Huskers Travel to Tempe for Sun Devil Duals

No. 14 Nebraska (7-0) vs. Boise State (0-1)
Wells Fargo Arena (14,198)  I  Tempe, Ariz.  I  Thursday, Dec. 29  I  Noon
Series History: NU leads, 4-0-0
Last Meeting: NU won, 27-9, on Nov. 18, 2005 in Lincoln, Neb.

No. 14 Nebraska (7-0) vs. Arizona State (4-2)
Wells Fargo Arena (14,198)  I  Tempe, Ariz.  I  Thursday, Dec. 29  I  4 p.m.
Series History: NU leads, 11-4-1
Last Meeting: NU won, 35-8, on Feb. 4, 2011 in Lincoln, Neb.
Video: http://www.foxsportsarizona.com/pages/sundevils_stream
Live Stats: www.trackwrestling.com

The No. 14 Nebraska wrestling team returns action on Thursday, Dec. 29 as it finishes a four-dual road swing against Boise State and Arizona State at the Sun Devil Duals in Tempe, Ariz. The Huskers will take on the Broncos starting at Noon (CT), before battling the Sun Devils at 4 p.m. (CT) at the Wells Fargo Arena. Boise State is 0-1 on the season, while Arizona State owns a 4-2 record.

The Huskers' dual against Arizona State can be seen at FoxSportsArizona.com, or by clicking the link at the top of the page, while live stats can be viewed at TrackWresltling.com. The Boise State dual will not be available to view.

Nebraska will bring a 7-0 dual record into Thursday's pair of duals after beating South Dakota State and North Dakota State on Dec. 17-18. The Huskers lost only two matches between the two duals and outscored their opponents 68-9 to remain undefeated. Should the Huskers win their two duals on Thursday, they would tie the 2000-01 team for the best start in school history at 9-0.

The Huskers have been rock-solid at the upper weight classes this season, going 24-4 between the 174 and 285 pound weight classes in dual competition. Leading the way is senior Tucker Lane, who has won 13 total matches this season and picked up his first technical fall victory of the season against Joe Skow of South Dakota State. Juniors Tyler Koehn (174) and Josh Ihnen (184) and senior James Nakashima (197) have all eclipsed the 10-win mark this year and all own at 6-1 dual record.

Nebraska's dual against Arizona State will be a reunion for several coaches on both coaching staffs. ASU head coach Shawn Charles served as the head assistant coach at Nebraska from 2001-05, while Sun Devil assistant coach Travis Pascoe was an All-American for the Huskers in 2005. Nebraska assistant coach Bryan Snyder, who is in his second year at Nebraska, previously served as the assistant coach at ASU for the 2009-10 season.

Last Time Out: Huskers Roll Past Bison
The Nebraska wrestling team completed a weekend sweep of two duals on Sunday, Dec. 18 when it took down the North Dakota State Bison, 31-6, at the Bison Sports Arena in Fargo, N.D.

The Huskers, who defeated South Dakota State on Saturday, Dec. 17, remained perfect in dual competition this season improving to 7-0.  In their two duals, the Huskers recorded eight major decisions and one technical fall, while outscoring their two opponents by a combined score of 68-9.

Following a loss by Shawn Nagel (NU) at 125 pounds, Nebraska won the last nine matches to put away the Bison. No. 17 Ridge Kiley (133) got the streak started with his second major decision victory of the season after he beat Justin Solberg (NDSU), 10-2.

True freshman Jake Sueflohn (141) gave the Huskers a 7-6 lead with his 4-0 decision over Tyler Diamond (NDSU). No. 11 Sueflohn improved his record to 13-3 on the season and joined eight other Husker wrestlers to win both of their matches over the weekend.

Nebraska received two more decision victories after Sueflohn when Brandon Wilbourn (149) was victorious against Mark Erickson (NDSU), 12-6, and No. 14 James Green (157) defeated No. 15 Steven Monk (NDSU), 9-3. The victory was Green's second over Monk this season after defeating him 7-6 in the consolation finals of the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational.

Redshirt freshman Robert Kokesh (165) won his 11th match this season in bonus-point fashion with his major decision win over Tyler Johnson (NDSU). The Wagner, S.D. native fell behind 2-0 after an early Johnson takedown, but Kokesh responded with an escape, a takedown and a 2-point nearfall to gain control of the match in the first period. Kokesh owns a 15-2 record so far this year and has won all seven dual matches.

Junior Tyler Koehn (174) used a second period surge to defeat Kurtis Julson (NDSU) and extended the Huskers' lead to 20-6. Koehn held a one-point advantage after the first period, but recorded an escape and a takedown in the second period to extend his lead to 5-1. Fellow junior Josh Ihnen (184) used four first-period takedowns to defeat Mac Stoll (NDSU), 11-4.

Seniors James Nakashima (197) and Tucker Lane (Hwt) finished off the dual by each recording a major decision. Nakashima defeated John Gusewelle (NDSU), 10-2, for his 10th win of the year, while Lane dominated Evan Knutson (NSDU), 10-1. With the victory, Lane has now won 13 matches this season and is now nine victories away from becoming the 20th member of the 100-win club in Nebraska history.

Huskers in the Rankings
After its road victories over North Dakota State and South Dakota State, NU jumped two spots to No. 14 in the NWCA Coaches Poll, which was released on Tuesday, Dec. 20. The ranking is the highest so far for the Huskers as a team this year.

In the individual rankings, six Huskers are ranked at their respective weight classes, including three inside the top 10. Ranked Nebraska wrestlers include No. 17 Ridge Kiley (133), No. 11 Jake Sueflohn (141), No. 13 James Green (157), No. 5 Robert Kokesh (165), No. 9 Josh Ihnen (184) and No. 10 Tucker Lane (Hwt). All individual rankings are according to InterMat.

Scouting the Boise State Broncos
The Boise State Broncos feature a lineup with four nationally ranked wrestlers, including two ranked inside the top 15. No. 12 Jake Swartz (184), who was a national qualifier last season, leads the Broncos, along with No. 19 J.T. Felix (Hwt). Boise State has wrestled in one dual so far this season, a 32-10 loss to Oregon State on Nov. 20 to open its season. The Broncos finished 17th at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational and 10th at the Reno Tournament of Champions.

Other ranked wrestlers for Boise State include junior college transfer No. 15 George Ivanov (157) and No. 16 Josh Strait (141).

Boise State is coached by Greg Randall, who is in his 10th season as head coach of the Broncos.

Scouting the Arizona State Sun Devils
Arizona State will bring a 4-2 overall record into their dual against Nebraska and have defeated Army and Penn to help them reach four victories. The Sun Devils are led by their nationally ranked heavyweight, Levi Cooper, who has won 16 matches this season and has yet to drop a match in dual competition, going 5-0. Cooper has some quality wins this season, including an upset over returning national champion Zach Rey of Lehigh earlier this season.

The Sun Devil lineup features seven redshirt freshmen and one true freshman. Nathan Hoffer (141) leads the group of redshirt freshman with a 6-0 dual record and 11 victories overall, while both Kevin Radford (184) and Tommy Burriel (197) have collected nine victories this season.

Arizona State is led by head coach Shawn Charles, who is in his third season as head coach of the Sun Devils. Charles owns a 22-34 overall record in his time at ASU and helped lead two wrestlers to titles at last year's NCAA Championships, including Anthony Robles, who was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Wrestler.

Huskers Look to Make History
The Huskers will be looking to make a bit of history this weekend as they can tie the school record for most wins to begin a season with nine. The last time a Nebraska team won nine duals in a row to begin the season was in 2000. During that stretch, the Huskers defeated three ranked opponents and finished 8th at the NCAA Championships. This season, NU has defeated two nationally ranked opponents in No. 24 Kent State and No. 14 Wyoming, while six of the Huskers' seven victories have come on the road.

Koehn Stepping up at 174
After wrestling last season at 157 pounds, Tyler Koehn moved up a weight class to 165 pounds for his junior season, but with sophomore Caleb Kolb not in the lineup, Koehn made another weight class jump to 174 pounds before the year began. Koehn has been stellar so far this season, going 12-4 overall and 6-1 in dual competition. Koehn has won five of his last six matches, including an upset over No. 18 Patrick Martinez of Wyoming.

Freshmen Making Mark
The Huskers have received a boost from four freshmen in the middle of the lineup to help propel the team to its 7-0 start. Redshirt freshmen Brandon Wilbourn (149) and Robert Kokesh (165), along with true freshman Jake Sueflohn (141) and James Green (157) have combined to capture 19 dual victories. Green leads the pack with 17 overall victories and has won five duals by major decision. The Willingboro, N.J., is currently ranked at No. 13 by InterMat. Kokesh has been nearly perfect this season, only dropping two matches to en route to his 15-2 record. Kokesh vaulted to No. 5 in the InterMat rankings after his 5-0 upset over then-No. 3 Shane Onufer in the Huskers' victory over Wyoming. The Wagner, S.D., native has won 11 out of his 15 matches in bonus-point fashion, with six pins, one technical fall and four major decisions. Sueflohn has won 13 matches this season and has a 6-1 dual record, while Wilbourn has won three straight matches to bring his record to 7-4.

Huskers Set to Open Challenging Big Ten Schedule
After Thursday's duals, the Nebraska wrestling team will embark on its first ever run through Big Ten Conference duals as the host the Ohio State Buckeyes on Jan. 6 in its Big Ten home opener. The Huskers will then host No.1 Iowa on Friday, Jan. 13, at 7 p.m. in a dual that will be shown on tape delay on the Big Ten Network. The Huskers also host Purdue (Jan. 22) and Penn State (Feb. 3) to finish out their Big Ten home schedule, and will travel to Indiana (Jan. 20), Michigan State (Jan. 27), Wisconsin, (Jan. 29) and Minnesota (Feb. 5).

Kokesh Earns Big Ten Honor
Redshirt freshman Robert Kokesh became the first Nebraska wrestler to earn Big Ten Wrestler-of-the-Week honors this season, when the conference announced the award on Tuesday, Dec. 13. Kokesh was rewarded for efforts in Nebraska's 19-15 upset of No. 14 Wyoming at the NU Coliseum on Saturday, Dec. 10.

Kokesh extended the NU's lead over Wyoming to seven points with only two matches remaining with his 5-0 decision over No. 3 Shane Onufer at 165 pounds. The win avenged a 6-2 loss that Kokesh suffered to Onufer earlier in the year at the UNK Open.

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 156-61-3 record, which is the best clip in school history. For his career, Manning owns a 179-85-5 record after spending three seasons at Northern Iowa.

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 near falls 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.

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.

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.