Huskers Finish Non-Conference on East Coast

Dual 16: #4 Nebraska vs. UNC Greensboro
Date: Saturday, Feb. 14
Time: 6:30 p.m. CT
Location: Dean Smith Center, Chapel Hill, N.C.
Live Coverage: None

Dual 17: #4 Nebraska vs. North Carolina
Date: Saturday, Feb. 14
Time: 8 p.m. CT
Location: Dean Smith Center, Chapel Hill, N.C.
Live Coverage: None

Lincoln - As part of its annual East Coast trip, the Nebraska wrestling team will visit Chapel Hill, N.C., Saturday for duals against UNC Greensboro and North Carolina. The Huskers (15-2-1, 3-0 Big 12) square off against the Spartans (5-10, 3-1 Southern) at 6:30 p.m. CT, and battle the Tar Heels (12-7, 4-1 ACC) at 8 p.m. CT. Both contests will be held in the Dean Smith Center.

NU racked up its third Big 12 win of the season last Sunday in Norman, as the Huskers earned a come-from-behind 18-15 victory over No. 14 Oklahoma in McCasland Field House. Redshirt freshman Tucker Lane opened the dual with a win at heavyweight, but Oklahoma grabbed the next four matches to take a 15-3 lead into intermssion. Nebraska dominated the second set of bouts, though, winning all five by decision to claim the three-point win. Brandon Browne, Vince Jones and Craig Brester picked up victories over ranked opponents.

Saturday’s duals with UNC Greensboro and North Carolina have several special qualities. The Huskers face the Spartans for the first time ever, as NU battles a UNCG squad that has found its stride. UNC Greensboro started the season 0-7, but is 5-4 in its last nine duals, including three conference wins. The team enters Saturday with no wrestlers ranked in the NWCA poll, but UNCG will look to key off several wrestlers that have reached the 20-win mark, including Chris Bencivenga at 141 pounds and Mikal McKee at 184.

North Carolina enters Saturday’s contest with a 12-7 mark, including wins in eight of its last nine duals. The Tar Heels have five ranked wrestlers, led by No. 15 Nick Stable at 149 pounds. Vincent Ramirez is No. 20 at 141, and bouts with two ranked foes will occur at 157 pounds between Thomas Scotton and Jordan Burroughs, 165 between Keegan Mueller and Stephen Dwyer, and 197 between Dennis Drury and Brester. Nebraska will be looking for its 23rd consecutive win against an ACC opponent when it faces the Tar Heels.

No live coverage is available for Saturday’s duals, but Huskers.com will post the results as soon as they become available on the match day page.

Last Time Out: Nebraska Claims 18-15 Victory over Oklahoma
The Nebraska wrestling team spotted Oklahoma a 15-3 lead headed into intermission, but the fourth-ranked Huskers claimed the final five matches to earn an 18-15 dual win over No. 14 Oklahoma in Norman last Sunday. NU stayed perfect in Big 12 action with a 3-0 mark and 15-2-1 overall, while the Sooners fell to 1-3 in the conference and 15-3 overall.

Redshirt freshman Tucker Lane started the dual with a win for the Huskers, defeating Nathan Fernandez, 3-1, at heavyweight. Lane, ranked No. 19 in the nation, exchanged escapes with No. 16 Fernandez, before earning the winning takedown with 38 seconds left in the match. OU captured the next four matches from 125 to 149, including a major decision and a technical fall, to take a 15-3 lead headed into the intermission.

It was all Nebraska after the break, though, as Jordan Burroughs started the comeback at 157 pounds against Chad Terry. Burroughs was held scoreless through the first period and the majority of the second before earning his first takedown with under a minute left in the period. He added three more takedowns in the final period to pull away, 9-4, and now stands six takedowns short of breaking the Nebraska season dual takedown record (98) he set last season.

Stephen Dwyer posted a 4-0 decision over Ryan Smith at 165, by riding the Sooner out in the second period. Dwyer notched a quick escape in the final period and earned the only takedown of the match with 37 seconds left.

In the only matchup with two top-10 wrestlers, third-ranked Brandon Browne used a reversal in the second period to score the first points in his match with No. 7 Jeff James. The Sooner escaped to start the third to tie the match at two, but Browne posted two third-period takedowns to take the 6-3 win.

Vince Jones tied the dual at 15 with his 3-0 decision over No. 19 Pat Flynn at 184 pounds. For the second time in the past three duals, Jones rode his opponent the entire second period. An early reversal in the third period clinched the bout for Jones.

After winning the Missouri dual on Jan. 31 for NU with a decision, Craig Brester accomplished the feat again, this time topping No. 11 Eric Lapotsky with a 5-2 decision to give NU the 18-15 victory. Brester ended the first period with a late takedown and escaped in the second, but Lapotsky notched a quick escape of his own in the third to cut the lead to 3-1. Brester posted the winning takedown with 1:39 left to rebound from his loss last Thursday against Oklahoma State.

Scouting UNC Greensboro (5-10, 3-1 Southern)
In his three seasons as head coach, Jason Loukides has led the Spartans to a 23-23 dual record. UNCG finished 9-9 last season, earning third in the Southern Conference. Loukides returned one NCAA qualifier and seven starters from last year.

The 2008-09 season got off to a rough start for the Spartans, as the team went winless in its first seven duals. UNC Greensboro went 0-4 at the Northeast Duals on Nov. 29, suffering losses to American (23-18), Bloomsburg (35-6), No. 22 Lehigh (36-6) and Binghamton (22-18). The Spartans wrapped up the first semester by hosting the Southern Scuffle, and finishing 15th out of 28 teams. UNCG started the New Year with losses to Purdue (30-9), No. 21 Old Dominion (33-6) and George Mason (25-16) at the Old Dominion Duals, but has been wrestling well as of late.

The Spartans are 5-4 in their last nine duals, including 3-1 in Southern Conference action. UNCG is currently second in the conference standings to Chattanooga. UNC Greensboro open SoCon play by posting wins over Appalachian State (36-7) and VMI (35-9), before losing at Chattanooga (28-18). The Spartans picked up a conference win over Davidson (34-3) on Jan. 29, and beat North Carolina State (30-7) Wednesday in their latest action.

Sophomore Byron Sigmon is UNCG’s lone returning NCAA qualifier from last season. He posted a 16-16 record at 165 pounds as a redshirt freshman, but won the conference tournament to earn a berth to the NCAA Championships. Wrestling at 174 pounds this season, Sigmon has a 13-9 record, including 2-1 in SoCo action. Senior Chris Bencivenga leads the Spartans in overall wins, with his 26-9 record on the season at 141 pounds. Bencivenga is 12-3 in duals with five major decisions. Sophomore Mikal McKee also has eclipsed the 20-win mark, notching a 28-11 record so far with 10 major decisions and two technical falls at 184.

UNC Greensboro enters Saturday’s competition with no wrestlers ranked in the latest NWCA poll. UNCG’s projected starters are 1-27 against ranked opponents this season.

Husker History Versus UNC Greensboro
Saturday’s dual between Nebraska and UNC Greensboro will be the first meeting between the two programs.

Scouting North Carolina (12-7, 4-1 ACC)
Coach C.D. Mock is in his fifth season with the Tar Heels, and holds a 58-48 record with UNC in his first head coaching position. UNC finished second in the Atlantic Coast Conference last season with a 3-2 mark and 10-6 overall. North Carolina returned both NCAA qualifiers from last season and nine starters.

The Tar Heels started this season a 1-5 dual record, but have rebounded to post a 10-2 mark since, including going 8-1 in their last nine duals. UNC opened with three losses to Michigan State (18-12), Wisconsin (27-9) and Illinois (26-9) at the ACC/Big Ten Clash on Nov. 15, before going 2-1 at Sprawl and Brawl with victories over Binghamton (27-10) and Rutgers (33-3). The Tar Heels finished the semester with a third-place finish at the Reno Tournament of Champions and earned fifth at the Southern Scuffle. UNC opened the New Year with a 2-1 showing at the Lone Star Duals on Jan. 3, losing to then-No. 11 Oklahoma (27-3) before defeating Cal Poly (31-3) and Army (23-12). North Carolina opened their conference schedule with a win over Duke (25-10) on Jan. 21 and Virginia (23-9) on Jan. 23, but lost to No. 13 Virginia Tech (19-15) on Feb. 1. The Tar Heels picked up a dual victory over North Carolina State (33-12) on Feb. 6 to currently sit second in the ACC, trailing only the Hokies. In its latest action, UNC beat Ohio (26-12) last Saturday.

North Carolina returned two NCAA qualifiers from last season in Keegan Mueller at 165 pounds and Justin Dobies at heavyweight. Mueller posted a 28-6 record last season, finishing the regular season ranked 12th after climibing as high as ninth. This season as a senior, Mueller has earned a 29-6 record, including 10-1 in his last 11 matches, to earn a No. 17 ranking. He leads the team with five technical falls, and has seven major decisions. Dobies posted a team-best 32-8 mark last season, en route to winning the ACC title. The senior is 25-6 this season with wins in his 12 matches. He is one of two Tar Heels to be undefeated in conference action, with a 5-0 mark.

The Tar Heels enter Saturday with five wrestlers ranked. Mueller is joined by Vincent Ramirez, Nick Stable, Thomas Scotton and Dennis Drury in the latest NWCA poll. Ramirez is 20th at 141 pounds, as is Scotton at 157, while Drury is 17th at 197 and Stable is 15th at 149.

Husker History Versus North Carolina
Nebraska is 7-1 all-time against the Tar Heels, including a seven-dual winning streak. The Huskers lost their first-ever meeting with UNC, a 22-16 contest on Jan. 6, 1988, at National Duals. The loss is NU’s last to an opponent from the Atlantic Coast Conference, as the Huskers have won 22 straight since and seven straight against North Carolina. Nebraska is 2-0 all-time in Chapel Hill, including a 34-7 victory in the last meeting in 2005.

Sixth-ranked Nebraska beat North Carolina, 34-7, by running off eight-straight wins at the Carmichael Auditorium on Jan. 22, 2005. After losses at 125 and 133 pounds, a pin by Matt Murray with 1:22 to go in the first period of his match against North Carolina’s Isaiah Britton put the Huskers on the winning track. After Chris Nedens registered a 10-8 victory over Christopher Ramos at 149 to give Nebraska a 9-6 lead, NU picked up three straight bonus-point wins to put the dual away. At 157 pounds, B.J. Wright pinned Kyle Shelton 1:14 into their match. Jacob Klein defeated Garrett Atkinson by major decision, 16-5, at 165 pounds, and Marc Harwood pinned Alex Maciag 1:04 into their 174-pound match.

Travis Pascoe stretched his winning streak to 18 at 184 pounds with a 14-7 triumph over Justin Dobiesm, B.J. Padden sprung out to a 4-1 lead and held on to beat David Dashiell, 5-4, and Mitch Manstedt closed the dual with a 3-2 overtime win over Spencer Nadolsky at heavyweight.

Big 12 Perfection (Again)
For the second time in a row, the Huskers have started their Big 12 schedule 3-0, and have a chance to complete the conference season undefeated for the first time in program history. Iowa State ruined the Huskers’ attempt at perfection last season by topping NU in Ames, and the Cyclones have a chance to do it again this season. Nebraska faces Iowa State in the NU Coliseum at 2 p.m. on Feb. 22. NU has never swept its conference opponents in the 99-year history of the program.

Heart Attack Huskers
Nebraska has wrestled in some high-pressure situations during duals this year, but has performed well under pressure. The Huskers are 7-1-1 in duals decided in the final match, with their only loss coming to second-ranked Iowa State at the National Duals. In fact, NU has won its last three duals by a combined five points.

Taking Down Records
After setting the single-season dual takedown record last season, Jordan Burroughs stands just six takedowns short of breaking his mark this season. He racked up 98 last season, and has amassed 93 this year. Burroughs has three duals left to accomplish the feat.

Burroughs could also approach the career dual takedown record before his time is up at NU. The current record holder is Travis Pascoe, who posted 328 from 2001 to 2005. Pascoe earned 65, 93, 81 and 89 dual takedowns in his career. Burroughs had nine as a freshman, 98 as a sophomore and currently has 93 this season for 200.

Facing the Ranked
Above 157 pounds, the Huskers’ starters have found a fair amount of success against ranked foes. Nebraska is 34-16 in those six weight classes against ranked opponents, including an impressive 7-0 mark by Jordan Burroughs against the top 10. Below 157, NU is 0-31 against the top 20.

Measuring the Majors
Jordan Burroughs added to his long list of accolades on Jan. 25, as he notched his 10th major decision of the season and became the first known NU wrestler to post back-to-back seasons with at least 10 major decisions. Statistics are incomplete prior to the 1982 season. Burroughs notched 12 last season at 149 pounds and has earned 11 through 24 matches this year at 157.

Pinning Down Vince
Vince Jones collected his 10th pin of the season on Jan. 18 en route to helping the Huskers earn a 43-3 dual win over South Dakota State. The fall was also a bit of history, as Jones became the first Nebraska wrestler since Tolly Thompson to record at least 10 pins in each season he competed in. Jones posted 14 pins in 2005-06 as a true freshman, sat out his sophomore year and notched 10 last season. Thompson accomplished the same feat at heavyweight from 1993-97, racking up 53 total pins.

Fit to be Tied
NU’s 17-17 tie at Central Michigan on Jan. 25 was just the third tie in Head Coach Mark Manning’s 169 duals at Nebraska. Nebraska also knotted Penn at 17 on Feb. 17, 2007, in the final dual of the 2006-07 season and dualed Wisconsin to a 19-19 tie on Jan. 8, 2005, at the Lone Star Duals. All three of NU’s ties under Manning have come on the road.

Totaling 20
Seven varsity Nebraska wrestlers have moved above the 20-win mark this season, including Vince Jones (184) who leds the team with 26 victories. Jordan Burroughs (157) and Craig Brester (197) have earned 25 wins each, while Brandon Browne (174) has 24 wins. Tucker Lane (Hwt), Robert Sanders (149) and Stephen Dwyer (165) have notched 23 victories.

Last season, eight Huskers eclipsed the 20-win mark, including three (Burroughs, Dwyer and Browne) that topped 30 wins on the season.

Big Time at the Big Weights
Nebraska has posted an impressive mark so far this season in the upper weights. In 18 duals, Nebraska has a 86-16 record from 157 pounds to heavyweight, including three wrestlers holding at least 16 dual wins in that weight range.

Perfect So Far
One Husker wrestler remains in the ranks of the undefeated. Of NU’s 30 wrestlers that have competed, Jordan Burroughs (157) still has an unblemished record at 25-0. Nebraska has 20 wrestlers with winning records in 2008-09.

Lane Garners Big 12 Honor
Nebraska heavyweight Tucker Lane was selected as the Big 12 Wrestler of the Week, the conference announced on Jan. 13. Lane, a redshirt freshman from Redvale, Colo., shared 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 with a 3-1 record at the tournament. 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.

At the time, Lane was 19-5 on the season, including 8-2 in duals, with three pins. It was his first career honor, and he was the second Husker to earn recognition from the Big 12 this season.

Ruling the Rankings
The Huskers stayed fourth in the latest NWCA dual rankings after defeating No. 15 Oklahoma State last Thursday and No. 14 Oklahoma last Sunday. 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 21 straight polls in the top 10.

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 25-2 record, including a team-leading 16-2 in duals. Twenty of his 25 wins have come by bonus-points, including seven pins, three technical falls and nine 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 82 so far.

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 10 pins in 26 matches, including three straight to start the year.

Jones has some competition this season from junior Craig Brester, the Huskers’ 197-pounder. Brester is 23-1 on the year with seven pins and three technical falls and nine 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.

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.

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 four Oustanding Wrestler honors at four tournaments. He started last season with an OW honor at the Cowboy Open. 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.

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.

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.

Non-Varsity Notes
The Huskers non-varsity wrestlers wrap up their season at the NWCA National Wrestling Open in Epworth, Iowa, on Feb. 28. Wrestling is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m.

Next up: Nebraska Concludes Dual Season Versus Iowa State
The Huskers wrap up the regular season for the second consecutive year with a dual against Iowa State. NU hosts the Cyclones at 2 p.m. on Feb. 22 in the NU Coliseum, with a chance to go a perfect 4-0 in the conference for the first time in school history. Barring any major dual upsets this weekend, the NU-ISU dual will be a matchup of teams ranked in the top four in the nation. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Nebraska Ticket Office at (800) 8-BIGRED or online at Huskers.com.