Huskers Conclude Regular Season at No. 2 Iowa State

Nebraska (9-10, 0-3 Big 12) vs. #2 Iowa State (12-2, 3-0 Big 12)
Hilton Coliseum (7,914/14,356) • Ames, Iowa • Sunday, Feb. 21, 2010 • 2 p.m.
Series History: NU trails, 13-76-2
Last Meeting: ISU won, 30-10, on Feb. 22, 2009 in Lincoln
Television: Iowa Public Television and NET (tape delay at 4 p.m. CST)
Live Video: Cyclones.com (subscription required)
Live Stats: Cyclones.com
Live Blog: Huskers.com
Next: at 2010 Big 12 Championships on Saturday, March 6 in Norman, Okla.

After enduring one of its toughest schedules in school history, the Husker wrestling team (9-10, 0-3) will wrap up the regular season slate against its 10th ranked opponent of the year when Nebraska faces No. 2 Iowa State (12-2, 3-0) this Sunday, Feb. 21. The Huskers and Cyclones will meet at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa at 2 p.m.

Live video will be available online at cyclones.com with a paid subscription, while the match will also be televised in the state of Iowa on Iowa Public Television and aired in Nebraska on NET on a tape delay basis at 4 p.m. CST. Cyclones.com will provide free live stats, while Huskers.com will post a live blog.

Although Nebraska has not picked up a dual win in Big 12 action, there have been several bright spots in the 2009-10 season. Another positive note could happen this Sunday, as senior Stephen Dwyer (174) will wrestle for the 100th win in his NU career. A native of Rockton, Ill., Dwyer is 99-33 since joining the Huskers in 2006. He is ranked No. 4 at 174 pounds this season with a 21-3 record, including eight pins. If Dwyer can finish his quest for 100 wins, he will be just the 18th Husker to do so in school history.

Earlier this season, senior Craig Brester (197) reached 100 wins after he defeated Oregon State's Chad Hanke by a 10-2 major decision on Jan. 24. Brester has been the leading force in the Huskers' 2009-10 season, holding a perfect 25-0 record. Brester is the first 100-win club member since Travis Pascoe hit the century mark at the end of the 2004-05 season and finished with a 101-37 career record. Nebraska has not had two Huskers reach 100 wins in the same season since 2000-01 when Bryan Snyder and Brad Vering both accomplished the feat.

Nebraska and Iowa State will see each other in competition for the first time since the two teams shared the 2009 Big 12 Championship. Each squad came away from the tournament with 70 points to give the Huskers their first conference title since 1995, while the Cyclones claimed their third in a row. Four NU wrestlers were crowned champions in Vince Jones (184), Jordan Burroughs (157), Brandon Browne (174) and Brester (197). In dual action last season, the Cyclones defeated the Huskers, 30-10, as only Burroughs and Jones tallied wins for the Big Red.

Nebraska has three wrestlers in InterMat's latest top 20, which will all result in ranked matchups this Sunday. Dwyer will go for win No. 100 against No. 20 Duke Burk (15-11), a fellow Illinois (Peoria) native, in the first career meeting between the two wrestlers. The 197-pound match between Brester, ranked No. 2 nationally, and No. 1 Jake Varner (23-0) is one of the most anticipated battles in college wrestling this season. Varner held a 2-1 edge on Brester last year, with Brester's win coming in the Big 12 Championships. At Heavyweight, No. 14 Tucker Lane (20-8), will face another top-five opponent in No. 5 David Zabriskie (18-2). Lane was 0-2 against Zabriskie last season, dropping both matches by decision.

This Friday will mark the 10th ranked opponent on Nebraska's schedule this season. The Huskers are ending a stretch of dualing five teams ranked in the top-20 in the last five weeks of the regular season. Nebraska was using a shorthanded lineup for more than a month due to numerous injuries, but is now starting walk-on freshman Dustin Payne at 149 pounds. He wrestled in his first collegiate match last Friday at Oklahoma State, falling by a 12-2 major decision to Luke Silver.

Scouting No. 2 Iowa State
Kevin Jackson is in his first year as Iowa State's head wrestling coach, leading to the Cyclones to a 12-2 record with a 3-0 mark in Big 12 duals. Jackson replaced former Cyclone great Cael Sanderson as head coach in the offseason when Sanderson accepted the same position at Penn State University. Jackson has Iowa State roots as well, captaining the school's last national championship team in 1987. That was Jackson's only year wrestling for the Cyclones, transferring to ISU after Louisiana State dropped its program following his junior season. Jackson quickly worked his way up the coaching ranks after college, most recently serving as the National Freestyle Coach for USA Wrestling from 2001 to 2008.

Iowa State has held steady with its No. 2 ranking the majority of the 2009-10 season. Its only two losses have come at the hands of its top-ranked in-state rival, Iowa. The first occurred on Dec. 6 in Ames, a narrow 18-16 victory, while the most recent came at the National Duals on Jan. 10, a 19-12 Hawkeye win. The Cyclones have been otherwise perfect, including eight victories over ranked opponents. Most notably, Iowa State has downed the remaining three teams in the top five (No. 3 Oklahoma State, No. 4 Ohio State and No. 5 Minnesota).

Individually, the Cyclones enter Sunday's contest with a wrestler ranked in all 10 weight classes for the second straight year against the Huskers. Of those, six are in the top 10. ISU is led by three-time NCAA finalist and 2009 NCAA champion Jake Varner at 197 pounds. Varner is 23-0 this season. Classmate David Zabriskie has been nearly as impressive, ranking No. 5 at Heavyweight with an 18-2 record. Zabriskie finished fifth at the 2009 NCAA Championships to earn his second straight All-America honor. Junior Jon Reader expects to contend for a national championship at 165 pounds, currently holding a No. 2 national ranking with a 20-3 record. The Cyclones also return an All-American at 133 pounds, as senior Nick Fanthorpe is off to a 14-6 start and ranked No 9.

Iowa State Probable Starting Lineup
Wt. Rank Name Yr. Hometown Overall/Dual Record
125 5/7 Andrew Long RFr. Creston, Iowa 21-5/8-4
133 9/8 Nick Fanthorpe Sr. Naperville, Ill. 14-6/10-4
141 18/NR Dalton Jensen So. Missouri Valley, Iowa 12-11/4-8
149 9/9 Mitch Mueller Sr. Iowa City, Iowa 23-7/9-4
157 20/17 Andrew Sorenson So. Woden, Iowa 23-6/9-3
165 2/2 Jon Reader Jr. Davison, Mich. 20-3/12-2
174 20/15 Duke Burk Sr. Peoria, Ill. 15-11/4-7
184 13/15 Jerome Ward So. Evergreen Park, Ill. 17-7/9-4
197 1/1 Jake Varner Sr. Bakersfield, Calif. 23-0/14-0
HWT 5/5 David Zabriskie Sr. Branchville, N.J. 18-2/10-1

Husker History versus the Cyclones
The Cyclones and Huskers first met in 1916, but NU did not get a win until 1930 as ISU won the first eight meetings. Iowa State dominated Nebraska until the mid 1980s to amass a 76-13-2 lead in the series, but the last 10 years have seen both programs reach new levels. The series has tightened as Nebraska is 3-6 in its last nine matchups with Iowa State, including a 16-15 upset of second-ranked ISU in Lincoln in 2005 by a sixth-ranked Husker squad.

The two schools last faced each other on Feb. 22, 2009 in Lincoln, when Jordan Burroughs and Vince Jones posted bonus-point victories, but No. 3 Nebraska came up short in a 30-10 match in front of more than 1,670 fans at the NU Coliseum.

With the dual, the Huskers finished the regular season at 17-3-1. NU's record marked the seventh-straight season and 19th time in the last 20 years that the Huskers won at least 10 duals. Nebraska's 17 team wins were the most since the Huskers recorded 19 in 2004-05.

Burroughs picked up his 12th win of the season over a ranked opponent with a 12-3 major decision over No. 8 Cyler Sanderson. Burroughs nearly pinned the Cyclone a minute into the first period, picking up a two-point nearfall, and did the same in the third en route to claiming the win.

Likewise, Vince Jones pinned ISU's Jerome Ward at National Duals in their first matchup, and accomplished the feat again. Ward had a cradle locked in early in the bout, but neither wrestler could score a takedown in the scramble. After a restart the two scrambled again with Jones earning the upper hand to post the pin in 1:31.

Iowa State won close matches at 165, 197 and heavyweight, claiming each match by less than three points. Another decision at 149 and major decisions at 133, 141 and 174 helped the Cyclones pull away before earning a forfeit at 125 for the final margin.

Last Time Out: Huskers Fall to No. 3 Cowboys, 31-6
The Huskers won two-of-three ranked match-ups on the night behind individual victories from its senior duo of Craig Brester (197) and Stephen Dwyer (174), but the Nebraska wrestling team could not collect any additional team points, falling to No. 3 Oklahoma State, 31-6, Feb. 12 in Stillwater, Okla. The Cowboys' win was their first over Nebraska since the 2006-07 season, as the Huskers had previously won back-to-back duals against the Oklahoma State.

In the first of three ranked matchups, senior 174-pounder Stephen Dwyer (21-3) won a hard-fought 4-0 decision over No. 10 Mike Benefiel. After a scoreless first period, the fourth-ranked Dwyer chose down to begin the second frame and quickly earned a one-point escape. Due to clock issues, several minutes in real time halted progress, but with 1:10 remaining in the second period Dwyer took a 3-0 lead on his lone takedown of the match. The senior rode out Benefiel through the period to accumulate the beginning of his 3:04 riding-time advantage, including the entire final period when he did not allow the Cowboy to escape.

Senior Craig Brester (197) also had a scoreless first period against No. 8 Alan Gelogaev. The OSU wrestler chose down to begin the second period and was issued a stall warning with 37 seconds remaining in the second as Brester would not allow the one-point escape. Thirty seconds later, the warning turned into Brester's first point of the match. He added another point on an escape to begin the third period and finished with a 3-0 win after his 1:57 riding time advantage. It was Brester's third-straight win over a ranked opponent and second over a top 10 foe after he defeated No. 6 Eric Lapotsky (Oklahoma) last week.

Husker Heavyweight Tucker Lane had his upset bid of No. 1 Jared Rosholt fall short, despite taking a 2-0 lead in the first period. The NU sophomore gained his first points just over two minutes into the first period, but his lead was short-lived as Rosholt answered with a takedown of his own to even the score at 2-2. Lane fell down 6-2, but a late takedown was not enough as Rosholt eventually prevailed, 9-5.

At 149 pounds, freshman Dustin Payne wrestled in his first collegiate match, falling to Luke Silver by major decision (12-2). A native of Brainard, Neb., Payne was a four-time Class D Nebraska state qualifier at East Butler High School, winning the 2008 135-pound championship. Prior to the match, the Huskers had forfeited the past seven duals at 149 pounds due to injury.

The 149-pound weight class was the only bout in which Oklahoma State did not have a ranked wrestler. The Huskers dropped the first three matches to opponents all ranked in the top 10, as the Cowboys built a comfortable 25-0 lead through six matches.

Tickets Available for 2010 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships
The University of Nebraska and the Omaha Sports Commission have announced that a limited number of all-session tickets for the 2010 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships are on sale now. The championships are being held March 18-20 at Qwest Center Omaha.

The all-session tickets are available at four different prices, ranging from $100-165. With large crowds expected at the event, fans are encouraged to purchase quickly.

Tickets can be purchased via Ticketmaster at its official Web site (www.ticketmaster.com) or by calling 800/745-3000. Each Division I wrestling program was given an optional ticket allotment before public sale.

The Huskers are coming off back-to-back fourth-place finishes at the NCAA Championships. Three NU wrestlers are looking for a repeat appearance at the national meet, led by second-ranked 197-pound senior Craig Brester, a two-time All-American and 2009 runner-up. Senior Stephen Dwyer is aiming for his second All-America honor as the fourth-ranked wrestler at 174 pounds. Sophomore heavyweight Tucker Lane is seeking another qualification after competing at the 2009 NCAA Championships as a freshman.

The University of Nebraska and the Omaha Sports Commission are co-hosts for the 2010 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. This spring will mark the fifth time the University of Nebraska has hosted an NCAA Championship at Qwest Center Omaha since it opened in 2003. The Huskers also hosted the 2005 Big 12 Wrestling Championships at Qwest Center Omaha.

Dwyer Looks for 100th Career Win vs. Iowa State
Senior Stephen Dywer is bidding to put his name in the Husker record books, as he is just one victory away from reaching the 100-win total in his NU career. The 174-pounder is 99-33 since joining the Huskers in 2006 and is off to a 21-3 start this season with his only losses coming to No. 1 Mack Lewnes (Cornell), No. 2 Jay Borschel (Iowa) and No. 9 Colby Covington.

Dwyer was a 2008 All-American at 165 pounds, where he wrestled his first three seasons. This year, he moved up to 174 pounds and has not skipped up a beat, rising has high as No. 3 in the national rankings. Dywer is 17-2 in duals and is second on the team in dual points behind Craig Brester with 75. Dywer has eight pins this season, including back-to-back falls two weeks ago over No. 15 Dorian Henderson (Missouri) and Patrick Prentice (Northern Colorado). Six of Dwyer's pins have come in the first period. Prior to this season, the senior had just three falls in his entire career and none last season.

Dwyer has qualified for the NCAA Championships every year as a Husker, and looks on track to end his career at this year's national meet in Omaha. He will aim for All-America honors after missing out last season when he was eliminated from the tournament after four matches (2-2).

Although the Rockton, Ill., native is just a few weeks away from ending his NU career, Stephen's younger brother, Matt Dwyer, is part of Nebraska's incoming recruiting class and will begin his Husker career this August.

Brester Shining in Senior Season
Senior Craig Brester is solidifying his spot among the best wrestlers in school history, beginning his final season with a 25-0 record. Brester's start has the 197-pounder on the brink of climbing the record books, as he currently ranks No. 6 all-time in career win-loss percentage (.852) and recently became the 17th Husker ever to reach 100 wins (currently 104-18).

This season, Brester is winning by domination, pinning 10 opponents to go along with three technical falls and five major decisions. In addition to his 10 pins, he also leads the Huskers in wins (25), dual points (86) and has the second-fastest fall this season, pinning North Dakota State's Drew Ross in 41 seconds on Jan. 3.

In December, Brester was awarded for his outstanding performance as he was named Big 12 Wrestler of the Week by the league office for matches Dec. 7-Dec. 13. It was the second Big 12 weekly award of his career, earning the honor after pinning Minnesota's Joe Nord (1:10) Dec. 10 in Minneapolis before defeating his fourth ranked opponent in a two-week stretch with an 8-2 decision over No. 9 Tyler Sorenson of South Dakota State on Dec. 12. The week before, Brester claimed the 2009 Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational championship and was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Wrestler.

Eighteen of Brester's 25 victories in 2009-10 have come in bonus-point fashion. He has seven wins over ranked opponents, including three-straight in Big 12 duals over No. 15 Brent Haynes (Missouri), No. 6 Eric Lapotsky (Oklahoma) and No. 8 Alan Gelegaev (Oklahoma State).

Currently ranked No. 2 in the nation at 197 pounds, Brester is a two-time All-American and was named Most Outstanding Wrestler of the 2009 Big 12 Championships.

Howells Boasts Two 100-Win Club Members
Although the small Nebraska community of Howells holds a population of just over 600 people, the town boasts two of Husker wrestling's 100-win club members in Brad Vering and Craig Brester.

Vering is one of Nebraska's 10 national champions, claiming the 2000 title at 197 pounds. He finished his career with an outstanding 124-26 record that included three All-America honors.

Brester is a two-time All-American and reached 100 wins following his victory over Oregon State's Chad Hanke last Sunday. His 103-18 record was built on a 34-4 mark last season, when the 197-pounder won the Big 12 title and finished second at the NCAA Championships.

The only other duo in Nebraska's 100-win club to hail from the same city is Bill and Jim Scherr (1981-84) of Mobridge, S.D.

Ihnen Ranked No. 25 in NCAA Coaches Rankings
Redshirt freshman Josh Ihnen is seeing positive signs from his first season of varsity competition, as he is ranked No. 25 at 184 pounds in the first of three NCAA coaches' panel rankings. The final rankings will be one of the criteria in the selection process for the 2010 NCAA Championship qualifiers.

Ihnen is 14-11 this season with a 10-9 dual record. Ten of his 11 losses are to ranked opponents, seven of which are in the top 10. The Sheldon, Iowa native was Nebraska's top redshirt a year ago, producing a 24-5 record with 13 bonus-point victories.

Payne Steps Up at 149 Pounds
After forfeiting seven dual matches due to injuries, freshman walk-on Dustin Payne has taken on the role as Nebraska's 149-pound starter. Payne wrestled in his first collegiate match last Friday at Oklahoma State, dropping a 12-2 decision to Luke Silver.

A graduate of East Butler High School (Brainard, Neb.), Payne was a four-time Class D Nebraska state qualifier, winning the 2008 135-pound championship with a 32-2 record. He finished his high school career with a 127-16 record and reached the semifinals of the state tournament every year, claiming third in 2007 (135) and 2009 (145).

Tough Tasks
Head Coach Mark Manning was not shy as the NU staff put together the 2009-10 schedule. When the preseason rankings were released in October, Nebraska saw nine future opponents in the top 20, including four in the top 10. The Huskers' added more schedule strength at the 2010 NWCA National Duals, drawing No. 1 Iowa in the first round.

Nebraska defeated its first ranked opponent of the season, downing No. 11 Wisconsin, 26-17, on Nov. 15, but has struggled to win duals since injuries began to plague the lineup in Decemeber. Each of Nebraska's last three opponents are ranked in the top 10 (No. 9 Oklahoma, No. 3 Oklahoma State and No. 2 Iowa State).

Last season, Nebraska faced 11 ranked opponents in 21 duals, posting a 7-3-1 mark against those teams.

Rough Weather Keeps Huskers Home
The weather was unusually kind in Arizona last month, forcing a cancelation of Nebraska's Jan. 22 dual at Arizona. The Huskers were scheduled to fly out of Omaha, but the flight was called off due to Arizona experiencing one of its worst winter storms over the past two decades.

The two schools will not make up the match this season, but may explore options for a dual in 2010-11.

Huskers Place 17 on Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll
A total of 17 Nebraska wrestlers, including 13 currently on the 2009-10 squad, were named to the Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll during the 2009 fall semester. The honor roll recognizes those student-athletes who achieved at least a 3.0 grade-point average during the term.

Nebraska's youngsters showed positive signs of a bright future for the program, as eight freshmen and redshirt freshmen were named to the honor roll. Of that group, three are current varsity starters in David Klingsheim (125), C.J. Napier (133) and Josh Ihnen (184).

Nearing the end of their undergraduate studies, seniors Craig Brester (197) and Stephen Dwyer (174) continued to perform as leaders both on the mat and in the classroom. Each previous members of the NWCA All-Academic Team, Brester was named to the honor roll for the fifth consecutive semester, while Dwyer earned the fourth award of his career.

Sophomore Tucker Lane has claimed a spot on the honor roll every semester at Nebraska, posting his fifth straight appearance. Alex Ward (165) and James Nakashima (165) represented the junior class.

Redshirt freshman Ross Grande posted his third straight appearance on the list, while redshirt freshman Hadley Cookley and true freshmen Michael Klinginsmith, Caleb Kolb and Scott Kwiatkowski all earned their first honors.

A total of 359 Nebraska student-athletes across all 23 varsity sports claimed spots on the honor roll, including 38 with perfect 4.0 GPAs.

Burroughs to Sit Out Remainder of 2009-10 Season
Head Coach Mark Manning and the Nebraska wrestling program announced Dec. 21 that senior 157-pounder Jordan Burroughs will not be able to compete the rest of the 2009-10 season due to a left knee injury suffered Dec. 19 against Central Michigan. An MRI revealed Burroughs had a torn PCL and LCL and he underwent successful surgery on Jan. 2.

"Unfortunately, we have lost Jordan Burroughs for the season, but we're fortunate that we will seek a medical redshirt to get this year back," Manning said. "I believe he will qualify for that due to him not competing more than 30 percent of this season. With successful surgery and good rehab, he'll be back better than ever next year."

Burroughs ends his shortened 2009-10 season with a 7-1 record. The only loss came in his injured match to No. 13 Steve Brown of Central Michigan - a 3-2 overtime defeat. Prior to the setback, Burroughs had won 44 straight matches, including a perfect 38-0 junior season in 2008-09 that took the Sicklerville, N.J., native to the 157-pound national championship and his second straight All-America honor.

"You don't replace a young man like Jordan," Manning said. "On the other hand, it gives other guys on the team an opportunity to step up. It also gives our team great lessons in life that relate to athletics. It shows them you have to protect yourself and make the most of your opportunities because you are not promised anything. We'll move on from this and our team will be fine."

Manning Earns Win No. 150
With Nebraska's 26-17 victory over No. 11 Wisconson on 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 135-55-3 with a 70.7 percent winning percentage that ranks No. 1 among the 15 head coaches in school history.

Huskers Launch Twitter Page
The Nebraska Wrestling program has a home on Twitter at "www.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.com Features NU Wrestling Blog

Huskers.com has added 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 throughout the calendar year. Simply click the "NU Wrestling Blog" link on the right side of the wrestling page on Huskers.com.

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

Next Up: Huskers Prepare for 2009 Big 12 Championships
The 2010 Big 12 Championships will be held Saturday, March 6, at McCasland Field House in Norman, Okla. Matches for the 14th annual event begin at 11 a.m. CST.

Tickets can be purchased now on www.big12sports.com for $15 each. The Howard McCasland Field House is located just north of Oklahoma's Memorial Stadium.