2011-12 Season Preview: Huskers Set for Inaugural Big Ten Season

   Tough. Together.

   Those two words describe the Nebraska wrestling team as it embarks on a new era of Husker wrestling for the 2011-12 season. This season marks the beginning of competition in the Big Ten Conference for NU, after the University announced the switch from the Big 12 in June of 2010. Lauded as the top wrestling conference in the country, the Big Ten will offer premiere competition week in and week out for the Huskers.

   "Starting the Big Ten schedule in January is going to be a grind, but it's going to be something we're used to," Head Coach Mark Manning said. "Every season is a grind, but it's going to be good. It's going to be a challenge. There are going to be different places than where we've wrestled in the past. We're looking forward to those different venues we're wrestling in."

   The Huskers also moved into the newly opened Hendricks Training Complex this offseason, which was finished after 17 months of construction in early October. The 84,000 square foot state-of-the-art complex features a new wrestling room with four full-sized mats, new locker rooms, a players' lounge and coaches offices.
  
   With changes abound taking place off of the mat, Manning, who is entering his 12th season as head coach, said he hasn't seen a better offseason from his guys on the mat. Grueling workouts and conditioning were a regular for a squad that finished 12th for the second straight season at last year's NCAA Championships, its 12th top-15 finish since 1995.

   "It was the best offseason since I've been here in 11 years," Manning said. "Our guys have done a great job starting the week after the NCAA Tournament, and working out and training through the summer. They've had a great focus this fall. Our preparation has been tremendous and we just have to keep building momentum going through the season with how we trained in the offseason. I see that really being a huge factor for us. We have to keep that flame lit the whole season, but I'm really impressed with how our guys have trained in the offseason."

   Three national qualifiers return to lead a lineup that could potentially see four new faces at the start of the season. One of two seniors on the team, Tucker Lane enters his fourth season as the heavyweight starter after amassing 78 career victories and qualifying for three consecutive NCAA Championships. Last season, the Redvale, Colo., native finished the year with a 27-9 record and a 14-5 mark in dual competition. At the NCAA Championships, Lane came up one match short of reaching All-America honors by falling to the No. 3 seed Ryan Flores of American in the quarterfinals and Maryland's Spencer Myers in the consolation bracket to finish the tournament with a 2-2 mark. The other senior on the squad with Lane is James Nakashima. A junior college transfer from Lincoln (Ill.) College, Nakashima saw time in first his year in the program in 2009-10, when he won six matches. He took a redshirt last season and looks to take over the spot at 197 pounds.

   Nebraska will also lean on two-time returning national qualifier Josh Ihnen to provide some pivotal wins at 184 pounds. Ihnen fell just short of becoming an All-American last season after a 28-10 year and a second-place showing at the Big 12 Tournament. Earning a total of 47 team dual points for the Huskers, Ihnen was part of several big time wins including one over No. 4 Grant Gambrall of Iowa in the semifinals of the Midlands Championships. Manning will look to all three of his wrestlers at the three heaviest weights for leadership throughout the season.

   "I'm looking for Josh, James and Tucker all to be leaders," Manning said. "I think we have a number of young guys that are stepping into leadership roles already, and I think it's important that they all do, besides just those three. All of those guys are going to be really valuable to our season and how our year goes."

   A year after winning Nebraska's Most Improved Wrestler award, junior Ridge Kiley will return to be the starter at 133 pounds after having another impressive offseason, according to Manning. Kiley earned a spot in the NCAA Championships last season by winning the fourth-place challenge match at the Big 12 Tournament, and took advantage of his opportunity by winning his first career match at the NCAA Tournament over Stanford's Justin Paulsen, 4-0. Kiley will look to build off his 22-15 record and 11-8 mark in duals last season with another standout year as a junior.

   "I'd say Ridge is one of the most improved wrestlers I've ever been around here at Nebraska," Manning said of Kiley's improvement over two seasons. "I have a lot of confidence and belief in moving forward with Ridge."

   'Competition' is the best word to describe the middle-four weight classes of the Husker lineup, as several wrestlers are vying for the spots at 141, 149, 157 and 165 pounds. At 141 pounds, the Huskers could see true freshman Jake Sueflohn step in and make an immediate impact after finishing his illustrious career at Arrowhead High School in Wisconsin. Sueflohn will be challenged by redshirt freshmen Luis DeAnda and Chad Stroh, who both competed in open tournaments for NU last year. DeAnda won 15 matches, while Stroh finished with a record of 6-5. Redshirt freshman Brandon Wilbourn looks to be the front-runner at 149 pounds after not seeing any action during his true freshman season, but fellow redshirt freshmen John Svoboda and Skylar Galloway will compete with Wilbourn for the top spot. Svoboda was eighth on the team last year in overall wins with 25 and Galloway won 16 matches of his own.

   Moving up a weight class from 149 to 157, junior Ross Grande will compete with Cody Compton for the spot at 157 pounds. Grande moved up a weight class after finishing last season with an 18-21 overall record. Compton started in six duals last season for NU at 157 and collected a 4-2 record in those duals. He finished with an 8-4 mark overall while battling a shoulder injury throughout the season. James Green, a true freshman from Willingboro, N.J., could also see action at 157.

   Possibly one of the largest spots to fill comes at 165 pounds where former two-time national champion and Hodge Trophy Winner Jordan Burroughs departed after one of the most storied careers in program history. Redshirt freshman Robert Kokesh and junior Tyler Koehn will be the guys competing for the No.1 spot. Kokesh had a stellar redshirt season collecting 34 wins and seven open tournament titles. The Wagner, S.D., native was dominant with 29 of his 34 victories coming in bonus-point fashion. Koehn will challenge Kokesh after moving up a weight class from 157 pounds. Koehn has an abundance of experience and has wrestled in two Big 12 tournaments for the Huskers. The Pittsburg, Kan., native finished last season with a 7-11 mark as the starter at 157 pounds.

   "You never replace Jordan Burroughs, but I think we have two capable guys there that can compete," Manning said. "I would say Robert has shown a competitiveness that is really good to see in a young guy. He has to do it out in competition, but he shows the capacity to really wrestle with anyone in the country."

   Caleb Kolb will be the starter at 174 pounds after a redshirt freshman season that saw him thrown right into the mix with some of the best wrestlers in the country. Kolb finished the year with a 15-15 record and started every dual except one for NU. The last spot in the lineup is at 125 pounds where sophomore Shawn Nagel will look to take the reins after the departure of NCAA qualifier David Klingsheim. Nagel gained invaluable experience last season as a true freshman by starting seven duals, but failed to earn a victory in those matches. The Nebraska native finished the year with an overall record of 17-11 and was second on the team in pins with nine. Pushing Nagel for the starting spot will be redshirt freshmen Ryne Harris and Brandon Rubino, who both finished last year with 10 or more victories.

   "Due to the work Shawn put in over the spring and summer he's made a lot of strides," Manning said. "Shawn wrestled for us last year and got some great experience by being on the road. Right now he has the nod, but I would say it is really important for Brandon Rubino and Ryne Harris to push themselves each day and be ready to go when called upon."

   Nebraska will also welcome eight newcomers to this year's squad that was part of a recruiting class that was ranked second nationally, according to InterMat. Along with Sueflohn and Green, who could both see time in the Husker lineup, Donny Longendyke (HWT), Cory Brester (184), Beau Bryant (133), Christian Gallardo (125), Ian Ousley (157) and Austin Wilson (165) make up the newcomers.

   The Huskers will open the season with four consecutive duals on the East Coast, including three contests at the Wrestle for a Cure Duals against Kent State, North Carolina and Navy, after the season-opening dual against Bucknell. Overall the Huskers will face seven opponents that finished last season ranked inside the top 25. Nebraska has one of its most anticipated home dual schedules in recent memory, with defending national champion Penn State, Iowa, Purdue and Ohio State all visiting the Coliseum. NU will open it's home schedule against Wyoming on Dec. 10. The Huskers will travel to the Las Vegas Invitational Dec. 2-3, and will participate in the National Duals, which unveiled a new regional format this season culminating with the Final Four Duals on Feb. 18-19. The Big Ten Championships will take place on March 3-4 in West Lafayette, Ind., on the campus of Purdue University. The 2012 NCAA Championships will be held in St. Louis at the Scottrade Center March 15-17.