No. 6 Huskers Host Chattanooga Mocs

Dual One: No. 6 Nebraska vs. Chattanooga
Date: Thursday, Nov. 20
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: NU Coliseum, Lincoln, Neb.
Live Stats: Huskers.com
Live Video: Huskers.com

Tournament One: No. 6 Nebraska at Kaufman-Brand Open
Host School: University of Nebraska-Omaha
Date: Saturday, Nov. 22
Time: 9 a.m.
Location: Sapp Fieldhouse, Omaha, Neb.
Live Stats: Omavs.com
Live Video: Omavs.com

Lincoln-The Nebraska wrestling team, ranked No. 6 in the country, begins its journey towards the NCAA Championships on Thursday with its first dual of the season. The Huskers host Chattanooga at 7 p.m. in the NU Coliseum.

NU returns four All-Americans from last season, and will look to that leadership to start the season with a victory against the Mocs. UTC enters Thursday’s contest with two ranked wrestlers (Cody Cleveland at 141 and Joey Knox at 157), and the Huskers have four wrestlers ranked. The 157 pound match will feature ranked wrestlers from both squads. Nebraska will likely have three wrestlers making their first career dual appearance against Chattanooga.

Thursday will also be Faculty and Staff Appreciation Night for Nebraska, as the Huskers honor members of the NU faculty and staff prior to the dual. Live stats and video will be available on Huskers.com, while Omavs.com will provide live stats and video for Saturday’s Kaufman-Brand Open.

Scouting Chattanooga (3-3)
Chattanooga was ranked most of last season on its way to earning an 11-6 dual record, including 5-0 in the Southern Conference, but the Mocs lost five starters and four NCAA Qualifiers. Head Coach Chris Bono enters his third season at the helm returning one All-American, junior Cody Cleveland at 141 pounds, who is ranked No. 4 in the latest NWCA poll.

UTC (3-3) started its dual season with dominant wins over Davidson and Newberry on Nov. 8. The Mocs topped Davidson 46-0 in Southern Conference action, before handing Newberry a 24-16 loss. Chattanooga traveled to Purdue’s Boilermaker Challenge last Saturday. UTC opened with a 32-10 loss to Kent State, but rebounded for a 28-12 defeat of Northern Illinois. Chattanooga ended the day with 25-16 and 30-12 losses to Eastern Michigan and No. 10 Northwestern, respectively. The Mocs dropped three of their four matches, as Cleveland did not wrestle. Senior Seth Garvin and sophomore Jason McCroskey at 174 went 4-0 on the day, including two major decisions by McCroskey.

The Mocs will also compete in the Kaufman-Brand Open on Saturday.

Husker History Versus Chattanooga
Nebraska holds a 3-0-0 all-time record against the Mocs, with two of those meetings coming at the Peach State Duals in Atlanta, Ga. The 13th-ranked Huskers down UTC 37-3 on Jan. 11, 1997, at the event, after beating the Mocs 25-14 on Jan. 1, 1993. Nebraska’s first meeting with Chattanooga was a 34-15 NU win in Tennessee on Jan. 5, 1986.

Scouting the Kaufman-Brand Open
The Kaufman-Brand Open, hosted by Nebraska-Omaha at Sapp Fieldhouse, has been the nation’s largest single-day collegiate meet in the nation for several years. This year, more than 600 wrestlers from approximately 40 teams are expected to compete.

The open attracts a talented field from all levels of wrestling. Teams entered include Big 12 Conference foes Iowa State, Oklahoma State and Oklahoma . A range of strong teams from around the region attending include Division II schools such as Augustana College (S.D.) and Minnesota State-Mankato. Host school UNO has a strong wrestling history including a national championship three year ago. Division III and NAIA will also be represented.

The first matches get underway at 9 a.m. in two divisions, an open and one for 20 and under competitors. The meet will proceed, with no set times for semifinals or finals, until its conclusion.

Last Year at Kaufman-Brand Open
Brandon Browne and Tucker Lane earned individual titles at the Kaufman-Brand Open on Nov. 17, as the Husker wrestling team placed seven wrestlers in the top five at the Sapp Fieldhouse in Omaha.

Both Browne and Lane went 4-0 on the day to capture first. Browne, competing in the 174-pound class of the elite division, started the day with two technical-fall wins, followed that with an 11-7 decision and capped the day with a 6-2 decision over Alex Dolly of Northern Iowa to take the title. Browne won 10 consecutive matches to start the season.

Lane competed in the heavyweight class of the amateur division, but was just as impressive. Lane pinned Brady Punt of South Dakota State in 3:03 to begin the tournament and notched three straight decisions, including a 3-2 win over Christian Brantley in the final.

Nebraska, wrestling on one night’s rest after a dual with Lehigh, placed four wrestlers in the elite division in addition to Browne. Jordan Burroughs claimed second at 149, with his only loss coming to Brent Metcalf in the finals. Chris Oliver, wrestling in his hometown, worked his way through the consolation bracket to finish third. He had several impressive matches, including an opening-round pin of Northern Iowa’s Tyson Reiner in 1:38 and a 16-6 major-decision victory in the consolation finals.

Stephen Dwyer finished third at 165, but exacted revenge for his one loss on the day. Dwyer lost to Minnesota’s Scott Glasser, who was competing unattached, early in the day, but Dwyer worked his way through the consolation bracket for another chance at Glasser. Dwyer won a 3-2 decision in the third tie-breaker to make it to the consolation finals, where he won a 5-5 match over Glasser in the fourth tie-breaker to take third.

Jon May rounded out the Husker placers in the elite division with his fifth-place finish in the heavyweight class. The open was May’s first tournament action of the season after returning from off-season surgery. Chris Hacker finished second at 149 pounds in the amateur division. Hacker’s day included a pin of Nick Leclere, competing unattached, in 26 seconds.

Last Time Out: Huskers Show Potential at Wrestle-Offs
Several members of the No. 6 Nebraska wrestling team showcased their talents during the Huskers annual Wrestle-Offs on the Devaney Center Indoor Track on Nov. 7.

Freshman Jon Burns notched the most impressive performance of the night, earning pins in both of his matches at 141 pounds. He won by fall in 1:51 over redshirt freshman Brian Litch and followed with another victory by fall in 2:53. The Apex, N.C., native brings an impressive high school resume to the Huskers, and may see starting time at 141 pounds later in the season.

Redshirt freshman Andy Pokorny also went 2-0 on the night, picking up decisions over freshman Ridge Kiley by a score of 6-5 and 7-2. Pokorny, who hails from Bennington, Neb., is the Huskers’ projected starter at 125 pounds.

Junior Levi Wofford made an argument for himself to earn the starting spot at 184 pounds over senior Vince Jones. Wofford earned a 10-4 decision over Jones, after collecting a medical forfeit over Romero Cotton. Wofford had an early lead before Cotton was forced to withdraw because of illness.

Three of NU’s four returning All-Americans competed, with all three notching victories. Senior Brandon Browne battled sophomore Andy Johnson to overtime, but took the 5-3 win at 174 pounds. Junior Jordan Burroughs claimed a 22-5 technical fall over sophomore Paul Sanders at 149, while junior Stephen Dwyer won an 11-3 major decision over sophomore Alex Ward at 165.

NU Appreciates Faculty/Staff
Thursday’s dual will be Faculty and Staff Appreciation Night for the Nebraska wrestling team. Each Husker wrestler will honor a faculty or staff member prior to the start of the dual, and all faculty and staff members will be recognized for their contributions to to the success of all UNL students, including the several hundred Nebraska student-athletes. All Husker faculty and staff who present their valid NU ID at the marketing table in the lobby of the NU Coliseum will receive a voucher for a free Pepsi product at the concession stands. The first 25 faculty or staff members at the marketing table will also receive a free Nebraska wrestling t-shirt.

Manning Honorary Coach at All-Star Classic
Nebraska Head Coach Mark Manning has been invited by the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) to be an honorary coach at the 2008 NWCA All-Star Classic. The event, which attempts to pair the two top-ranked wrestlers at each weight class in an exhibition match, will be hosted by Ohio State at St. John Arena at 7 p.m. on Nov. 24. Manning joins Ohio State’s Tom Ryan, Minnesota State Mankato’s Jim Makovsky and Wisconsin-LaCrosse’s Dave Malecek as honorary coaches.

Manning earned the honor after leading the Huskers to a fourth-place team finish at the NCAA Championships last season. The finish was NU’s highest ever under Manning and its best showing since 1993. Manning also claimed Big 12 Coach-of-the-Year honors by guiding Nebraska to a second-place finish at the Big 12 Championships, with three Huskers earning individual titles.

Ranking the Returning
Nebraska welcomes back four All-Americans this season from the five Huskers that earned the honor last season. Jordan Burroughs, Craig Brester and Stephen Dwyer return for their junior seasons at 149, 197 and 165 pounds, respectively, while Brandon Browne wrestles his senior season at 174 pounds. NU’s four returning All-Americans are the most for Nebraska since 1995-96, when the Huskers welcomed back Brad Canoyer (118), Temoer Terry (150), Ryan Tobin (190) and Tolly Thompson (Hwt.).

Jordan’s Journeys
Jordan Burroughs had an extremely successful season last year, earning his first All-America honor with a third-place finish at the NCAA Championships, but his achievements didn’t stop in March. Burroughs claimed 10th-place at the FILA World Championships in August, after winning the FILA Junior National Championships and World Team Trials.

Representing the U.S. for the first time in his career, Burroughs wrestled well at 66 kilograms (145.5 pounds) in the freestyle division, but ran into some hard luck at the FILA World Championships in Istanbul, Turkey. Burroughs lost his first set 3-1 against Kazakhstan’s Olzhas Chingisbayev, but rebounded with two straight wins (2-0, 4-3) to earn the victory. Burroughs then defeated India’s Amit Kumar in two straight sets (2-1, 4-3) to advance and face Hungary’s Sandor Tozser. Burroughs lost the first set 1-0 to the Hungarian, but tied him 1-1 in the second. Tozser claimed the set by scoring the last technical points and defeated Burroughs.

Burroughs still had a chance to wrestle in the consolation bracket if Tozser made it to the finals, but eventual champion Magomedmurad Gadjieu of Russia defeated Tozser in the semifinals to end Burroughs’ tournament. Nebraska Head Coach Mark Manning also traveled with to Turkey as an assistant coach for the U.S.

Burroughs advanced to the world championships by winning the world team trials in Colorado Springs, Colo. in May. He defeated Michigan’s Kellen Russell in two consecutive sets in the finals to win the best-of-three series and claim a spot on the U.S. world team. Burroughs automatically qualified for the finals at the world team trials by winning the FILA Junior National Championships in April.

One and Only
The 2008-09 Nebraska wrestling roster features 31 student-athletes, but just 10 are natives of the Cornhusker state. Four Huskers hail from the Omaha area, as Brandon and Cameron Browne are from Plattsmouth, Andy Pokorny is from Bennington and Matt Vacanti grew up in Papillion. Craig Brester spent his childhood in wrestling-powerhouse Howells and fellow junior Levi Wofford is from Aurora. Hadley Cooksley and Riley Essay join the Huskers this season after wrapping up their high school careers in Alda and Alliance, respectively. Ethan Studebaker grew up just outside of Lincoln in Raymond, while Livingston Lukow is the only Husker on the roster from Lincoln. Lukow went to high school at Lincoln Christian.

From Teammates to Teammates
Nebraska has eight wrestlers on its 2008-09 roster that were also on the same high school squad at one point. Brothers Brandon and Cameron Browne wrestled together at Plattsmouth High School, as is the case with brothers Robert and Paul Sanders at Blanding (Utah) High School. Jordan Burroughs and Vince Jones both spent their prep career at Winslow Township (N.J.) High School, while Ross Grande joins the Huskers this season after wrestling with Peter Roto at Palatine High School.

Going Back to Texas
Freshman Austin Barnes, who joins the Huskers this season, is the first Husker to hail from Texas since Larry Thompson in 1984-85. Barnes attended Class 5A Rockwall High School where he helped Coach Brent Pohorsky to three top-10 team finishes at the state championships. Barnes was a three-time district champion and went on to win the region and finish third in the state his senior year. Wrestling at 135 pounds, Barnes scored 16 points to earn his first all-state honor and lead Rockwall to a ninth-place team finish. Barnes is expected to wrestle at 141 pounds for Nebraska and will likely redshirt his first year in the NU program.

Four-Time Huskers
Matt Vacanti and Romero Cotton are the only Huskers that finished their prep career as four-time state champions in wrestling.

Wrestling for Papillion-LaVista, Vacanti was the 13th four-time state champion in the history of Nebraska. He wrestled to a 128-1 career record under Coach Jeff Kupfer and was ranked third among the nation’s 140-pounders by InterMat during his senior year. In his 35-0 junior season, Vacanti pinned all 35 opponents he faced, and was named the 2006 Dave Schultz Award winner for the state of Nebraska. Vacanti and Patrick Aleksanyan will see starting time for the Huskers at 133 pounds this season.

Cotton was just as impressive, winning four state championships in wrestling, adding another four in football and claiming two titles in power lifting. Wrestling for Coach Mike Garcia at Hutchinson High School in Hutchinson, Kan., Cotton finished with a 137-11 career record, rolling to a 72-0 mark over his final two seasons. Cotton was also the 2006 Cadet National champion in freestyle and Greco-Roman. He will likely redshirt his freshman year at 184 pounds, behind Vince Jones and Levi Wofford.

Cowboy Larry Lane’s Son
Redshirt freshman Tucker Lane is almost following in his father’s footsteps. Tucker, like his dad Larry, is wrestling collegiately. He enters his second season in the Nebraska program as the projected starter at heavyweight, after being named NU’s 2008 Redshirt of the Year. Larry spend his college years wrestling for the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, Colo., and was also on the All-Army wrestling team. Tucker has yet to follow in one footstep though. Larry went on to wrestle professionally from 1973 to 1983 as "Red Dog Lane" and "Cowboy Larry Lane".

Battling Brothers
Husker wrestling will once again be a family matter, as two sets of brothers are on the squad this season. For the third consecutive year, two members of the Sanders and Browne family will share time on the mat.

Senior Robert Sanders, an NCAA qualifier at 149 pounds in 2005-06, will be joined on the mat by his younger brother Paul. Wrestling under their father, Bob, at San Juan High School in Blanding, Utah, Robert was a two-time state champion, while Paul earned the honor three times. Robert steps up to 157 pounds after splitting starting time at 141 last season. Paul will wrestle 149 pounds this year and will provide valuable backup behind All-American Jordan Burroughs.

Senior Brandon Browne, a returning All-American at 174 pounds, is joined by his little brother, Cameron. Brandon was a two-time state champion while wrestling at Plattsmouth High School in Plattsmouth, Neb., while Cameron also claimed the title during his senior year. Brandon put together a 35-4 season last year, en route to a Big 12 Championship and fourth-place finish at the NCAA Championships. Cameron returns to the mat this season, after redshirting last year.

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.

Non-Varsity Notes
Nebraska’s non-varsity wrestlers kicked off their season at the Harold Nichols Cyclone Open last Saturday in Ames, Iowa. The Huskers’ contingent of 12 wrestlers was led by junior Vince Jones, who is in a battle for the starting position at 184 pounds. Jones entered the tournament seeded first and breezed through the competition to take the title. He posted pins in 55 and 66 seconds in the first and second rounds, before earning a fall over Iowa’s Grant Gambrall in 3:28. Jones notched a 7-2 decision versus Wisconsin-La Crosse’s Josh Zabel in the finals to earn the crown.

NU’s Andy Johnson also fared well, finishing second at 174 pounds. The sophomore opened with two decision victories, and added an 11-3 major decision in the third round over Nebraska-Omaha’s Ross Taplin, who was the top seed at the weight. Second-seeded Matt Cauley of Lindenwood got the best of Johnson, 8-3, in the finals.

Senior Robert Sanders also made a case for a starting spot, with his fourth-place showing at 157 pounds. He started the tournament with a pin, but lost a 6-4 decision to Lindenwood’s Ryan Moyer in the second round. Sanders clawed through the consolation bracket with five-straight victories, including two more wins by fall, but fell in the consolation final to Iowa State’s Matt Brown, 9-8. Sanders is battling redshirt freshman Chris Hacker for starting time.

NU’s non-varsity wrestlers, along with a majority of the starters, will travel to the Kaufman-Brand Open on Saturday. Matches begin at 9 a.m. in the Sapp Fieldhouse on the campus of Nebraska-Omaha.

Next up: Huskers Set for Two after Turkey Day
Nebraska will play host to Division II-power Augustana (S.D.) and Pac-10 foe Oregon State on Nov. 28, the day after Thanksgiving. The Huskers battle the Vikings at 4 p.m. and square off with the Beavers at 6 p.m., while AC and OSU will dual at 2 p.m. A young Augustana squad returns two All-Americans from a team that finished 17th last year at the NCAA Championships. Oregon State will seek revenge for a 42-3 defeat by Nebraska last year in Corvallis, Ore. Tickets can be purchased by calling the ticket office at (800) 8-BIG-RED or online at huskers.com.