InterMat Ranks Husker Recruiting Class Second

Lincoln- With three Top-100 prospects and two-time All-American transfer Tyler Caldwell, the 2011 Nebraska recruiting class was tabbed as the second-best class in the country by InterMat on Thursday.

The Huskers trailed only future Big Ten member Ohio State in rankings compiled by the respected publication, while Central Michigan, Wisconsin and Cornell rounded out the top 5

InterMat ranked three of Nebraska's recruits in its national Top 100, headlined by No. 18 Jake Sueflohn, No. 20 Donny Longendyke and No. 21 James Green.  

Sueflohn claimed his second state title by winning the Wisconsin D1 140-pound championship as a senior. Sueflohn is the No. 2-rated wrestler in the country at 140 pounds. Longendyke will come to Lincoln as the No. 1-ranked heavyweight in the country after winning his second Minnesota Class AAA state title as a senior. Green, the 3rd-ranked wrestler at 145-pounds, won the 145-pound title at the National High School Athletic Association Senior National Championships in Virginia Beach, Va., in March.

The Huskers also welcome the addition of Caldwell, who transfers to Nebraska after spending his first two seasons at Oklahoma. The Wichita, Kan., native is a two-time All-American and was runner-up at last year's NCAA Championships behind former Husker Jordan Burroughs.

A pair of in-state products also headline the class, as Hastings St. Cecelia product Austin Wilson and Howells native Cory Brester will join the Huskers this season. Wilson's 180 wins during his high school career are the most by a Nebraska high school wrestler in state history. Brester, the brother of former Husker All-American Craig Brester, is the No. 14 ranked recruit at 189-pounds.

Eight of the 12 Big Ten wrestling teams claimed a spot in the top 25, while five of those teams were placed inside the top 15.

Last summer, InterMat ranked Nebraska's 2010 recruiting class No. 6.

2011 InterMat Recruiting Class Rankings
1. Ohio State
2. Nebraska
3. Central Michigan
4. Wisconsin
5. Cornell
6. Penn State
7. Oklahoma State
8. Virginia Tech
9. Old Dominion
10. North Carolina
11. Penn
12. North Carolina State
13. Buffalo
14. Minnesota
15. Lehigh
16. Utah Valley
17. Iowa
18. Cal State Bakersfield
19. Stanford
20. Virginia
21. Rutgers
22. Purdue
23. Indiana
24. Oklahoma
25. Maryland

Nebraska's InterMat Top 100 Recruits
No. 18 - Jake Sueflohn (Hartland, Wis.)
No. 20 - Donny Longendyke (White Bear Lake, Minn.)
No. 21 - James Green (Willingboro, N.J.)

Nebraska's InterMat Recruits Ranked by Weight Class
No. 18 at 160 pounds - Austin Wilson (Hastings, Neb.)
No. 14 at 189 pounds - Cory Brester (Howells, Neb.)