Huskers Travel to Las Vegas for Cliff Keen Invitational

Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational
Where: Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nev.
Website: http://www.cklvwrestle.com/index.html
When:
Friday, Dec. 2,
11 a.m. - Pigtail round, first and second rounds, consolation pigtails, consolation first round
6 p.m. - Quarterfinals, consolation first and second rounds

Saturday, Dec. 3,
Noon - Semifinals, consolation fifth round, consolation semifinals, consolation finals
5 p.m. - Finals
       *All times central

Huskers Travel to Las Vegas for Cliff Keen Invitational
The No. 21 Nebraska wrestling team (4-0) returns to action this weekend when it travels to the 30th Annual Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational on Friday, Dec. 2 and Saturday, Dec. 3. Nebraska did not compete at the Las Vegas Invitational last season, but recorded a fifth-place finish in 2009.

The tournament kicks off on Friday, Dec. 2 at 11 a.m. with the pigtail round, first and second rounds, consolation pigtails and the consolation first round at the Las Vegas Convention Center. After a short break, action will resume at 9 p.m. with the quarterfinals and first and second round consolation matches. On Saturday, all matches except the finals will begin at Noon, with the finals starting at 5 p.m. All times are central.

The Huskers join a field of 34 teams, including fellow Big Ten members Indiana, Michigan, Ohio State and Wisconsin. Overall, the field consists of seven teams ranked inside the NWCA's most recent coaches poll.

NU opened the season by winning its first four duals of the year to improve to 4-0. The Huskers defeated Bucknell in their opening dual, before sweeping three contests over No. 20 Kent State, North Carolina and Navy at the Wrestle for Cure Duals in Harrisburg, Pa.

Projected Starting Lineup
125 - Shawn Nagel, So. Kimball, Neb. (3-4)
133 - Ridge Kiley, Jr., Eagle Grove, Iowa (3-1)
141 - Jake Suefolhn, Fr., Watertown, Wis. (5-2)
149 - Brandon Wilbourn, RFr., O'Fallon, Mo. (1-2)
157 - James Green, Fr., Willingboro, N.J. (9-1)
165 - Robert Kokesh, RFr., Wagner, S.D. (6-1)
174 - Tyler Koehn, Jr., Pittsburg, Kan. (6-2)
184 - Josh Ihnen, Jr., Sheldon, Iowa (4-0)
197 - James Nakashima, Sr., Dwight, Ill. (7-1)
Hwt - Tucker Lane, Sr., Redvale, Colo. (5-2)

Huskers in the Rankings
NU moved up three spots to No. 21 in week three of the NWCA Poll, which was released on Tuesday, Nov. 29. The Huskers, who began the year unranked, feature four nationally ranked wrestlers in No. 17 Ridge Kiley (133), No. 10 Robert Kokesh (165), No. 10 Josh Ihnen (184) and No. 11 Tucker Lane (Hwt).

Manning Wins No. 150 at Nebraska
Head Coach Mark Manning became only the second coach in school history to record 150 dual victories at Nebraska when the Huskers defeated Kent State on Nov. 12. Manning joins former coach Tim Neumann as the only other coach to reach the mark, with each coach doing so in their 12th season.
Manning has averaged over 13 dual victories per season at Nebraska en route to his 153-61-3 record, which is the best clip in school history. For his career, Manning owns a 176-85-5 record after spending three seasons at Northern Iowa.

Last Time Out: Huskers Sweep Wrestle for a Cure Duals
The Husker wrestling team improved to 4-0 after sweeping a trio of duals at the Wrestle for a Cure Duals in Harrisburg, Pa on Nov. 12. The Huskers began the day with an upset over No. 24 Kent State and followed with victories over North Carolina and Navy.

Manning picked up win No. 150 when the Huskers upset Kent State in their first dual. The Huskers were able to hold off the Golden Flashes after James Nakashima gave Nebraska a five-point lead in the 197-pound match. Ridge Kiley, Jake Sueflohn, Robert Kokesh, Tyler Koehn and Josh Ihnen also recorded wins for the Huskers.

Against North Carolina, Kiley, Kokesh, Ihnen and Nakashima all won their second matches of the day, while Tucker Lane responded from his loss against Kent State to propel the Huskers to victory with his major decision over Frank Abbondanza (UNC) at heavyweight to give NU a 20-16 victory.

Shawn Nagel (125) picked up his second win of the day to get the Huskers started against Navy as they cruised to a 27-6 victory. Kokesh, Nakashima and Ihnen all won their third dual of the day, while Ihnen took down a nationally ranked opponent in No. 11 Luke Rebertus by decision, 6-1.

Huskers Sign Five Wrestlers
Head Coach Mark Manning and the Husker wrestling program announced the signings of four high school seniors and one junior college athlete who plan to enroll and compete at Nebraska beginning with the 2012-13 season.

This year's class includes four wrestlers that have won state championships, and one wrestler that qualified for the NCAA tournament as a true freshman in 2010-11. The signees also include Howells, Neb., native and three-time Nebraska state champion Eric Coufal. Two of the recruits are ranked inside the top 85 nationally, according to InterMat.

2011-12 Nebraska Wrestling Signees (bold weights indicate projected college division)
Eric Coufal, Howells, Neb. (Howells) - 125/133
Coufal is the next wrestler to sign a letter-of-intent with the Huskers, continuing a strong connection between the Nebraska wrestling program and Howells High School. Coufal will begin his senior season with hopes of becoming only the state's 17th four-time state champion. A member of the NWCA Class D Academic All-State team as a junior, Coufal won his third state championship in as many years by pinning Garrett Bowder in 5:20 in the state final to finish his season 49-0. As a freshman he won the 103-pound state championship, before winning the 112-pound Class D title his sophomore year to help him rack up 124 career wins to go with no losses. Coufal will project as a 125 or 133 pounder.

Frank Cagnina, Hillsdale, N.J. (Iowa Central CC/Lehigh/Queen of Peace) - 133
Cagnina will come to Nebraska from Iowa Central Community College after transferring from Lehigh following his true freshman season. Cagnina will bring a wealth of experience to the Huskers as he qualified for the NCAA tournament at 133 pounds in his only season with the Mountain Hawks in 2011. The Hillsdale, N.J., native finished his season with a 20-6 overall record and nine major decision victories.

Cagnina was a highly rated recruit coming out of Queen of Peace High School where he was a three-time state champion and owned a 162-4 career record. Cagnina won the 103-pound state title as a freshman, before winning state titles his junior and senior seasons at 125 and 130 pounds, respectively. Cagnina went 82-0 during his last two seasons in high school. Ranked second nationally in his weight class and No. 20 overall, Cagnina was a Super 32 finalist two times and captured the title in 2009.

Ben Morgan, Forest Lake, Minn. (Forest Lake) - 133
Morgan is a five-time state qualifier for Forest Lake High School and won the 2008 112-pound Class AAA state championship as an eighth grader to finish his year with a 44-3 record. The No. 84 overall recruit in the country according to InterMat, Morgan has racked up 196 career victories during his five year career, which included varsity seasons in seventh and eighth grade. In 2009, Morgan took third at the state meet at 119 pounds and has placed third in both 2010 and 2011 at 130 pounds to help him become the school's all-time wins leader. Morgan is the son of 1996 U.S. Olympic wrestler Gordy Morgan.

Tim Lambert, Forest Hills Mich. (Forest Hills Eastern) - 125
The No. 2 ranked wrestler at 120 pounds and No. 35 recruit nationally, Lambert has finished in the top five at the Michigan state wrestling tournament for three consecutive seasons. Lambert took home third place as a junior by going 61-1, after recording a second place finish as a sophomore. Lambert finished in fifth place as a freshman. This summer, Lambert made a strong showing at the Junior Nationals in Fargo, N.D., pinning Cory Clark from Iowa to take third place honors. Lambert owns the Michigan state high school record for most three-point nearfalls in a season with 125 in 2010-11, breaking his own record of 109 which he did in 2009-10. Lambert has a 178-5 overall record entering his senior season.

McCoy Newberg, Franklin, Tenn. (Independence) - 174/184
The first recruit to join the Husker program from the state of Tennessee since Matt Keller in 2002-03, Newberg is a two-time state placer at the DI Tennessee state wrestling championships, including a first-place finish his junior season at 160 pounds. Newberg finished his junior year with a 51-2 record and won the Most Outstanding Wrestler award in his division for his efforts on the mat. Newberg was dominant during his state championships season, recording 157 takedowns, 23 pins and 11 technical falls. As a sophomore, Newberg finished third at the state championships which helped him reach his 129 career win total. Newberg is a two-time NHSCA All-American, including a second place finish in 2009 as a freshman.

Up Next for the Huskers
After the Las Vegas Invitational, the Huskers will return home for their first home dual of the season against Wyoming on Dec. 10 at 7 p.m. inside the NU Coliseum. The Huskers and Cowboys will be featured on BTN.com.

Manning Named FILA Freestyle Coach of the Year
After helping former Husker Jordan Burroughs become the first American to claim a World Championship since 2006, Nebraska Head Coach Marking Manning was named the international freestyle coach of the year for 2011, announced by FILA, the international wrestling federation, on Nov. 1. Manning was Burroughs' personal coach, as he made a meteoric rise through the international wrestling ranks and won his first World Championship in September.

Manning helped Burroughs capture the gold medal at 163 lbs./74 kg at this year's World Championships in Istanbul, Turkey, after already winning the U.S. Open and U.S. Team Trials titles earlier this year. Before his success at the international level, Burroughs became the school's only two-time national champion after capturing the 165-pound national title in 2011 and earning the prestigious Hodge Trophy, given to the nation's most outstanding wrestler, under Manning's tutelage.

Manning has an impressive track record on the international level having been a part of numerous World Team coaching staffs. Along with being a member of the 2011 staff, Manning also helped coach the 2009 team that competed in Denmark and placed seventh and was also part of the staff in 2010. In 2001, Manning was named the Head Coach of the freestyle team, but could not travel with the team after the tournament was moved from New York to Bulgaria following the September 11th attacks because of his collegiate coaching responsibilities. Manning was an assistant coach on the U.S. Olympic Team staff in 1996 and 2000.

Challenging Schedule Awaits Huskers
Nebraska will face a challenging schedule in its first season as a member of the Big Ten Conference, facing off against six teams ranked inside the NWCA preseason top-25. Three of those six teams are ranked inside the top-5, including No. 1 and defending national champion Penn State, No. 2 Iowa and No. 4 Minnesota. The Huskers will host both Iowa (Jan. 13, 7 p.m.) and Penn State (Jan. 20, 7 p.m.) at the NU Coliseum this season, and will travel to Minneapolis to take on the Gophers in their last scheduled regular-season dual of the season on Feb. 5.

The Huskers will open the home portion of their schedule on Dec. 10 against No. 15 Wyoming at 7 p.m., and will also host Purdue on Jan. 22 at 1 p.m. Nebraska will participate in the National Duals this season, which has introduced a new format for the 2011-12 season. The National Duals have been broken up into four regional sites, with the winners of those sites advancing to the Final Four National Duals on Feb. 18-19. NU will travel to Stillwater, Okla., where they will match up with either Boise State, Ohio State, Wyoming, Oklahoma State or Chattanooga.

If the Huskers do not advance to the Final Four National Duals, a dual against Northern Iowa has been scheduled for Feb. 19, if neither team advances.

Big Ten Network, BTN.com to Feature NU
With its move to the Big Ten, the Nebraska wrestling program will get added exposure from the Big Ten Network this season. The Huskers will be featured seven times on BTN.com, while their home dual against Iowa on Jan. 13 will air on the Big Ten Network on tape delay at 9 p.m. BTN.com will stream NU's duals against Wyoming, Ohio State, Indiana, Purdue, Wisconsin, Penn State and Northern Iowa (if needed). BTN.com is a subscription-based offering, and can be purchased by visiting BTN.com

Huskers Move into Hendricks Training Complex
The Nebraska wrestling program experienced some major changes over the offseason when it moved into the new Hendricks Training Complex, which was opened in October. The new home for the wrestling and the men's and women's basketball programs, the Hendricks Training Complex is home to the Huskers' new wrestling room, which features four full-sized mats, more than doubling the size of the previous wrestling room at the Devaney Center. The $18.7 million complex also features a new 5,000-square foot weight room and is home to the Nebraska wrestling offices.