Nebraska Wrestlers Aim for Conference Crown

Conference Championships: 
Nebraska (14-3) at 2008 Big 12 Championships

Date: Saturday, March 8
Time: 11 a.m.
Location: Gallagher-Iba Arena, Stillwater, Okla.
Live Stats: Okstate.com
Live Video: Big12sports.com
Television: Tape-delayed on FSN (channel 37 in Lincoln) on March 16 at 12:30 p.m.

Lincoln - The No. 4 Husker wrestling team travels to Stillwater, Okla., for the 2008 Big 12 Championships on March 8, as Nebraska (14-3, 3-1 Big 12) aims for its first Big 12 title. The Huskers have claimed six conference championships in their 98-year history, but none since winning the Big Eight in 1993 and 1995.

NU will look to build on a season in which it went 14-3 overall, the most wins for the program since 2004-05, and nearly finished the regular season with a perfect record in conference action for the first time in Husker history. Nebraska lost a 22-12 dual to Iowa State to end the regular season, but several Huskers cemented their position as a top seed going into the Big 12 Championships. Junior 174-pounder Brandon Browne upped his overall mark to 29-2, including 14-1 in duals, and will likely be a one seed next weekend. Likewise, sophomore Jordan Burroughs finished the regular season 27-5, with a perfect 6-0 Big 12 record, and will likely be the No. 1 seed at 149 pounds.

Six Nebraska wrestlers made the trip to the NCAAs last year after NU finished fourth at the Big 12 Championships with 46 team points. The Huskers will look to up their number of qualifiers with 38 grapplers advancing from the conference tournament, including the top-three finishers in each weight class and eight wild-card selections. Nebraska finished 16th as a team at the NCAAs last season behind junior Paul Donahoe’s national championship at 125 pounds.

Last Time Out: Huskers Fall in Regular-Season Finale
Brandon Browne earned his team-leading 29th win of the season with a 7-3 decision over Iowa State’s Aron Scott, but it wasn’t enough for a Husker team win as the No. 6 Cyclones topped No. 2 Nebraska, 22-12, on Feb. 24 in front of more than 3,330 fans at the Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa.

Browne and the Huskers suffered their first Big 12 loss in the final dual of the season to finish with a 3-1 record in conference play and now stand 14-3 overall. The record marks the sixth straight season and 18th time in the last 19 years that the Huskers have won at least 10 duals. Nebraska’s 14 team wins are the most since the Huskers recorded 19 in the 2004-05 season.

Browne, a junior, scored a takedown in each period to help him to victory at 174 pounds and up his season record to 29-2. Sophomore Stephen Dwyer (165) is close on Browne’s heels after notching three reversals in a 6-5 decision over Iowa State’s Jon Reader to move his season record to 28-6. Fellow sophomore Jordan Burroughs (149) had three takedowns in his 11-5 victory over ISU’s Mitch Mueller to break the Huskers’ single-season dual takedown record. Burroughs now has 98 dual takedowns this season. Senior Paul Donahoe (125) earned a 5-4 decision over Tyler Clark as the Huskers won four of the 10 contested matches.

Scouting Iowa State (16-4, 3-1 Big 12)
The Cyclones enter the Big 12 Championships fresh off a 22-12 upset of the Huskers in Ames on Feb. 24. ISU may be the most dangerous team at the tournament, after going 6-1 in their last seven duals. Their only loss during that stretch came in Stillwater with the Cowboys squeeking out a 16-15 win in a dual that came down to the heavyweight match.

Iowa State won the conference title last year for the first time since joining the Big 12 and will look to repeat behind several talented wrestling. Sophomore Jake Varner leads the Cyclones with an unblemished 23-0 reocrd, including 17-0 in duals, as he is ranked No. 1 at 184 pounds. Varner has four majors and six pins as his 23 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 is ranked seventh in his weight classes, while Reader is No. 8 and Zabriskie is fifth. Zabriskie has a 24-4 record on the season, while Fanthorpe is 26-4 overall with 17 dual wins and Reader is 24-6 with a 15-5 dual record.

They Cyclones handed the Huskers their only conference loss of the season and are currently ranked No. 3 nationaly with eight wrestlers ranked in the top 16.

Scouting Missouri (9-4-1, 1-2-1 Big 12)
The Tigers ended their regular season with an 18-15 loss to Iowa State in Ames and a 1-2-1 record in the Big 12, but Missouri is a bigger title threat than its record shows. Missouri came from behind twice to tie its dual with ISU and entered the heavyweight bout knotted at 15, but ISU came away the victor. Missouri suffered a 22-13 loss to Nebraska in Lincoln on Feb. 2, but the Tigers downed Oklahoma 23-10 on Feb. 8 and tied Oklahoma State at 16 apiece on Jan. 19, with both matches occuring in Columbia.

Missouri will have several wrestlers that should contend for a Big 12 title. Three Tiger wrestlers finished with perfect 4-0 records in conference matches, including Michael Chandler at 157 pounds, Nick Marable at 165 pounds and Max Askren at 197 pounds. Askren, who is 20-2 on the year, topped Nebraska’s Craig Brester 13-11 on Feb. 2 in a classic back-and-forth matchup that saw both wrestlers earn back points. Chandler finished the regular season with a 22-3 record, including 11-2 in duals, while Marable ended with a 20-3 mark.

The Tigers are currently ranked No. 12 with seven wrestlers ranked in the top 20.

Scouting Oklahoma (14-4, 1-4 Big 12)
After a disappointing 0-4 start to the Big 12 season, Oklahoma scored a huge victory in their final dual of the season. The Sooners broke a 19-dual losing streak to Oklahoma State with an 18-15 win over the No. 3 Cowboys on Feb. 21. Oklahoma is 4-4 in their last eight duals, after spending most of the season ranked in the teens in the NWCA poll. The Sooners notched wins over Cal Poly, Arizona State and UT-Chattanooga and losses to Wisconsin, Iowa State, Missouri and Nebraska.

Oklahoma was propelled against Oklahoma State by senior Joshua Weitzel, whose pin at 184 pounds put six points on the board for OU and proved to be the difference. Weitzel earned Big 12 Wrestler of the Week for his performance as he improved to 23-2 on the year and 16-2 in duals. Oklahoma has relied heavily on Weitzel and fellow senior Joel Flaggert throughout the season. Flaggert is a two-time All-American that has captured third place at the Big 12 Championships for three consecutive years. He is currently ranked No. 9 at 197 after earning a 21-3 regular season record.

The Sooners are currently ranked No. 14 with six wrestlers ranked in the top 17.

Scouting Oklahoma State (16-3-1, 2-2-1 Big 12)
The four other wrestling squads in the Big 12 conference may be closing the gap on Oklahoma State as the Cowboys finished the regular season with a 2-2-1 Big-12 record. OSU notched victories over Iowa State and Oklahoma, but the Cowboys lost to Nebraska for just the third time in school history and ended their season with an 18-15 loss to Oklahoma in Norman. It was the Cowboys’ first loss to the Sooners since 1995.

Oklahoma State will turn to its wealth of experience to lead them in the postseason, including three-time All-American Coleman Scott, who will seek his fourth top-eight finish at the NCAAs this season. Scott finished the season with a 27-3 overall record and went 18-2 in duals. He was ranked No. 1 at 133 for the majority of the season. Fellow senior Nathan Morgan looks to build on his own prestige after earning two All-America honors. Morgan will look to sweep the the 141 weight class with a fourth consecutive Big 12 title this spring. Morgan is 28-2 on the season and 17-2 in duals, and is ranked No. 3.

The Cowboys enter the Big 12 Championships ranked No. 5 with seven wrestlers ranked in the top 20.

Husker History at the Big 12 Championships
While Nebraska has not won a conference championship since securing the Big Eight crown in 1995, the Huskers have been in the thick of the conference title chase. NU finished in the top three from 2004-2006, including a runner-up finish in 2004 and a pair of third-place finishes. Last year, Nebraska finished in fourth after racking up 46 team points.

Individually, Husker wrestlers have earned 50 conference championships over the years, including 10 since the Big 12 Conference was formed in 1997. The list of recent conference champions is led by four-time Big 12 champion Bryan Snyder at 157 pounds. The four-time All-American brought home the conference gold for Nebraska from 1999-2002, but was the last Husker to win a conference championship until 197-pound wrestler B.J. Padden broke the NU drought with championships in 2005 and 2006.

Last Year at the Big 12 Championships: Huskers Send Six to Nationals
The Nebraska wrestling team had six wrestlers qualify for the 2007 NCAA Championships and finished fourth with 46 team points at the 2007 Big 12 Championships at the Hearnes Center.

Iowa State won the team championship with 66.5 team points, topping Oklahoma State with 61.5 points and Missouri with 61 points in a hotly contested three -team battle for the Big 12 crown.

Six Huskers punched their ticket to nationals with a top-three finish. Four Huskers were finalists, including Paul Donahoe (125), Dominick Moyer (141), Chris Oliver (157) and Craig Brester (197), while true freshmen Stephen Dwyer (165) and Jordan Burroughs (149) finished third. Meanwhile, senior 174-pound wrestler Marc Harwood was selected as the first alternate to the wild card spot.

In the 125-pound final, Oklahoma’s Sam Hazewinkel defeated Donahoe by major decision, 12-3. Hazewinkel led 5-0 after the first period and 8-0 after the second. Still, Donahoe earns his second career trip to the NCAA Championships and will head to his home state of Michigan with a 30-5 record. His 30 wins this season tie Mike Eierman for ninth in NU history for wins by a sophomore and marks the first 30-win season by a Husker since Jason Powell went 35-6 in 2002-03.

At 141 pounds, Moyer’s comeback bid fell just short as he lost in the finals at 141 pounds to Nathan Morgan of Oklahoma State, 6-3. Morgan built a 4-1 lead through two periods, but an escape and a penalty point awarded to Moyer after Morgan was called for a second time for stalling cut Morgan’s lead to 4-3 with 10 seconds remaining in the match. Morgan scored a late takedown to win, 6-3. Moyer will make his third career trip to the NCAA Championships with a 26-6 record.

Oliver fell at 157 pounds by major decision to Trent Paulson of Iowa State, 11-1. Paulson built a 5-1 lead through the first period and a 10-1 lead through the second period. Oliver’s second-place finish clinches for him his first career trip to the NCAA Championships. Oliver is 19-6 on the year and has won six of his last seven matches.

At 197 pounds, Max Askren of Missouri defeated Brester, 3-2. Askren took a 2-1 lead with a reversal with 1:31 remaining in the match, then added a point for his riding time advantage. Brester heads to nationals for the first time in his career with a record of 17-5 on the season.

Burroughs captured third place at 149 pounds with a 16-6 major decision win over Josh Wagner of Missouri. Burroughs scored two takedowns in each of the first two periods and three more in the third period while giving up no takedowns to build his lead. Burroughs qualifies for the NCAA Championships as a true freshman with a 15-11 record.

Dwyer also punched his ticket to nationals as a true freshman with a 10-8 overtime win over Matt Pell of Missouri in the third-place match at 165 pounds. Dwyer came back from an 8-2 deficit to tie Pell, 8-8, with a takedown with 18 seconds remaining in regulation. In the sudden victory period, Dwyer scored a takedown with 28 seconds to go to earn the victory. Dwyer heads to the NCAA Championships with an 18-11 record.

Marc Harwood finished fourth at 174 pounds after losing to Iowa State’s Grant Turner, 5-3. Turner broke a 3-3 tie with a takedown of Harwood with 18 seconds remaining in the match. Earlier in the evening, Harwood defeated Oklahoma’s Josh Weitzel, 4-0. After a scoreless first period, Harwood took a 3-0 lead with a three-point near fall late in the second period and added a point for his 1:59 riding time advantage. Harwood was selected as the first alternate for a wild-card bid to nationals.

Levi Wofford saw his season end after a 9-4 loss at 184 pounds to Jake Jensen of Oklahoma State. Jensen scored four takedowns to secure the win over Wofford, who ends his redshirt freshman season with a record of 13-17.

Cameron Browne also saw his season end after a 12-3 major decision loss to Mark Ellis of Missouri in a consolation match at heavyweight. Browne, who came into the year wrestling at 197 pounds, saw his first season at NU end with a 12-11 record.

Brester Garners Big 12 Wrestler of the Week Honors
The Big 12 Conference announced on Feb. 18 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 as the Huskers topped Rider 27-12 and No. 16 Hofstra 25-10 on an East Coast trip. Brester, a native of Howells, Neb., was ranked No. 7 in the nation in his weight class at the time.

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. 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.

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

Brester was also named TheMat.com Wrestler of the Week on Feb. 20.

Burroughs 6-0 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 27-5 record and a No. 7 national ranking, but more importantly is 6-0 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. Burrough’s added an 11-5 decision over Mitch Mueller of Iowa State on Feb. 24.

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 enjoying breaking was the single-season dual takedown mark. With his three takedowns of Iowa State’s Mitch Mueller on Feb. 24, Burroughs upped his dual takedowns to 98 and broke the previous record of 97. After wrestling in all 17 of Nebraska’s duals, Burroughs is averaging nearly six takedowns per dual and has been taken down just seven times. In comparison, Paul Donahoe is second on the team with 40 dual takedowns this season.

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

Jordan’s Major Decision
Jordan Burroughs, another sophomore standout on the NU wrestling squad, has proved 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 98 takedowns on the year is more than double any other squad member. Burroughs’ strategy seems to be paying off as he is 27-5 on the year, including 14-3 in duals.

What Can Browne Do For You
With his 7-3 decision over Aron Scott of Iowa State, junior Brandon Browne inched closer to breaking into the Husker record books. Browne currently leads the Huskers in wins with his 29-2 record and is 14-1 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 .935 winning percentage ties Bryan Snyder’s .935 in 1999-2000 for 10th all-time. 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.

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.

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.

Donahoe’s Defense
In his latest action, defending NCAA champion Paul Donahoe was one of four Huskers to earn a win against Iowa State in Ames on Feb. 24. Donahoe notched a 5-4 decision over No. 15 Tyler Clark, but Nebraska came up short 22-12 in front of more than 3,330 fans at the Hilton Coliseum.

Clark notched a takedown two minutes into the match to score first, but Donahoe escaped quickly and ended the first period down 2-1. Donahoe chose down in the second period and scored another quick escape to even the score at two, before earning a takedown 15 seconds into the second period. Donahoe rode Clark for the majority of the third period to pick up one point of riding time and a 5-4 decision.

Donahoe is now 18-3 on the year, including 12-3 in duals. Donahoe is attempting to become the first Nebraska wrestler to repeat as a national champion.

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 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.

Next up: Nebraska Nears NCAA Championships
Wrestlers who finish in the top three in their respective weight class along with eight wild-card selections will advance to the 2008 NCAA Championships at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Mo., on March 20-22. Nebraska will look for the program’s 16th top-10 finish at nationals. The Huskers have finished in the top 20 each of the last eight years and 16 of the last 18.