2010-11 Season Preview: Huskers Ready for 100th Season

  Strong competition in the practice room and dedication to work hard on and off the mat can forge success for the 2010-11 Nebraska wrestling team. With 42 wrestlers on the roster, the Huskers are looking for a landmark year as the program celebrates its 100th anniversary season. The 39 student-athletes donning the scarlet and cream singlets this winter are the most in 28 years.

   "That's what we needed to do," Head Coach Mark Manning said. "At several weights last year we didn't have any competition in the practice room. We didn't have many wrestle-offs because we were decimated with injuries. Now we have more depth. We have competition and young guys who are hungry to prove themselves. That's going to instantly help the intensity level and create the environment that we need on a daily basis."

   The Huskers have the tools for a successful season, highlighted by the return of 2009 national champion Jordan Burroughs. A fifth-year senior, Burroughs will compete at 165 pounds after he received a medical redshirt following a season-ending injury last December. The setback caused Burroughs' 44-match winning streak to snap in a 3-2 overtime loss to No. 13 Steve Brown of Central Michigan. The Sicklerville, N.J., native has underwent successful surgery and rehabilition as he aims to become Nebraska's first-ever two-time national champion.

   The return of Burroughs - already one of the most accomplished wrestlers in school history - is a positive asset for the 2010-11 Huskers. The leadership of an experienced veteran is something Manning believes could benefit the entire team.

   "Getting Jordan Burroughs back is big," Manning said. "He is the centerpiece of our team right now. However, we need to have other guys step up as leaders and understand the principles we're trying to get across. Those principles are to be the best person and best individual they can be. If they can do those things and keep working on their individual improvement, then they're going to be better wrestlers. That goes hand-in-hand."

   Candidates to fill these roles could be in the mold of three other returning NCAA Championships qualifiers - senior Mike Koehnlein (141) and sophomores Josh Ihnen (184) and Tucker Lane (Hwt). Although the Huskers lost a pair of accomplished veterans with the graduation of All-Americans Craig Brester (197) and Stephen Dwyer (174), NU brings back a total of eight wrestlers who started at least 10 varsity duals last year. Many of those starters were called upon after Nebraska suffered numerous injuries in the first two months of the season. Although the setbacks played a major role in NU's 9-11 dual record, opportunities opened for young and talented wrestlers to begin their quest to become Nebraska's next All-Americans. On average, the Huskers started four freshmen during the regular season and forfeited the 149-pound bout due to injuries until early February. Several underclassmen starters made significant improvements, as Nebraska came within two matches of upsetting No. 9 Oklahoma and No. 17 Missouri.

   In the end, Nebraska's top five performers all qualified for the NCAA Championships and finished 12th in the team race, its 11th top-15 finish since 1995.

   "Those are some guys (Koehnlein, Ihnen and Lane) who need to step up and get us back to where we were a couple years ago," Manning said. "That's wrestling a physical, exciting style and putting a lot of points on the board. We're not just trying to win, we're trying to dominate."

   Koehnlein (18-17), Ihnen (19-15) and Lane (23-12) combined to produce a 60-44 overall record last season, while Ihnen and Lane lost a combined 18 matches by three points or less. Ihnen may have been the closest to a breakthrough at the NCAA Championships, as he came out of the losers bracket to win three straight before falling one match short of All-America status. Lane's season ended with back-to-back 4-3 and 3-1 (OT) decisions to No. 4 Konrad Dudziak (Duke) and No. 7 Jarod Trice (Central Michigan), giving further evidence that the returning NCAA Championship qualifiers are poised to continue their progress in 2010-11.

   The Huskers also bring back a pair of underclassmen starters at 125 and 133 pounds in sophomores Dave Klingsheim and C.J. Napier. In their first years of collegiate wrestling, Klingsheim and Napier saw steady improvement as they went through the rigors of Division I competition. On Jan. 29 against Missouri, the pair turned in critical wins to lead a near upset of the 17th-ranked Tigers. Near the end of the season, Klingsheim dropped a 4-3 overtime decision to No. 12 Jarrod Patterson (Oklahoma) before Napier saw his year end with a 4-2 loss to No. 3 Kendric Maple (Oklahoma).

   "We didn't get over the top (with Klingsheim and Napier)," Manning said. "We were close. We were in overtime or a tight match but we didn't take it up another level. That's where both of those guys can go. Hopefully we got over that hump in the spring and summer time and now we have to prove that we got over the hump. We can win close matches and find a way to win."

   Nebraska was forced to forfeit at 149 pounds for seven duals through the months of January and February. In addition to Burroughs, redshirt freshman Ross Grande and sophomore Chris Hacker also suffered season-ending injuries. Grande and Hacker will contend for the 149-pound starting spot this season, while sophomore Tyler Koehn, last year's 157-pound starter, will battle with redshirt freshman Cody Compton. Following the Burroughs injury, the Huskers won only two varsity dual matches from 149 to 165 pounds, both coming from Kohen. That number should improve this winter.

   "We need to get back to where we've having 5, 6, 7 guys who we can count on every time to get a victory, although our goal is 10," Manning said. "We need to step up at some weight classes and be more competitive. It's a process. We learned a lot last year. It was a tough year and now you either get better or you get worse. We think we got a lot better and the results will show that when we start competing."

   The competition between 39 wrestlers should increase the chances of reaching that goal. Of the 16 winners at last year's Wrestle-Offs, only eight went on to healthy seasons from November to March.

   "We're going to have that depth in the practice room to help our guys stay sharp, stay crisp and keep an edge on a guy that we didn't have last year," Manning said. "We're going to have a lot of great battles throughout the year with young guys and redshirts who got experience last season. They got matches under their belt and made the adjustment to college wrestling. Now those guys have to step up for us and be successful on the mat."

   Freshman Caleb Kolb was Nebraska's top redshirt last season by winning two open tournaments en route to a 27-5 record. The 174-pounder will most likely be challenged by fellow redshirt freshman Jerad Gubbels, who was 18-7 in 2009-10 open competition.

   At 197 pounds, a pair of Huskers on the 2008-09 team are looking to fill the void from the departure of Brester. Senior Andy Johnson could be the front runner with a 22-9 career record, although sophomore Livingston Lukow has returned to the program after serving a term in Afghanistan.

   "I believe we had a really good spring and summer of work and now we have to make it count. Now we have to step on the mat and really will ourselves on people and use our work ethic to our advantage."

   As the construction to advance a storied program continues, Nebraska's 100th anniversary season will be celebrated with a significant mix of past and present Huskers leading the 2010-11 team. During the offseason, Manning added former Husker Bryan Snyder, Nebraska's only four-time All-American in school history. Snyder returned to NU after spending one year at Arizona State. Snyder  joins fifth-year assistant coach Tony Erslad.

   "Bryan is going to bring a lot of pride into our program," Manning said. "He knows our program and is going to add to what the rest of our staff already knows. That is you have to have a great work ethic and you have to be disciplined in order to be successful. You have to be tough. Bryan brings that toughness and mindset we need. He's a great addition."

   The Huskers also added a recent NU great with the addition of three-time All-American Craig Brester as administrative assistant. Brester joins former Nebraska national champion Jason Powell and former two-time All-American Brandon Browne to round out a stellar coaching staff.

   "Out of the five coaches, four wrestled at Nebraska and were national champions, All-Americans or Big 12 champions," Manning said. "That's pretty special in itself. You have guys who went through the system and understand what's required and what it takes to be the best. Needless to say, that's going to help our guys."

   Highlighted by seven home duals and nine contests against teams who finished last year ranked in the top 25, Nebraska will face a challenging schedule this season. The competition starts Nov. 21 at the Buckeye Duals, while the first home match is Nov. 27 against Bucknell and South Dakota State. The 2010 NCAA Championships take place March 17-19 in Philadelphia.