No. 4 Nebraska Battles SDSU and Maryland

Dual 8: No. 4 Nebraska vs. South Dakota State
Date: Sunday, Jan. 18
Time: 2 p.m.
Location: NU Coliseum, Lincoln, Neb.
Live Stats: Huskers.com
Live Video: Huskers.com

Dual 9: No. 4 Nebraska vs. Maryland
Date: Sunday, Jan. 4
Time: 4 p.m.
Location: NU Coliseum, Lincoln, Neb.
Live Stats: Huskers.com
Live Video: Huskers.com

Lincoln - After a fourth-place finish at last weekend’s NWCA National Duals, the Huskers return home to host South Dakota State and Maryland in the NU Coliseum on Sunday. No. 4 Nebraska (8-2) squares off against the Jackrabbits (6-3-1) at 2 p.m. and faces the Terrapins (3-5-1) at 4 p.m., while SDSU and UM will dual at noon.

NU battled to a 2-2 record last weekend against four ranked teams at National Duals. The Huskers used come-from-behind victories to beat No. 20 Northwestern (19-18) and No. 14 Penn State (20-16) on Saturday. Nebraska spotted No. 1 Iowa and No. 2 Iowa State leads in two duals on Sunday, but Nebraska was unable to earn win either dual. NU took three matches from the Hawkeyes to lose 22-11, but nearly upset the Cyclones in a narrow 20-19 loss. Redshirt freshman Tucker Lane posted a 3-1 record at heavyweight over the weekend, including an upset of No. 3 Dave Zabriskie of ISU, to earn Big 12 Wrestler-of-the-Week honors last Tuesday.

Sunday’s duals pit Nebraska against two young teams. South Dakota State is entering its third year at the NCAA Division I level, after dominating opponents in Division II’s Northern Sun Conference. The Jackrabbits will look to senior Jason Stripling for a possible victory at heavyweight. Stripling is 22-8 this season and was named the Western Wrestling Conference Wrestler of the Week last Tuesday. Sophomore Adam Everson has also had success in his young career, finishing fourth at the NCAA West Regional last year. He is 6-3 so far this season.

NU’s second contest of the day is against first-year head coach Kerry McCoy and Maryland. The Terrapins enter the weekend unranked with a losing dual record, but are still a dangerous team. UM has three ranked wrestlers, led by returning All-American Hudson Taylor. Wrestling at 197 pounds, Taylor is ranked 11th this season with a 21-3 record. He rallied to beat NU’s Craig Brester in the consolation finals at last year’s NCAA Championships. Juniors Steven Bell (133) and Alex Krom (141) are also ranked for the Terrapins, earning the nod at No. 8 and 14, respectively. The Huskers have won 20 straight duals against Atlantic Coast Conference schools, including nine straight under head coach Mark Manning.

Live stats for all three of Sunday’s duals will be available through Huskers.com, while Nebraska’s two duals will also have live video. Tickets can be purchased by calling (800) 8-BIGRED or online at Huskers.com.

Last Time Out: Huskers Claim Fourth at National Duals
The No. 4 Nebraska wrestling team dropped two hard-fought duals on Jan. 11 to finish fourth at the NWCA National Duals in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The Huskers (8-2) suffered their first loss of the season with a 22-11 defeat by No. 1 Iowa in the morning’s semifinals and lost to No. 2 Iowa State by just one point in the consolation finals, 20-19.

NU was able to win three matches against the Hawkeyes, with Jordan Burroughs collecting the Huskers’ only bonus-point victory. The junior used a 13-point first period to collect a 22-7 technical fall over Iowa’s Matt Ballweg at 157 pounds and give Nebraska its first points of the dual. Senior Brandon Browne trailed late in his match with fifth-ranked Jay Borschel, but the 174-pound Husker notched a takedown with 15 seconds left to secure the victory. Top-ranked junior Craig Brester battled No. 20 Chad Beatty to overtime before earning a takedown to win 7-5. The Hawkeyes were able to take close matches from the Huskers, winning three matches by less than three points each, to take the dual victory.

In the consolation finals, Nebraska nearly completed a monumental comeback versus Iowa State, but the Cyclones used bonus-point victories and an upset at 197 pounds to take the close win. Heavyweight Tucker Lane stepped on the mat needing a major decision to tie the dual with NU down by four points. Lane scored an early takedown to take a lead and almost pinned third-ranked Dave Zabriskie in the second period. Lane came away a 7-6 upset victory, but was unable to pull the Huskers into a tie.

Burroughs once again was the first Husker to score, as NU spotted the Cyclones a 17-point lead. Burroughs posted a 12-4 major decision over fifth-ranked Cyler Sanderson for his 18th win of the season. He is the only undefeated Nebraska wrestler left this season after third-ranked Jake Varner defeated Brester at 197. The Huskers took five total matches from the Cyclones, as Vince Jones, Stephen Dwyer and Browne also notched victories. Jones pulled NU within one point after pinning No. 20 Jerome Ward in 5:10. Dwyer posted more than three minutes of riding time against fifth-ranked Jon Reader at 165 en route to a 4-0 upset, while Browne continued the Huskers’ momentum with a 7-4 decision over Andrew Sorenson at 174.

Scouting South Dakota State (6-3-1)
An NCAA Division II powerhouse, the Jackrabbits entered their third-year as a full-fledged Division I program this fall. Head Coach Jason Lile became the school’s all-time dual wins leader earlier this month, but victories have come a lot tougher over the past several years. SDSU finished 2-9 last season, including 0-6 in the Western Wrestling Conference, and qualified no wrestlers for the NCAA Championships.

This season the Jackrabbits competed in several open tournaments, before posting a 1-3-1 start to the dual season at the Indiana Duals on Nov. 29. SDSU collected two dual wins over Delaware State (31-15) and Virginia Military Institute (33-9) in Delaware on Jan. 7, before extending their winning streak to five with three duals wins at the Franklin & Marshall Quadrangular in their most recent competition. The Jackrabbits downed host school Franklin & Marshall (31-13), added a win against American International (36-11) and capped the day with a victory over Sacred Heart (35-12). SDSU has faced one ranked opponent this season, falling to No. 18 Indiana (46-3) on Nov. 29.

Individually, South Dakota State returns eight starters from last year. The Jackrabbits are led by senior Jason Stripling, who has racked up a 22-8 record on the season, including a perfect 10-0 in duals. The heavyweight was named the Western Wrestling Conference Wrestler of the Week last Tuesday after a 5-0 performance over the weekend, including four wins by fall. At 149 pounds, Adam Everson finished fourth at the NCAA West Regional last year and has a 6-3 mark this season as a sophomore. Junior Tyler Sorenson claimed third a year ago and is 4-0 at 197 pounds thus far. Freshman Scott Elliott has wrestled to a 21-4 record this year.

Husker History Versus South Dakota State
Nebraska and the Jackrabbits have met surprisingly few times. Friday’s matchup will be just the third time NU has faced SDSU as Division I foes and just the third meeting between the two in the new century. The series history is tied at 13-13-2, but Nebraska currently holds a five-dual win streak over SDSU. The Huskers’ last loss to the Jackrabbits came on Feb. 9, 1980. SDSU won that dual 28-14, but have lost the last five meetings.

The last meeting between the two programs was last season, as NU rolled to a 37-12 victory by winning six of the seven contested matches in Brookings on Dec. 7, 2007. The Huskers pulled away by earning three bonus-point victories out of their six wins.

Nebraska forfeited the 125-pound match to start the dual, but it was all NU after that. Austin Baier won a 7-1 decision over SDSU’s Nick Kulseth, and Curtis Salazar followed with a 7-5 decision over Adam Everson. Jordan Burroughs marked NU’s first bonus points with a pin of Sean Flynn in 3:44 and also earned his first pin of the season. Rob Plambeck followed with an 8-3 win over Martin Konechne as Plambeck got his first career dual win.

Nebraska’s final two victories also earned the Huskers bonus points as Andy Johnson notched a 20-7 major-decision win and Jon May pinned Brady Punt in 5:17. SDSU forfeited at 184 and 197 as the Jackrabbits scored their lone victory of the night at 165 pounds.

Scouting Maryland (3-5-1)
The Terrapins entered the season with high expecations under first-year head coach Kerry McCoy, but Maryland enters this weekend’s action with a 3-5-1 dual record. UM returned nine starters, six NCAA qualifiers and one All-American from last year to enter the season ranked No. 17 in the nation. A tough schedule has seen four of Maryland’s five losses this season come to top-20 ranked teams.

Maryland opened the season at the Fighting Scot Duals, tying Army (19-19), defeating Findlay (37-12) and losing to Edinboro (23-14) on Nov. 1. The Terrapins lost a road dual to Lehigh (21-15) on Nov. 9, in the midst of several open tournaments. UM opened the Journeymen Northeast Duals on Nov. 29 with a win over Drexel (35-7), but lost to No. 1 Iowa (34-6) and Big 12-foe Missouri (28-6). Maryland claimed ninth at a highly-competitive Midlands Championships after Christmas, before losing to North Carolina (19-15) in their most recent action. The loss broke a 10-dual winning streak for the Terrapins in conference action. UM duals Oklahoma in Norman tonight before traveling to Lincoln.

The Terrapins have three wrestlers ranked in the top 20 in the nation, led by junior Steven Bell at 133 pounds. Bell, ranked No. 8, has posted a 16-3 record this season, including 9-0 in duals, with five major decisions and five pins. Junior Hudson Taylor started the year ranked second at 197 pounds, but three losses, including one to an unranked opponent, has dropped him to No. 11. Taylor is 21-3 on the season and 8-1 in duals. Fellow junior Alex Krom is No. 14 at 141 after beating three ranked foes this season, including notching off No. 10 Keith Sulzer of Northwestern at Midlands. He has notched five bonus-point victories in his nine wins on the season.

The 197-pound bout will be the only match with two ranked wrestlers, pitting Taylor against No. 3 Craig Brester of Nebraska. The two met in the consolation finals at the NCAA Championships last season with Brester building an early lead, but Taylor mounting a come-from-behind victory in overtime.

Husker History Versus Maryland
Nebraska holds a 2-0-1 advantage over Maryland in the all-time series, with all three meetings coming in College Park. The two tied in their first meeting (19-19) during the 1979-80 season, with the Huskers earning a one-point win (22-21) in 1983-84 and posting another victory (27-12) two seasons ago.

In their last meeting, Nebraska road a hot start to the dual victory. The Huskers won the first four matches to build a 13-point lead and never looked back in a 27-12 win on Nov. 25, 2006. The victory was NU’s 20th straight against Atlantic Coast Conference opponents.

The Huskers’ four-match winning streak started with an 11-5 win by 133-pounder Mike Rowe. Dominick Moyer followed with a 7-3 win over Charlie Pinto. Then, Robert Sanders got back on the winning track with a 6-5 win over Andrew Schlaffer. Chris Oliver capped the winning streak with a 16-3 major decision triumph over Mike McGill. After back-to-back losses cut Nebraska’s lead to seven, Levi Wofford put the Huskers back in the driver’s seat with a fall over Rich DiPietro at 184 pounds. Heavyweight Jon May clinched the dual victory for NU with a 4-0 win over Jerry Afari. With the dual in hand, Paul Donahoe won by technical fall at 125 pounds over James Knox, 19-4.

Lane Garners Big 12 Honor
Nebraska heavyweight Tucker Lane was selected as the Big 12 Wrestler of the Week, the conference announced last Tuesday. Lane, a redshirt freshman from Redvale, Colo., shares the weekly honor with Iowa State’s Jake Varner.

Lane was a key component in the Huskers fourth-place finish at the NWCA National Duals, finishing last weekend with a 3-1 record. He posted an 8-5 decision over Ben Kuhar to give the Huskers a 19-18 victory over No. 20 Northwestern in the opening round, and followed with a 4-2 decision over Cameron Wade to solidify a come-from-behind 20-16 win versus No. 14 Penn State. Against No. 2 Iowa State, Lane scored an early takedown over No. 3 Dave Zabriskie and added a three-point nearfall in the second period to take a 7-6 victory and nearly lead the Huskers to an upset of the Cyclones.

Currently the highest ranked freshman heavyweight in the nation at No. 17, Lane is 19-5 on the season, including 8-2 in duals, with three pins. This is his first career honor, and he is the second Husker to earn recognition from the Big 12 this season.

Returning to Lincoln
With wrestling being such a small community, several Huskers will be making a return trip to Lincoln when Maryland visits on Sunday. Todd Beckerman and Jason Powell, both fomer Nebraska wrestlers, are now assistant coaches on the Terrapin staff.

Beckerman is a 2001 graduate of NU, after claiming two All-America honors in 2000 and 2001. The Maryland native finished fifth and fourth at 133 pounds, while leading the Huskers to eighth-place team finishes both seasons. Beckerman was also Academic All-Big 12 both seasons, and was named the 2000-01 Nebraska Male Athlete of the Year. He is in his fourth year at Maryland. A three-time All-American, Powell earned his degree from NU in 2004. He finished fifth in 2002, third in 2003 and took the title in 2004 at 125 pounds to become Nebraska’s eighth national champion. He is in his first season at Maryland.

Topping Off National Duals
NU’s fourth-place finish at National Duals this season was the 11th time the Huskers have finished in the top five since the inception of the event in 1989. The Huskers improved their all-time record to 48-29 in the 16 appearances at National Duals.

4-0 for National Duals
Two Huskers posted a perfect 4-0 record at National Duals, leading the Huskers to a fourth-place team finish. Jordan Burroughs was the most impressive, earning victories over three ranked foes and two All-Americans. The junior opened with a decision over No. 17 Jason Welch of Northwestern, before adding another decision against eighth-ranked Dan Vallimont of Penn State, an All-American last season. Burroughs added a 22-7 technical fall over Iowa’s Matt Ballweg and ended with a 12-4 major decision over No. 5 Cyler Sanderson of Iowa State, also an All-American last season.

Senior Brandon Browne also contributed four victories to the Huskers’ cause, winning all his matches by decision. He posted a 14-7 decision against Northwestern’s Robert Kellogg and defeated No. 14 Quentin Wright of Penn State, 3-1, on the first day. Browne got a measure of revenge with a 5-4 decison over No. 5 Jay Borschel of Iowa, who defeated him in the consolation finals of last year’s NCAA Championships, and capped the tournament with a 7-4 win over Iowa State’s Andrew Sorenson.

Best Start Since
The Huskers rushed to an 8-0 start to this season, before falling to No. 1 Iowa at National Duals. The mark is NU’s best start since 2004-05, a season in which Nebraska finished third at the Big 12 Championships and 19th at the NCAA Championships.

No. 1 No More
Junior Craig Brester’s stay at No. 1 in the 197-pound rankings was short lived. After earning the top spot on Jan. 6, Brester suffered his first loss of the season to the former No. 1, Jake Varner of Iowa State, at National Dauls last weekend. Brester dropped to No. 2 in this week’s poll, but still sports an 18-1 record and leads the Huskers in bonus-point victories with 16 on the year.

Big Time at the Big Weights
Nebraska has posted an impressive mark so far this season in the upper weights. In six duals, Nebraska has a 41-8 record from 157 pounds to heavyweight, including five wrestlers holding at least eight dual wins in that weight range.

Perfect So Far
Two Husker wrestlers remain in the ranks of the undefeated. Of NU’s 30 wrestlers that have competed, Jordan Burroughs (157) and Ridge Kiley (125) still have unblemished records. Nebraska has 22 wrestlers with winning records in 2008-09.

Burroughs holds an impressive 18-0 mark after winning individual titles at the Kaufman-Brand Open and Las Vegas Inviational. He has also notched nine duals win, including a 4-0 mark at National Duals. Kiley is 8-0 after finishing first in the amateur division at the Kaufman-Brand Open on Nov. 22 and competing in the UNK Loper Open on Dec. 13.

Running up the Rankings
The Huskers stayed fourth in the latest NWCA dual rankings after their fourth-place finish at the NWCA National Duals on Jan. 11. NU moved up to as high as third after winning the Las Vegas Inviational. Nebraska started the season ranked sixth in the nation and has been ranked in the top 25 ever since the NWCA and InterMat polls combined in 2004, including 17 straight polls in the top 10.

Tickets on Sale for Big 12 Wrestling Championships
The University of Nebraska has announced that tickets are now on sale for the general public for the 2009 Big 12 Wrestling Championships, which will be held at the NU Coliseum in Lincoln, Neb., on March 7. Fans can purchase tickets by calling the Nebraska Ticket Office at (800) 8-BIGRED or online at Huskers.com.

All-session tickets are $20 for reserved seating (north and south stands) and $15 for general admission (east and west balcony). Individual-session tickets will be available on March 7 for $8 reserved and $7 general admission. The first session begins at 11 a.m., while the second sessions commences at 4 p.m. Finals are contested at 7 p.m.

The Huskers host the conference tournament for the third time since the inception of the Big 12. Nebraska finished fourth when it hosted the event in 2000 at the Bob Devaney Sports Center and third at the Qwest Center in Omaha in 2005. This year’s tournament will be contested at the NU Coliseum, which holds more than 4,030 fans. The Coliseum is located in the heart of NU’s campus next to Memorial Stadium and has provided a thrilling match-day environment for fans, including hosting the National Duals from 1993 to 1997.

The Wrestler Formerly Known as Jordan
Nebraska’s Jordan Burroughs is quickly earning a new nickname - OW. The junior from Winslow Township, N.J. has claimed three Oustanding Wrestler honors at three tournaments. He posted a technical fall and major decision en route to being named the Outstanding Wrestler at last year’s Big 12 Championships, while also earning the title at the Kaufman-Brand Open with a 5-0 record on the day and a defeat of former NCAA champion Dustin Schlatter of Minnesota. Burroughs picked up his third OW honor in early December at the Las Vegas Invitational when he posted another five wins, including two over All-Americans and another against a former NCAA champion in Cornell’s Jorden Leen.

Bonus-Point Brester
Craig Brester has been a bonus-point machine for the Huskers this season. A junior from Howells, Neb., Brester has posted an 18-1 record, including 9-1 in duals. Sixteen of his 18 wins have come by bonus-points, including six pins, two technical falls and eight major decisions. Brester notched five pins in his first six matches, and has rolled from there. In early December, he went 5-0 at the Las Vegas Invitational to claim the title at 197 pounds. He started the tournament with a fall, posted his first technicall fall of the season in the second round, and finished with three straight major decisions.

Quickest Pin
The award for quickest pin so far this season goes to freshman Josh Ihnen at 184 pounds. Ihnen notched a 28 second fall of Morningside’s Joe Lockett at the UNK Loper Open on Dec. 13 to earn the honor. Ihnen has four pins on the year, while the Huskers as a whole have notched 69 so far.

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 his nine dual appearances this season, he may be well on his way to breaking the record again. He has notched 57 dual takedowns so far, including 18 in two duals on Jan. 4. With 11 duals left, Burroughs would have to average 3.7 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 with 10 in 2007-08. The senior is well on his way again this season with nine pins in 24 matches, including three straight to start the year.

Jones has some competition this season from junior Craig Brester, the Huskers’ 197-pounder. Brester is 18-1 on the year with six pins and two technical falls and eight major decisions. 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 on Nov. 22.

Double Down in Vegas
The second time around was just as nice for the Huskers in Vegas, as Nebraska won the Las Vegas Invitational on Dec. 6 for the second time in NU history.

Nebraska’s other first-place finish came in 2003, when the Huskers piled up 139.5 points en route to the crown. NU claimed three individual titles, while four other Huskers placed in the top eight. Top-ranked Jason Powell of Nebraska knocked off ninth-ranked Mark Moos of Michigan, 4-2, in the finals at 125 pounds, while No. 7 Travis Shufelt pinned Missouri’s Jeremy Spates in the third period at 149 to also finish first. Travis Pascoe rounded out the Huskers’ title winners at 184 pounds.

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.

Ranking the Returning
Nebraska welcomes back four All-Americans this season from the contingent of 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.).

Non-Varsity Notes
Nebraska’s non-varsity wrestlers will travel to Omaha for the Glen Brand Open tomorrow. Wrestling begins at 9 a.m. in the Sapp Fieldhouse on the campus of Nebraska-Omaha. Live video for the tournament will be available through Omavs.com.

Next up: NU Hosts Penn on Parents Night
The Huskers welcome Penn to the NU Colisem for Parents Night at 7 p.m. on Jan. 23. Parents of current Nebraska wrestlers are invited to the dual to be recognized for their contributions to the program. Tickets can be purchased online at Huskers.com or by calling (800) 8-BIGRED.