) will dual the No. 6 Cyclones (15-4, 2-1 Big 12) with a chance to go undefeated in conference play, a feat which NU has never accomplished in the 98-year history of the program.

The dual will be another in a long line of classic matchups. Sunday’s dual will be the sixth consecutive NU-ISU meeting with both teams ranked in the top 20 in the nation. NU is 3-3 in those six meetings and Sunday should be another close contest. Nebraska currently has nine wrestlers ranked in the top 20 in the nation, while Iowa State sports eight ranked wrestlers. Sunday’s dual may well come down to bonus-point wins.

Both teams will look to bolster thier standing heading into the Big 12 Championships with a win on Sunday. Oklahoma State hosts this year’s conference tournament at the Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater on March 8. Nebraska has never won a Big 12 team title, last winning a conference title in 1995 when NU won its second Big Eight crown in three seasons.

Last Time Out: Huskers Go 2-0 on East Coast Venture
The No. 2 Husker wrestling team posted two wins over Rider and No. 16 Hofstra last weekend to improve to 14-2 on the year. Nebraska rolled to six straight wins to post a 25-10 dual victory at No. 16 Hofstra on Sunday. Junior Vince Jones (184) sparked the Huskers by pinning Justin Danz in 5:58 to give NU a 12-4 lead. Sophomore Jordan Burroughs (149) produced a 17-9 major decision with seven takedowns in his match, while No. 5 Brandon Browne rallied for an 8-6 win over No. 6 Alton Lucas at 174. No. 7 Craig Brester added a 10-3 decision over No. 10 Joe Rovelli at 197, joining Burroughs and Browne with a perfect weekend.

In Saturday’s 27-12 win over Rider, Brester defeated No. 12 T.J. Morrison, while Browne pinned Michael Darling in 2:39. Burroughs added three takedowns and a three-point nearfall in his win. Steven Dwyer (165) sealed the Huskers’ win with a 12-3 major decision for his 26th victory and seventh major decision of the year. Heavyweight Jon May added a solid 12-3 major decision against the Broncs.

Scouting Iowa State (15-4, 2-1 Big 12)
A powerhouse in collegiate wrestling, Iowa State looks to be well on its way to another high finish at the NCAA Championships this season. The Cyclones return six starters from a squad that finished first in the Big 12 last season and qualified a wrestler at all 10 weight classes for the NCAA Championships. ISU finished second at NCAAs as it crowned four All-Americans, including one national champion. The Cyclones return just one All-American this season, though, in sophomore Jake Varner. Iowa State is currently ranked sixth as a team, with eight wrestlers ranked in the top 18 in the country.

Varner has done his share for the Cyclones as he leads the team with a 22-0 record, including 16-0 in duals, and a No. 1 ranking at 184 pounds. Varner has four majors and six pins as his 22 wins are the most by an ISU sophomore since head coach Cael Sanderson in 1999. The Cyclones have three other wrestlers ranked in the top 10 in the nation in sophomores David Zabriskie and Nick Fanthorpe and redshirt freshman Jon Reader. Fanthorpe and Zabriskie are both ranked sixth in their respective weight classes, while Reader is ranked No. 7. Zabriskie has a 23-4 record on the season, while Fanthorpe is 25-4 overall with 16 dual wins and Reader is 24-5 with a 15-4 dual record.

The Cyclones started the season with six straight dual wins, but stumbled in the first round of the National Duals as Hofstra upset them. ISU went 3-2 at the event to finish seventh with wins over Northern Iowa, Central Michigan and Northwestern, but losses to Hofstra and Penn State. Iowa State lost their annual meeting with Iowa 20-13 in Ames and the Cyclones are 4-1 in Hilton Coliseum this season. ISU’s only loss in the Big 12 this season was a 16-15 heartbreaker to Oklahoma State on Jan. 27 in Stillwater. In its latest action, Iowa State beat No. 13 Missouri 18-15 in Ames last Sunday in a dual that came down to the heavyweight match.

Husker History versus Iowa State
The Cyclones and Huskers first met in 1916, but NU did not get a win until 1930 as ISU won the first eight meetings. Iowa State dominated Nebraska until the mid 1980’s to amass a 73-13-2 lead in the series, but the last 10 years have seen both programs reach new levels. Sunday’s dual will be the sixth consecutive with both ranked in the top 20 in the nation. The series has tightened as Nebraska is 3-3 in its last six matchups with Iowa State, including a 16-15 upset of second-ranked ISU in Lincoln in 2005 by a Husker squad ranked sixth.

The two schools last faced each other Jan. 20, 2007. Craig Brester came back to defeat fifth-ranked Kurt Backes at 197 pounds and win his ninth straight match, but it wasn’t enough as No. 3 Iowa State defeated the 20th-ranked Nebraska wrestling team, 25-12, in front of 902 fans at the NU Coliseum.

Brester trailed 3-1 at the start of the third period, but after escaping 47 seconds into the final frame, Brester took down Backes with 1:02 to go in the match to seal the 4-2 win for the Huskers and pull NU to within five with two matches to go in the dual.

Back-to-back setbacks at heavyweight and 125 pounds to close the dual gave the Cyclones the 25-12 win, their first over Nebraska since defeating the Huskers 25-9 on Feb. 26, 2004.

A 4-2 win by ninth-ranked Dominick Moyer at 141 pounds over 10th-ranked Mitch Mueller tied the dual at three two matches into the contest. Moyer led 3-0 after two periods then, after allowing a takedown with 55 seconds to go in the match, escaped to give Moyer the two-point victory, his fifth over a ranked opponent this season.

Robert Sanders followed with a comeback bid that fell just short at 149 pounds against 16th-ranked Cyler Sanderson in a 12-8 win for Sanderson. Sanders trailed 11-3 with 37 seconds to go in the second period, but outscored Sanderson 5-1 over the last 2:37 of the match to cut Sanderson’s winning margin to four. Wins by Trent and Travis Paulson at 157 and 165 pounds, respectively, would give Iowa State a 10-point lead after five matches.

Marc Harwood would keep the door open for victory for the Huskers with a win by fall over Grant Turner at 174 pounds. Harwood trailed 3-0 early in the second period, but turned a takedown with 1:15 remaining in the second period into a pin 21 seconds later. The win cut the Cyclones’ lead to four, but Iowa State would go on to win three of the final four matches to clinch the dual victory.

Big 12 Perfection
A win over Iowa State in wrestling is a feat to be celebrated, but a win over the Cyclones this Sunday would mean a little more to the Huskers. Nebraska is currently 3-0 in the Big 12 after recording wins over Missouri, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. The Husker win against OSU has allowed Nebraska a chance at history against Iowa State. The defeat of the Cowboys was just Nebraska’s third all-time and first since 1993, which means a win over ISU would put the Huskers at a perfect 4-0 in the Big 12. Nebraska has never swept its conference opponents in the 98-year history of the program.

Brester Garners Big 12 Wrestler of the Week Honors
The Big 12 Conference announced Monday that Husker sophomore Craig Brester was named the Big 12 Wrestler of the Week for his performances in competitions from Feb. 12-18. Brester defeated two ranked foes at 197 pounds last weekend as the Huskers topped Rider 27-12 and No. 16 Hofstra 25-10 on an East Coast trip. Brester, a native of Howells, Neb., is currently ranked seventh in the nation in his weight class.

Last Saturday, Brester notched a 9-1 major decision over 12th-ranked T.J. Morrison of Rider to spark NU to victories in three of the final four matches of a tight dual. Brester registered a takedown early in the first period and worked his way to a three-point nearfall to take a 5-0 lead after the opening stanza. An escape and another takedown in the second period put him up 8-1 and boosted him to a 9-1 final score.

Brester followed up with a 10-3 decision over No. 10 Joe Rovelli of Hofstra last Sunday. Brester notched two nearfalls as he held Rovelli scoreless until the third period. The win was Brester’s third consecutive against a ranked opponent as he is 6-1 against ranked foes on the year.

Brester improved to 20-3 on the year, including 12-3 in duals. He has scored 50 dual points for NU while allowing just 10. Scoring 33 dual takedowns this year, he has been taken down just nine times. He has six pins, three technical falls and four major decisions.

Brester was also named TheMat.com Wrestler of the Week on Wednesday. TheMat.com is the official site of USA Wrestling.

Rolling Through the Rankings
Sophomore Craig Brester has emerged as one of the wrestlers to beat at 197 pounds this season after his 20-3 start to the season and knocking off some highly-ranked foes. Brester, currently ranked No. 7 at 197 pounds, has faced seven other wrestlers ranked in the top 20 in the nation and walked away with a 6-1 record. Excluding the Jimmie Open on Jan. 26, Brester has faced five consecutive ranked opponents, including three in top 10 in the nation.

Brester lost a back-and-forth 13-11 decision to No. 9 Max Askren of Missouri on Feb. 2, but has defeated his three ranked opponents since. He topped fifth-ranked Joel Flaggert of Oklahoma, 6-1, on Feb. 10 and went 2-0 last weekend during the Huskers’ trip out East. Brester amassed a 9-1 major decision on 12th-ranked T.J. Morrison of Rider and defeated No. 10 Joe Rovelli of Hofstra 10-3.

Brester’s record against quality opponents should earn him a high seed in the Big 12 and NCAA Championships.

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 help 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.

Taking Down the Record Books
Jordan Burroughs is approaching the Husker record books in several categories, including wins by a sophomore, but the record he is really gunning for is the single-season dual takedown mark. Burroughs currently has amassed 95 takedowns as he has wrestled in all 16 of Nebraska’s duals. He is averaging nearly six takedowns per dual and has been taken down just six times. In comparison, Paul Donahoe is second on the team with 39 dual takedowns this season.

With three more takedowns, Burroughs will break the single season record of 97 dual takedowns currently held by Bryan Snyder, who was a four time All-American for the Huskers from 1999-2002. Snyder earned his 97 takedowns in the 2000-01 season that saw him go 28-2, including 16-1 in duals, and place second at the NCAA Championships.

What Can Browne Do For You
With his 8-6 decision over No. 6 Alton Lucas of Hofstra, junior Brandon Browne inched closer to breaking into the Husker record books. Browne currently leads the Huskers in wins with his 28-2 record and is 13-1 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 .933 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 is attempting to become the 26th wrestler in Husker history to win at least 35 matches in a season.

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. 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. NU has stayed in the No. 2 spot for four straight weeks. 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 27 wins, thanks in part to two separate eight-match winning streaks. He sports an 11-3 dual record and has earned 39 dual points for NU. He has nine 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.

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.

Donahoe’s Defense
In his latest action, defending NCAA champion Paul Donahoe went 2-0 on an East Coast trip to face Rider and No. 16 Hofstra. Donahoe’s 22-5 technical fall over Rider’s Ilyass Elmsaouri helped the Huskers to a 27-12 win over the Broncs last Saturday. Donahoe and the five other Huskers that won a match against Rider, all recorded bonus-point victories.

Donahoe’s match in the Hofstra dual was one of several with ranked opponents squaring off. Donahoe faced No. 13 Dave Tomasette, an opponent he pinned at last year’s NCAA Championships, and came away with an 11-5 decision. Donahoe was on his way to a major decision, but a late Tomasette takedown held the lead to a decision.

Donahoe is now 17-3 on the year, including 11-3 in duals. Donahoe is attempting to become the first wrestler to repeat as a national champion in Husker history.

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 11 and leads the team in technical falls at six, 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 95 takedowns on the year is nearly triple any other squad member. Burroughs’ strategy seems to be paying off as he is 26-5 on the year, including 13-3 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 scored two wins on the Husker’s East Coast trip to propel NU to dual wins over Rider, 27-12, and No. 16 Hofstra, 25-10. May notched his first major decision of the year with a 12-3 overpowering of Rider’s Ed Bordas and followed up with a 6-3 decision against Tom Daddino of Hofstra.

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.

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.

Next up: Huskers Head to Big 12 Championships
After wrapping up the regular season against Iowa State, the Huskers will have a weekend off to prepare for the Big 12 Championships on March 8 in Stillwater, Okla. Nebraska finished fourth last year and qualified six wrestlers for the NCAA Championships. NU has never won the Big 12 conference crown.