Huskers Travel to Omaha, Send Three to All-Star Classic

Tournament No. 1
Kaufman-Brand Open
Sapp Fieldhouse • Omaha, Neb. • Saturday, Nov. 21, 2009 • 9 a.m.
Last Appearance: Huskers won eight individual titles, tied most ever (also 2001)
Live Stats: www.omavs.com

Special Event
44th Annual NWCA All-Star Classic
Titan Gym • Fullerton, Calif. • Sunday, Nov. 22, 2009 • 4 p.m.
Participants: Jordan Burroughs, Craig Brester, Stephen Dwyer
Host School: Cal-State Fullerton
Live Video: Live Sports Video
Live Stats: Huskers.com

After a season-opening victory over No. 11 Wisconsin, the seventh-ranked Nebraska wrestling team hits the road this week as it takes a short break from dual competition. The majority of the Huskers will travel to Omaha's Sapp Fieldhouse for the Kaufman-Brand Open on Saturday at 9 a.m., while senior All-Americans Jordan Burroughs, Craig Brester and Stephen Dwyer have been invited to take part in the 44th Annual NWCA All-Star Classic in Fullerton, Calif., on Sunday at 4 p.m.

The University of Nebraska at Omaha will provide updated brackets of the Kaufman-Brand Open on www.omavs. com. The website, livesportsvideo.com will broadcast the NWCA All-Star Classic with a paid subscription ($9.99).

Burroughs, Brester and Dwyer are among only 20 participants at the NWCA All-Star Classic. Brester may have the most anticipated bout of the event, as the Howells, Neb., native is set to square off against Iowa State's Jake Varner in a rematch of the 2009 197-pound national championship match. Varner and Brester are unanimously ranked No. 1-2 in the country by all the major college wrestling publications and polls.

Burroughs, the 2009 national champion at 157 pounds, is ranked No. 1 and will face No. 5 Matt Moley of Bloomsburg for the first time in his career. Moley finished sixth at last year's NCAA Championships.

Dwyer is ranked No. 6 at 174 pounds and will meet No. 5 Chris Henrich of Virginia.

Nearly half of the NWCA All-Star Classic field is from the Big 12 Conference, as Missouri (No. 1 Max Askren, 184; No. 1 Mark Ellis, HWT) and Iowa State (Varner; No. 2 Nick Gallick, 141; No. 5 Jonathan Reader; No. 2 David Zabriskie, HWT) join the Huskers to account for nine wrestlers from the league among the 20 competitors.

Saturday's Kaufman-Brand Open in Omaha has traditionally featured 500-700 wrestlers from around the Midwest. The double-elimination tournament will include competitors from top-five foes Iowa, Iowa State and Minnesota. The invite does not include team scoring and is expected to conclude late Saturday night. Tickets are $12 for adults and $7 for students.

2009 NWCA All-Star Classic Schedule
125: #3 Anthony Robles (Arizona State) vs. #4 Zach Sanders (Minnesota)
133: #8 Steve Bell (Maryland) vs. #4 Daniel Dennis (Iowa)
141: #2 Nick Gallick (Iowa State) vs. #4 Alex Krom (Maryland)
149: #3 Lance Palmer (Ohio State) vs. #4 Kyle Borshoff (American)
157: #1 Jordan Burroughs (Nebraska) vs. #5 Matt Moley (Bloomsburg)
165 :#5 Jonathan Reader (Iowa State) vs. #6 Andrew Rendos (Bucknell)
174: #5 Chris Henrich (Virginia) vs. #6 Stephen Dwyer (Nebraska)
184: #1 Max Askren (Missouri) vs. #9 Josh Patterson (Binghamton)
197: #1 Jake Varner (Iowa State) vs. #2 Craig Brester (Nebraska)
HWT: #1 Mark Ellis (Missouri) vs. #2 David Zabriskie (Iowa State)

Last Time Out: Dwyer's Pin Locks Down Season-Opening Victory Over No. 11 Wisconsin
Leading by just three points heading into the final match, senior Stephen Dwyer notched a pin at 174 pounds to secure a 26-17 victory for the seventh-ranked Nebraska wrestling team over No. 11 Wisconsin on Nov. 15 at the NU Coliseum. The Huskers improve to 10-0 in season-opening duals under head coach Mark Manning.

Nebraska claimed three-straight victories to open the dual, but a Wisconsin comeback capped by a Andrew Howe fall at 165 pounds closed the Husker lead to 20-17 with one match remaining. Dwyer, who is ranked No. 6 in the nation at 174 pounds, broke a 3-3 tie in the third period when he pinned Brendan Ard in 5:25 to send Nebraska away with its 15th consecutive victory in season openers.

The Huskers won 6 of 10 matches overall and grabbed a nine-point lead (20-11) with two bouts remaining when defending national champion Jordan Burroughs pinned Wisconsin's Greg Burke at 157 pounds in just 25 seconds. The senior from Sicklerville, N.J., registered a takedown 11 seconds into the match, before putting Burke away with the sixth fall of his career and 86th overall victory. Burroughs' pin (0:25) is the quickest fall by a Husker in a varsity match during the Big 12 era.

Nebraska also turned in a pair of major decision wins from senior Craig Brester (197 pounds) and junior Mike Koehnlein (141 pounds). Brester defeated Jackson Hein, 14-2, behind three takedowns and a near fall in the first period, while Koehnlein used two near falls en route to a 12-2 triumph over Trey Bertram.

Koehnlein was one of five newcomers in the NU startling lineup, including 184-pound redshirt freshman Josh Ihnen, who opened the dual with a 6-1 decision over Jimmy Duffy. Ihnen's win was the first of three Husker victories to start the match, which was concluded by an exciting 4-3 overtime decision from sophomore Tucker Lane at Heavywight. Lane and Eric Bugenhagen went to overtime tied at 1-1 and remained even at the end of three overtime periods, when Lane was declared the winner due to a one-second riding time advantage.

Wisconsin won matches at 125, 133, 149 and 165 pounds.

Last Year at the Kaufman-Brand Open: Burroughs Leads Nebraska to Eight Titles
Jordan Burroughs claimed Outstanding Wrestler honors to help No. 6 Nebraska rack up eight individual titles at the Kaufman-Brand Open on Nov. 22, 2008. The showing matched 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 teammate 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 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.

The Huskers also dominated the 184-pound weight class, with three NU wrestlers finishing in the top four. Vince Jones posted two pins to advance to the final, where he earned an 8-2 decision over Romero Cotton for first place.

Brandon Browne and 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 in 2007. Tucker Lane placed first at heavyweight in the amateur division in 2008, and moved up to the elite division with the same result this season.

In the amateur division, 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. Jon Burns (141) and Josh Ihnen (184) lost in their respective final to take second.

Manning Earns Win No. 150
With Nebraska's 26-17 victory over No. 11 Wisconson on Sunday, Nov. 15 at the NU Coliseum, 10th-year head coach Mark Manning picked up the 150th dual win of his collegiate coaching career. Manning spent three seasons as Northern Iowa's head coach from 1997 to 2000, turning around a Panther program that went 5-9 in his first year to 10-5-2 and an 11th-place finish at the NCAA Championships in 2000.

At Nebraska, Manning is 127-45-3 with a 73.4 percent winning percentage that ranks No. 1 among the 15 head coaches in school history.

Burroughs Buries Opponent in 25 Seconds
Nebraska's defending national champion at 157 pounds began his senior season in dominant fashion, as Jordan Burroughs pinned Wisconsin's Greg Burke in 25 seconds on Nov. 15 at the NU Coliseum.

Burroughs' fall is the quickest pin by a Husker in a varsity match during the Big 12 era (1996-present).

The Sickerlerville, N.J., native won the 2009 national title at 157 pounds after a perfect 35-0 season. He is a two-time All-American after he finished third at 149 pounds in 2008. Burroughs is 86-19 overall at Nebraska.

Huskers Announce Signing Class
Head Coach Mark Manning and the Husker wrestling program have announced the signing of nine high school seniors who plan to enroll and compete at Nebraska beginning with the 2010-11 season.

Three of the nine signees are ranked in the InterMat Top 100, while six members of the 2009-10 class hail from the St. Louis metro area. Four have been crowned state champions at their respective high schools.

"We think have a lot of kids that are the right fit for our program, and that's what we really look at," Manning said. "We really like the guys that are coming in next year. They're going to fit it well with the group that came in last fall as we continue to build on the talent level and commitment to be a dominant program. My staff - Coach Greenfield, Coach Ersland and Coach Mester - have done an outstanding job of identifying young men and developing relationships in order to fulfill this recruiting class. It's exciting to get these young men in our program because they believe in the University of Nebraska."

2009-10 Nebraska Wrestling Signees (bold weights indicate projected college division)

Robert Kokesh - Wagner, S.D. (Wagner High School) - 165 pounds
Robert Kokesh (pronounced Koh-kish) is entering his senior season at Wagner High School with a 155-23 career record. He is rated No. 2 in the nation at 160 pounds by both WIN Magazine and TheMat.com. A two-time defending Class B state champion, Kokesh won the 2008 title at 145 pounds with a 46-1 record before a perfect 49-0 mark took him to gold in 2009 at 160 pounds. He was third as a 135-pound freshman in 2007 with a 39-4 record, while also placing third at the U.S. Folkstyle National Championships. Kokesh won the NHSCA Sophomore Nationals (145) and finished third at the NHSCA Junior Nationals (160). He is ranked No. 43 in InterMat's Top 100.

Coach Manning:
"Robert Kokesh is a blue-collar guy who we've known for a while. He really jumps out at you from a standpoint that he comes from a farming background, has a great work ethic and is a great competitor. He's a tough, hard-nosed guy that has a style that suits him well to a very successful college wrestler. We're excited about having Robert. He's a good fit for us."

Greg Amos - St. Louis, Mo. (Wentzville Holt High School) - 149 pounds
Greg Amos has won back-to-back Class 4 state championships at Wentzville High School and holds a 129-6 career record. En route to his 2009 145-pound state championship, Amos set the school record with 242 takedowns. He went 36-2 as s junior, including a title at the nationally-recognized Brute/Zac Jarzynka Sunwhile Wrestling Classic. As a freshman, Amos finished runner-up at state while compiling a 38-4 record. He is one of the top 145-pound wrestlers in the country, ranking No. 6 by Wrestling USA, eighth by WIN Magazine and 11th by InterMat. He also claimed a spot in InterMat's Top 100 (No. 84).

Coach Manning:
"Greg Amos was our first commitment back in July. He really wanted to be a part of our program and helped set the tone for our recruiting class for some other guys like Keith Surber, Dakota Magrew and Brandon Wilbourn. They're all friends, so Greg was the first one to step up and say 'I'm coming to Nebraska.'" He was a big catalyst in our recruiting class. Greg's talent, ability and competitiveness is what attracted us."

Blake Meeks - Des Moines, Iowa (Roosevelt High School) - 141 pounds
Blake Meeks made a big jump in improvement last year at Roosevelt High School. After qualifying for the state tournament with a 27-1 record and finishing eighth in 2008 (130 pounds), Meeks moved to 140 pounds and claimed a runner-up finish in Class 3A last season. With a 16-3 record last year, Meeks begins his 2009-10 senior season ranked No. 2 in the state of Iowa by The Predicament. Meeks comes from a family heavily-involved in the sport of wrestling, including three brothers who have all competed at the high school or collegiate level.

Coach Manning:
"Blake Meeks committed early on in the recruiting process. We've known him and his family for a while and his high school (Des Moines Roosevelt) has come to our camps. He's well-schooled and he's gotten better every year. I think he has sought out some really good coaching and really good workout partners this past year. We're excited about Blake being part of our family."

Brandon Wilbourn - O'Fallon, Mo. (Francis Howell Central High School) - 157 pounds
Brandon Wilbourn is a three-time Class 4 state qualifier at Francis Howell Central High School. He claimed his highest state finish with a runner-up showing as a sophomore at 135 pounds, while also placing third as a freshman at 125 pounds and sixth as a junior at 145 pounds. Wilbourn was fourth at both the 2009 Super 32 Challenge and NHSCA Junior Nationals. He is a top 100 recruit by InterMat (No. 59), while ranking No. 7 in the nation at 157 pounds by The Open Mat.

Coach Manning:
"Brandon committed right after Greg (Amos). We were watching him for a while. We really like his athleticism and he fits in character-wise with our program. He's a good-natured, young man who is real athletic and really excited to come to Nebraska. His best days are ahead of him. Once Brandon comes into our wrestling room, he will be challenged and that will only help him develop quicker."

Matt Dwyer - Rockton, Ill. (Hononegah High School) - 197 pounds
Matt Dwyer holds a 139-19 record through three seasons at Hononegah High School. He is a three-time Class 2A state qualifier, including back-to-back fifth-place finishes in 2008 and 2009. In 2007, Dwyer set the Northern Illinois Conference freshman conference record with 47 victories. InterMat ranks Dwyer as the seventh-best high school senior in the state of Illinois. Matt is the younger brother of current Husker All-American, Stephen Dwyer.

Coach Manning:
"Matt Dwyer is another guy who has the same characteristics as his brother, Stephen. He's also a lot like Robert Kokesh because he's a tough, hard-nosed, gritty guy. He's bigger than his brother and he'll probably be at 197 for us. He's wrestled lower weight classes and he's grown each year in high school so he knows how to wrestle like a lightweight but still bring it. We're excited about having Matt join our program. Matt is a high-motor guy who we'll really like having at Nebraska."

Cody Magrew - Wentzville, Mo. (Timberland High School) - 165/174 pounds
Cody Magrew went 41-3 en route to winning the 2009 Class 3 state championship at Timberline High School at 145 pounds. Magrew took third at both the 2007 Missouri freestyle state tournament and 2008 U.S. Folkstyle National Championships. He also finished fourth at the 2007 Missouri greco state tournament. InterMat has tabbed Magrew as the 14th-best high school prospect at 160 pounds, while USA Magazine has ranks Magrew 16th.

Coach Manning:
"Cody Magrew is a young man who had a great desire to be at Nebraska and be part of our program. He sees himself as having a very successful college wrestling career. His desire, along with his talent and ability will allow him to have great success as a Husker. Cody's commitment to his was big because his friendships with Brandon (Wilbourn), Keith (Surber) and Greg (Amos) will allow each of them to feed off each other as ultimate competitors."

Keith Surber - O'Fallon, Ill. (O'Fallon High School) - 133 pounds
Keith Surber is a three-time state qualifier at O'Fallon High School with back-to-back third-place finishes at 112 pounds and 119 pounds. Surber was 44-2 last season and holds a 130-8 career record. He was named the Belleville News Democrat Wrestler of the Year in 2009, a season that included a third-place finish at the NHSCA Junior Nationals and a fourth-place showing at the 2009 Super 32 Challenge. He was also runner-up at the NHSCA Sophomore Nationals. Surber is ranked No. 15 in the nation at 125 pounds by WIN Magazine.

Coach Manning:
"We're really enthused about Keith because he is a tremendous student-athlete. He comes in with high academic standards. He could have gone to a number of Ivy League schools, but he understands that he not only wants a great education, but also wants to be part of a great program. Keith is an endless worker. He is always trying to learn and develop himself into a better wrestler, and that is why his best days are yet to come."

Chad Stroh - Holyoke, Colo. (Holyoke High School) - 133/141 pounds
Chad Stroh has claimed back-to-back Class 2A state championships at for Holyoke High School. A three-time state qualifier, Stroh won his first state title at 119 pounds before claiming last year's 125-pound gold medal. He had a dominant 42-1 junior season that helped him gain 2009 Denver Post All-Colorado Team honors. As a freshman, he finished runner-up at state at 112 pounds. Stroh is ranked No. 22 at 125 pounds by USA Wrestling.

Coach Manning:
"Chad Stroh is another high-character, high-academic guy who we've known for 2-3 years. His sister goes to school here and he's came to our camp the last three summers. We've known him on and off the mat and we really wanted him to come to Nebraska. He's really made a great sacrifice because he had a lot of different opportunities but decided to be a Husker. He's a great fit for our team."

Ryne Harris - Belleville, Ill. (Althoff Catholic High School) - 125 pounds
Ryne Harris has posted a 115-26 career record for Althoff Catholic High School. He is a three-time Class 2A state qualifier and claimed his best finish in 2009 when he placed third at 112 pounds. The 40-4 season that included two tournament titles helped Harris earn Belleville News Democrat First-Team honors. Harris' father, Dave, is the former wrestling coach at Althoff Catholic High School and helped coach current Husker assistant Mike Greenfield during his prep career.

Coach Manning:
"Ryne Harris is a guy that we really like. He's been up here a couple times this fall. He really likes our program and he had opportunities to go to smaller schools, but he really wanted to come to Nebraska and be a part of our program. He sees a great opportunity for himself to fit in at 125 pounds in the future because he's not going be bigger than that. There's a good opportunity for Ryne to wrestle for us as he develops as a college wrestler."

Former Husker Gardner to be Inducted into National Wrestling Hall of Fame
Responsible for one of the greatest Olympic upsets of all-time, former Husker wrestler Rulon Gardner has been chosen as one of four 2010 inductees into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum.

Gardner's shining moment came in the 2000 Olympics, when he shocked the sports world with a 1-0 overtime victory over Russia's Alexander Karelin in the Greco-Roman super heavyweight gold medal match. Karelin was a three-time Olympic gold medalist and had not lost an international match in 13 years, including the last six without giving up a point. Gardner's upset helped the former Husker earn numerous prestigious honors, including the 2001 Jesse Owens Award, a 2001 ESPY (U.S. Male Olympic Athlete of the Year) and the 2001 United States Olympic Committee's Sportsman of the Year honor.

At Nebraska, Gardner was a 1993 All-American after he finished fourth in the heavyweight division at the NCAA Championships, helping the Huskers to a third-place team finish. A native of Afton, Wyo., Gardner lettered two seasons for the Big Red after he transferred to Nebraska from Ricks Junior College in Rexburg, Idaho, where he was an NJCAA national champion (1991) and two-time All-American (1990-91).

Along with his 2000 Olympic gold medal, Gardner was a four-time U.S. Nationals Greco-Roman champion (1995, 1997, 2000 and 2001), earned bronze at the 2004 Olympics in Athens and won international titles at the 1996 World Cup, the 1998 and 2000 Pan American Games and the 2001 World Championships. He most recently contributed as a television analyst for NBA during the 2008 Olympics.

"I want to thank our Board of Governors and the various screening and selection committees involved in the six-month process that determines our honorees for induction. This is another exceptional class of inductees whose merits transcend our sports impact upon society," said Lee Roy Smith, Executive Director of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame & Museum.

David Auble, Russell Camilleri and Lincoln McIlravy join Gardner in the 2010 class, which will be inducted during the Honors Weekend Banquet and Induction Ceremony in Stillwater, Oklahoma, June 4-5, 2010. The Hall of Fame's Board of Governors approved this year's selections at its semi-annual meeting in Kansas City last month.

Former National Champion Powell Returns to NU Wrestling
A familiar face is back with the Nebraska wrestling program as the Husker coaching staff announced former national champion Jason Powell has been hired as an assistant coach. Powell will be working immediately with the 2009-10 Huskers that are coming off the 2009 Big 12 co-championship.

Powell is now part of Nebraska's Performance staff as an assistant strength coach after finishing his collegiate career as one of the most decorated wrestlers in school history. The Midwest City, Okla., native claimed the 2004 national championship at 125 pounds with a 17-2 technical fall over Kyle Ott of Illinois. The win wrapped up a 26-2 season for Powell, as he helped lead NU to its first top-five finish at the NCAA Championships since 1996. As a junior, he finished third at the 2003 national meet following a fifth-place finish in 2002. Powell ranks 10th on the all-time win chart with 109.

A 2004 graduate with a degree in sociology, Powell was a three-time All-American and four-year team captain, before furthering his career with a fourth-place finish at the U.S. Nationals in the freestyle competition. Since graduation, Powell spent time as a volunteer coach and administrative assistant for the Huskers followed by stints as an assistant coach at the University of Oregon and the University of Maryland.

The Midwest City, Okla., native was a three-time high school state champion, three-time Junior Greco-Roman National Champion, a two-time Junior Freestyle national Champion, and a member of the Junior World team, where he placed second in the 1998 Junior World Freestyle Championships.

Powell joins an experienced coaching staff that has a combined 23 years of service at Nebraska.

Huskers.com Adds NU Wrestling Blog
Huskers.com has announced an addition to the wrestling page with the start of the NU Wrestling Blog, another place to visit when looking to stay up-to-date and follow everything surrounding Husker wrestling. On the blog, you will find some interesting news, notes and tidbits surrounding the team as we go through the 2009-10 season.

The goal for the blog is to help fans and media stay in tune daily with what's going on with the Huskers and get inside the program. The blog will include anything that fans might find interesting, but maybe isn't newsworthy or lengthy enough for its own press release. You can expect all kinds of notes, learn about the upcoming opponents and hear what the coaches are saying throughout the season.

On match days, check out the blog for the latest updates as the Huskers get ready to take the mat.

In addition, there should be a lot of exciting news as the NCAA Championships get closer. This year's national meet takes place at Qwest Center Omaha from March 18-20 and is co-hosted by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

E-mail bgries@huskers.com if you have any questions or suggestions about the blog.

Next Up: Huskers Travel to Journeymen/Brute Northeast Duals
Nebraska is set to face one of its busiest and most challenging days of the 2009-10 season when the Huskers travel to the Journeymen/Brute Northeast Duals in Troy, N.Y., next week. Nebraska will dual Binghamton, No. 16 Lehigh, Hofstra and Appalachian State.