Nebraska Takes on Two after Turkey Day

Dual Two: No. 6 Nebraska vs. No. 14 Augustana Vikings
Date: Friday, Nov. 28
Time: 4 p.m.
Location: NU Coliseum, Lincoln, Neb.
Live Stats: Huskers.com

Dual Three: No. 6 Nebraska vs. Oregon State
Date: Friday, Nov. 28
Time: 6 p.m.
Location: NU Coliseum, Lincoln, Neb.
Live Stats: Huskers.com
Subscription Video: Huskers.com

Lincoln-After starting the season with a dominant performance last weekend, Nebraska will face two dual opponents in the NU Coliseum on Friday. The Huskers square off against Division II power Augustana (S.D.) at 4 p.m. and face Pac-10 foe Oregon State at 6 p.m. The Vikings and Beavers will dual at 2 p.m.

NU posted an impressive start to the season with a 29-15 dual win over Chattanooga last Thursday, which was the 14th consecutive season-opening victory for the Huskers. Nebraska followed by matching its best performance ever at the Kaufman-Brand Open last Saturday. NU wrestlers claimed eight individual titles, including sweeping first place from 157 pounds to heavyweight in the Elite Division.

The Huskers continue their home-friendly early schedule on Friday, with two of their seven contests in the NU Coliseum to start the dual season. Nebraska’s matchup with a young Augustana squad will be highlighted by a battle between All-Americans at 197 pounds. Vikings’ sophomore Ty Copsey is a solid contributor for AC after finishing fourth at last year’s Division II NCAA Championships, but will face a stout opponent in NU’s Craig Brester. The second dual of the day pits Oregon State seeking revenge against Nebraska for a 42-3 dismantling in Corvallis, Ore., last season. The Beavers have already upset the Huskers once in Lincoln, earning a 21-15 victory during the 2006-07 season. OSU will key on 184-pounder Kyle Bressler, who is ranked No. 9 in the latest NWCA rankings, and faces Nebraska’s seventh-ranked Vince Jones.

Tickets can be purchased by calling the ticket office at (800) 8-BIG-RED or online at Huskers.com. Fans can also get into the duals for free by presenting a valid ticket from the Nebraska-Colorado football game. Live stats will be available for all three contests on Huskers.com, while the NU-OSU dual will also have subscription video.

Scouting Augustana (0-0)
Entering his sixth season at the helm for the Vikings, Head Coach Jason Reitmeier has Augustana looking for a return to Division II national prominence. Reitmeier guided the Vikings to four consecutive top nine finishes at the national tournament, including a second-place showing in 2005, but AC tied for 17th last season.

A young Viking squad returns seven starters, four NCAA qualifiers and two All-Americans this year. AC will look for leadership from sophomore Ty Copsey at 197 pounds and senior Mike Long at 149 pounds, both All-Americans last season. Augustana, who is ranked 14th in the preseason coaches poll, has competed in three open tournaments so far this season. Copsey claimed the 197-pound title at the Daktronics Open on Nov. 8, while six Vikings placed at the Dakota Wesleyan Open on Nov. 15. Led by a second-place finish from freshman Brian Schults at 174, four AC wrestlers placed in the Amateur Division of the Kaufman-Brand Open last Saturday.

The Vikings enter Friday’s contests with two ranked wrestlers. Long is sixth at 149, but will face an unranked Husker opponent, while Copsey sits fourth at 197 and will face All-American and fourth-ranked Craig Brester of Nebraska.

Husker History Versus Augustana
Both storied wrestling programs in their respective division, the Vikings and Huskers have met just twice. Nebraska posted a 24-18 win over Augustana on Dec. 8, 1984, as part of the Husker Duals in Lincoln, Neb., and posted a 36-9 victory in the last meeting for a 2-0 all-time record against the Vikings.

The last collision between the two saw the Huskers defeat ninth-ranked Augustana on Nov. 24, 2001, in Lincoln. NU won eight of the nine contested matches, racking up five bonus-point victories. All-Americans Bryan Snyder (157) and Travis Pascoe (184) posted technicall falls over their Viking opponents, while fellow All-American Jason Powell pinned AC’s Kevin Sobolik in 56 seconds at 125 pounds. Joey Malia and Jeremy Baker recorded major decisions for Nebraska at 133 and 149 pounds, respectively. NU’s Scott Burnett earned a decision at 141, while Tony Denke accomplished the same at 165, and Justin Ruiz won by forfeit at 197.

Augustana’s Jamie Garvey claimed a 13-8 decision over NU’s Pat Miron at heavyweight and Tom Meester pinned the Huskers’ George Kirgan in 4:52 at 174 pounds for the Vikings two wins.

Scouting Oregon State (1-0)
Former Iowa coach Jim Zalesky enters his third season as head coach for the Beavers in 2008-09. He has earned a 27-10 dual mark during his time in Corvallis, going 10-8 last season and 7-3 in the Pac-10 for third in the conference. OSU tied for 46th place at the NCAA Championships last year, and returns eight starters this season, after losing two NCAA qualifiers to graduation. Oregon State’s lone NCAA qualifier to return is senior Kyle Bressler at 184 pounds.

The Beavers started the season with a 39-3 demolishing of NAIA Simon Fraser on Nov. 15. OSU won nine matches en route to posting seven bonus-point victories, including three technical falls and a pin. Oregon State also claimed five individual titles at the Best of the West Tournament last Saturday.

OSU enters Friday’s contests with one wrestler in the NWCA rankings. Bressler is No. 9 at 184 pounds and will likely face No. 7 Vince Jones of Nebraska in the only matchup with two ranked wrestlers of the night. Jones pinned Bressler in 1:48 in last year’s dual. NU’s Stephen Dwyer will face OSU’s Keegan Davis for a second consecutive year, after earning a 12-2 major decision over him in their last meeting.

Husker History Versus Oregon State
In a match up that has seen a lot of action in recent years, Nebraska holds a 9-2 all-time record against Oregon State. The Huskers and Beavers have met each other every year since the 2000-01 season.

NU dropped an 18-16 contest in the first meeting between the two in 1983, but rolled off eight straight dual wins against the Beavers from 1996 to 2005. The programs squared off five times with both squads ranked, including a matchup between No. 7 Nebraska and No. 14 Oregon State on Dec. 9, 2000, but the Huskers prevailed each time. NU notched at least 30 points on OSU for four consecutive contests, before the Beavers earned a 21-15 upset in Lincoln two years ago.

The last meeting between the two saw the Huskers post an all-time high in points in the series, as NU rolled to a 42-3 victory in Corvallis, Ore., last January.

Nebraska won nine of the 10 contested matches against the Beavers, including seven bonus-point victories, as the Huskers posted four pins in a total of 3:45.

Brandon Browne notched the fastest pin of the night (41 seconds) at 174 pounds. Chris Oliver and Vince Jones also earned falls at 157 and 184, respectively, while Kenny Jordan notched his third pin of the year at 133 in 1:57. Stephen Dwyer started the dual with a 12-2 major decision at 165 pounds, while Craig Brester and Jordan Burroughs also had major decisions. Brester won 17-4 to stay a perfect 6-0 in duals this season and Burroughs won 20-11 to gain his eighth major decision on the season. Jon May earned a 4-2 decision.

Last Time Out: Burroughs Leads Nebraska at Kaufman-Brand
Junior Jordan Burroughs claimed Outstanding Wrestler honors to help No. 6 Nebraska rack up eight individual titles at the Kaufman-Brand Open in Omaha last Saturday. The showing matches the Huskers’ best performance ever at the tournament, as NU also won eight titles in 2001.

Nebraska dominated the elite division, sweeping first place from 157 pounds to heavyweight, and placing 11 wrestlers in the top six. The amateur division was no different, as five Huskers placed and two earned crowns. Overall, NU wrestlers posted a 69-26 record at the event, including 29 bonus-point wins and 13 pins.

Wrestling in his first tournament since moving to the 157-pound weight class, Burroughs posted a 4-0 mark with two bonus-point wins. He earned his first pin of the season in his opening match against Northern Iowa Area’s Tim Kirkwood, notching the fall in 2:07. Burroughs followed with a decision over Minnesota’s Tyler Safratowich, before claiming a 24-10 major decision versus Northern Illinois’ Bryan Deutsch. His most impressive win of the day was a 6-4 defeat of No. 6 Dustin Schlatter of Minnesota in the final.

Burroughs had plenty of competition for the spotlight, including fellow junior Craig Brester at 197 pounds. Brester won the Manuel Gorrarian Award for recording the most pins in the least amount of time, after falling three of his opponents. He pinned Iowa State’s Kyle Simonson in 1:27 to start the day and followed with a 2:54 pin of Chattanooga’s Ethan Winel in the second round. Brester also pinned Winel in Nebraska’s dual with the Mocs on Thursday night. Brester advanced with a 14-3 major decision against Wisconsin’s Trevor Brandvold and capped the day with a 1:49 fall against Northern Iowa’s Andrew Anderson. Brester is now 5-0 on the season, with four of his wins coming by pin.

The Huskers also dominated the 184-pound weight class, with three NU wrestlers finishing in the top four. Senior Vince Jones posted two pins to advance to the final, where he earned an 8-2 decision over fellow Husker Romero Cotton for first place. The freshman Cotton won a 14-9 match against Husker junior Levi Wofford in the second round, but Wofford rebounded to place fourth.

Senior Brandon Browne and junior Stephen Dwyer (165) also went 4-0 on the day to claim crowns for Nebraska. Browne successfully defended his title at 174 pounds, after winning the event last year. Redshirt freshman Tucker Lane placed first at heavyweight in the amateur division last year, and moved up to the elite division with the same result this season.

In the amateur division, freshmen Ridge Kiley at 125 pounds and Tyler Koehn at 157 took home titles for Nebraska. Kiley topped off his showing by pinning Iowa Central’s Patrick Hunter in 2:21 in the final. Koehn sandwiched three straight decisions after opening and ending the day with major decisions. Fellow freshmen Jon Burns (141) and Josh Ihnen (184) lost in their respective final to take second, while Matt Ashton (133) placed fourth.

Blast From the Past
With many wrestlers continuing their involvement with the sport as coaches, both teams the Huskers face Friday have connections to the Nebraska wrestling program. Oregon State Assistant Coach Travis Pascoe was an All-American for NU in 2005, while Augustana Head Coach Jason Reitmeier also wrestled for the Huskers from 1992-95.

Pascoe was a four-time letterwinner for NU from 2002-05, and is the last Husker to eclipse the 100-win mark. He finished with a 101-36-0 mark, while recording at least 22 wins in every season he competed for Nebraska. His 101 wins are tied for 14th on NU’s career victories list. He capped his senior year with a sixth-place showing at 184 pounds at the NCAA Championships, after earning runner-up honors at the Big 12 Championships. He is now in his third season assisting OSU head coach Jim Zalesky.

Reitmeier was a two-time letterwinner for the Huskers in 1994 and 1995. He notched a 33-23 record, including 7-13 in duals, while wrestling behind All-American Frank Valazquez and NCAA qualifier Tony DeAnda at 134 pounds. Reitmeier transferred to Division II Augustana for his final two seasons of competition where he became one of the best wrestlers in Viking history. He went 36-4 with 20 pins in 1996 to claim the North Central Conference title and third-place finish at the NCAA Championships. He notched a 30-3 record with nine pins the following season en route to earning the Vikings first national title in 12 years. He is in his sixth year as head coach for the Vikings.

Starting Fast
After Nebraska’s opening weekend of competition, six Husker wrestlers remain in the ranks of the undefeated. Of NU’s 25 wrestlers that have competed, Jordan Burroughs (157), Stephen Dwyer (165), Brandon Browne (174), Vince Jones (184), Craig Brester (197) and Ridge Kiley (125) have unblemished records still.

Burroughs, Dwyer, Browne and Brester all opened their season with dual victories over their Chattanooga opponent on Nov. 20, and claimed titles in their respective weight class at the Kaufman-Brand Open last Saturday to sit at 5-0. Kiley is also 5-0 after finishing first in the amateur division last Saturday. Jones has also claimed two titles for himself in tournaments. One at the Harold Nichols Cyclone Open on Nov. 15, and one at the Kaufman-Brand Open.

All six wrestlers are in the probable lineup for Nebraska’s two duals on Friday.

Judging Jordan
Jordan Burroughs earned All-America honors with his third-place finish at last year’s NCAA Championships, but his proudest accomplishment may be setting Nebraska’s single-season dual takedown mark with 98 last season.

Judging by his performance in Nebraska’s first dual this season, he may be well on his way to breaking the record again. He notched seven takedowns in a 17-7 major decision over Chattanooga’s Joey Knox. With at least 19 duals left, and maybe more because of National Duals, Burroughs would have to average 5.3 takedowns per match to break the record. He would also have to appear in all of NU’s duals, a feat he accomplish last season when he averaged 5.8 takedowns per dual.

The Pin King
Vince Jones, Nebraska’s resident pin king, is back at it again this season. He led the Huskers in falls with 12 in 2005-06 and accomplished the feat again last season with 10. The senior is well on his way again this season with five pins already in seven matches, including three straight to start the year.

Jones has some competition this season from junior Craig Brester, the Huskers’ 197-pounder. Brester is 5-0 on the year with four pins and one major decision. All of Brester’s falls have come in the first period, including one against No. 14 Andrew Anderson of Northern Iowa at the Kaufman-Brand Open last Saturday.

Both Jones and Brester are probable to appear in Friday’s duals.

Opening With a Win
Nebraska’s 29-15 dual victory over Chattanooga on Nov. 20 extended an impressive streak for the Huskers. NU has won 14 consecutive season-opening duals, dating back to 1995-96 season. The Huskers have outscored their opponents 406-146, while collecting seven victories on the road and seven at home. Nebraska has also defeated five ranked foes in season-opening duals.

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 157, 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 149 pounds 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.

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 varsity wrestlers posted impressive performances at the Kaufman-Brand Open in Omaha last weekend, but the Huskers’ non-varsity competitors faired just as well. NU’s non-varsity squad placed seven wrestlers between the elite and amateur divisions, including two titles.

Ridge Kiley claimed an impressive 5-0 record, pinning Iowa Central’s Patrick Hunter in 2:21 in the finals, to finish first at 125 pounds in the amateur division. Kiley, a freshman from Eagle Grove, Iowa, opened with a 6-3 decision over Nebraska-Kearney’s Jordan White and notched a 10-2 major decision against Iowa State’s Treavor Dearden in the second round before rolling off two more decisions to advance to the finals. Kiley is a probable starter this Friday at 125 pounds in NU’s two duals.

Fellow freshman Tyler Koehn finished first at 174 pounds in the amateur division. Koehn sandwiched three straight decisions after opening and ending the day with major decisions. Jon Burns (141) and Josh Ihnen (184), also both freshmen, lost in their respective final to take second, while Matt Ashton (133) placed fourth, with each competing in the amateur division.

Wrestling in the elite division, freshman Romero Cotton finished second to fellow Husker Vince Jones. Cotton earned two major decisions, but lost an 8-2 decision to Jones in the final. Sophomore Andy Johnson finished sixth after a minor injury forced him to forfeit his final two matches.

NU’s non-varsity wrestlers next travel to the Fort Hays State Open on Dec. 6. Matches begin at 9 a.m. in Gross Memorial Coliseum on the campus of Fort Hays State.

Next up: Huskers Head to Vegas
Nebraska returns to the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational for a third consecutive year on Dec. 5-6. The Huskers finished fourth last year behind six placers and an individual title. NU has always been successful at the tournament, placing in the top two four times, including winning the event in 2003.