Huskers Travel to Journeymen/Brute Northeast Duals

Journeymen/Brute Northeast Duals
McDonough Sports Complex Field House
Troy, N.Y.
Saturday, Nov. 28, 2009
Schedule: No. 8 Nebraska vs. Binghamton; No. 8 Nebraska vs. No. 12 Lehigh (12:15 p.m.); No. 8 Nebraska vs. Hofstra (2:15 p.m.); No. 8 Nebraska vs. Appalachian State (4 p.m.)
Host School: Hudson Valley Community College
Live Stats: Journeymen Wrestling
Live Audio: Lehigh Athletics (Nebraska vs. Lehigh only)
Twitter: www.twitter.com/HuskerWrestling

The eighth-ranked Nebraska wrestling team continues its busy early-season schedule as the Huskers travel to Troy, N.Y., after Thanksgiving Day for the 2009 Journeymen/Brute Northeast Duals this Saturday, Nov. 28. Head Coach Mark Manning's squad will have a full and challenging day of duals, taking on Binghamton (8:15 a.m.), No. 12 Lehigh (12:15 p.m.), Hofstra (2:15 p.m.) and Appalachian State (4 p.m.).

The host website - www.journeymenwrestling.com - will provide live stats of the Journeymen/Brute Northeast Duals. Live radio will be available for the top-15 dual between Nebraska and Lehigh on lehighsports.com.

Both Binghamton and Appalachian State will be first-time opponents for Nebraska. The Huskers are deadlocked in the all-time series vs. Lehigh, 3-3, and lead Hofstra, 5-1.

Nebraska is 1-0 in dual action this season (26-17 win vs. No. 11 Wisconsin, Nov. 15) and competed at the Kaufman-Brand Open and NWCA All-Star Classic last weekend. The Huskers will be on the road until Dec. 19, when NU returns home to face Central Michigan and Nebraska-Kearney in Lincoln.

Scouting the Journeymen/Brute Northeast Duals
Binghamton is 1-1 this season, falling to Michigan State (12-20) and defeating Davidson (50-0). The Bears finished 2008-09 with a 10-10 mark in dual action and qualified 184-pounder Josh Patterson for the NCAA Championships. Patterson finished seventh at the national meet to gain All-America honors. He was not present for Binghamton's opening day duals against Michigan State and Davidson, as he competed in the NWCA All-Star Classic, but came up short against No. 1 Max Askren of Missouri, 14-7. Patterson is currently ranked No. 9 in the country at 184 pounds.

The Bearcats returned eight starters off last year's squad, and look to give second-year head coach Pat Popolizio a solid foundation for his second year with the program. Popolizio is a 2001 graduate from Oklahoma State, where he was a two-time All-American for the Cowboys.

Lehigh will be the second ranked team Nebraska has faced this season, as the Mountain Hawks have climbed to No. 12 in the latest InterMat team rankings. Lehigh has an impressive 4-1 record in 2009-10 with victories over nationally-ranked Penn State and Michigan. Its only loss came at No. 5 Ohio State.

The Mountain Hawks were 23-1 last year and finished 28th at the 2009 NCAA Championships. They return six NCAA qualifiers and nine of 10 starters to put Lehigh in position for a high placing at this year's national meet. Five wrestlers are nationally-ranked by InterMat: Matt Fisk (133 lbs, No. 18), Seth Ciasulli (141 lbs, No. 12), Robert Hamlin (174 lbs, No. 18), David Craig (184 lbs, No. 12) and Zach Rey (HWT, No. 6).

Pat Santoro is in his second season as Lehigh's head coach following a five-year stint at Maryland. Before coaching the Terps, Santoro was an assistant for the Mountain Hawks for nine seasons. He is a 1992 graduate of the University of Pittsburgh.

Hofstra tied its only dual meet so far this season, wrestling to a 16-16 tie vs. Buffalo on Nov. 15. The Pride are the defending Colonial Athletic Conference champions and is coming off a 10-6 campaign in 2008-09. They finished 27th at the 2009 NCAA Championships and return five national qualifiers from that squad who are all currently in the national rankings: Steve Bonanno (125 lbs, No. 13), Justin Accordino (149 lbs, No. 16), Jonny Bonilla-Bowman (157 lbs, No. 8), P.J. Gillespie (165 lbs, No. 18) and Ryan Patrovich (174 lbs, No. 10). Gillespie and Patrovich, in addition to Ben Clymer (184 lbs), all claimed individual championships at last weekend's N.C. State Open.

Head coach Tom Shifflet is in his fourth season at Hofstra and holds a 41-18-2 record with the Pride. He also spent five seasons at Cornell. Shifflet graduated from Edinboro University in 1995, where he was a three-time All-American.

Appalachian State returns nine of 10 starters from last year's squad that went 7-16 and finished fourth in the Southern Conference. The Mountaineers have not had a dual meet in 2009-10, competing in the Michigan State Open (no team scores) and Keystone Classic, placing third out of nine teams. Frank Celorrio won the 133-pound championship at the Keystone Classic and looks to be the team leader this season after his 2009 NCAA Championship qualification.

The Mountaineers are under first-year head coach John Mark Bentley. The 2001 North Carolina graduate was an assistant coach for three seasons at Appalachian State before being named head coach. He was a three-time ACC champion for the Tar Heels.

Last Time Out: Burroughs, Dwyer Shine at NWCA All-Star Classic
Seniors Jordan Burroughs and Stephen Dwyer solidified their positions among the best college wrestlers in the country, as each Husker brought home a title from the nationally-recognized NWCA All-Star Classic at a soldout Titan Gym on Nov. 22 in Fullerton, Calif.

In its 44th year, Nebraska's three participants at the NWCA All-Star Classic were the most in school history. The Huskers won two of their matches, as Burroughs defeated No. 2 Matt Moley of Bloomsburg in the 157-pound bout, 10-4, and Dwyer upset No. 2 Chris Henrich of Virginia at 174 pounds, 7-6. Senior Craig Brester represented Nebraska at 197 pounds, but fell to No. 1 Jake Varner of Iowa State, 5-2.

Ranked No. 7 in the nation, Dwyer upset Henrich in one of the day's most competitive matches, overcoming an early three-point deficit before turning in the winning takedown with 30 seconds remaining in the match for a 7-6 decision. Dwyer took his first lead over Henrich in the second period with a takedown to gain a 5-4 advantage, but a pair of escapes put Dwyer in a 6-5 deficit with under a minute remaining in the match. Dwyer then turned in his second takedown with just over 30 seconds left on the clock and rode out the time to the victory. It was a second straight clutch performance for Dwyer, who pinned Wisconsin's Brendan Ard last Sunday to give Nebraska a 26-17 season-opening win.

Burroughs left little doubt that he has earned the No. 1 national ranking at 157 pounds, using a dominant third period to defeat Moley by a 10-4 decision. The Sicklerville, N.J., native led just 3-1 heading into the final period, but registered two takedowns and drove Moley to the mat for a three-point near fall in the last two minutes of the match. Moley scored his only points on four escapes and never led Burroughs after the two-time NU All-American took a 2-0 lead in the first period. The defending NCAA champion, Burroughs has now won 39 straight matches dating back to the 2007-08 season.

In the most anticipated match of the event, Brester and Varner battled to the final horn at 197 pounds, but a Varner reversal in the first minute of the third period led the Cyclone to a 5-2 win. Brester held a short 1-0 advantage in the second period, but then gave up a takedown and was unable to overcome Varner's late advantage.

The Big 12 Conference was strongly represented at the event, as nine of the 20 NWCA All-Star Classic participants were from NU's league.

Last Time Out: Lane Claims Most Outstanding Wrestler Honors at Kaufman-Brand Open
Sophomore Tucker Lane was named Most Outstanding Wrestler and led three Huskers to individual crowns as Nebraska claimed six top-three finishes at the Kaufman-Brand Open at Omaha's Sapp Fieldhouse on Nov. 21.

Lane's 285-pound title was his second in a row at the Kaufman-Brand Open, winning all four of his matches by decision, including a narrow 3-2 victory over Iowa's Brad Rasing in the championship.

In addition to Lane, sophomore Chris Hacker claimed the 149-pound Elite Division title, using three major decision wins before an 8-4 victory in the championship over Luther's Jason Pyle. Freshman C.J. Napier earned Nebraska's final title in the 133-pound Amateur Division with a 3-2 victory over Minnesota's David Thorn in the title match. All five of Napier's matches were won by decision.

Husker freshmen performed very well, as two more reached the championship finals in their respective classes with Tyler Koehn and Caleb Kolb each earning runner-up finishes.

Koehn won his first three matches by decision in the 165-pound Elite Division, before falling to Old Dominion's Chris Brown in the finals, while Kolb used two major decision triumphs en route to the title match, where he was defeated by Minnesota's Kevin Steinhaus, 3-2.

A total of four NU freshmen finished in the top three, as David Klingsheim won the consolation final in the 125-pound Amateur Division, 8-3, over Chadron State's Dustin Stodola.

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 Sicklerville, 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 Launch Twitter Page
The Nebraska Wrestling program has launched a home on Twitter at "http://twitter.com/HuskerWrestling".

Follow everything surrounding the Huskers throughout the season with more news, notes and quotes on one of the world's fastest-growing social networks.

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 we 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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Next Up: Huskers Head to Las Vegas Invitational
Nebraska will head the opposite corner of the country for its next road trip, as the Huskers travel to Primm, Nev., for the 2009 Las Vegas Invitational Dec. 4-5. Primm is located 38 miles southeast of Las Vegas on the Nevada- California border.