No. 7 Huskers Shutout Badgers, 36-0

Madison, Wis. - The No. 7 Nebraska wrestling team put together a dominant performance on Sunday afternoon by shutting out the Wisconsin Badgers, 36-0, for its fifth Big Ten dual win of the season. The Huskers recorded their second shutout of the year by winning all ten bouts, including five in bonus-point fashion at UW Field House.

Nebraska improved to 14-1 on the season and 5-1 in the Big Ten Conference, while Wisconsin dropped to 5-8 and 0-6 in conference matches. The Huskers' 36-point margin of victory is the largest over a Big Ten opponent in school history, and the win also marks the first time a Husker squad has recorded two shutouts in a season since 2004 when NU shutout Findlay and Wyoming in back-to-back duals.

Senior James Nakashima (197) won a thrilling match to open the dual by taking down Jackson Hein (UW) in the second tiebreaker, 7-5. After an escape by Hein in the second tiebreaker to take a 5-4 lead, Nakashima was able to record a takedown to reclaim the lead at 6-5. The Dwight, Ill., native then earned an escape point to extend his lead to two points and secure the victory.

Nakashima has now won four straight Big Ten duals and has wrestled in overtime four times in his last five matches, going 3-1 in those duals.

No. 9 Tucker Lane (Hwt) won his 20th match of the season by taking down Cole Tobin (UW) by decision, 5-0. Lane is now only two victories away from recording his 100th career win as a Husker.

Lane was followed by sophomore Shawn Nagel (125), who won his first Big Ten match of the season when he defeated Austin Hietpas (UW) by major decision, 11-0. The Kimball, Neb., native racked up five nearfall points throughout the match and a takedown in the first period to cruise to the victory.

The Huskers received two more bonus-point victories in a row from junior Ridge Kiley (133) and freshman Jake Sueflohn (141). No. 19 Kiley won his third major decision of the year, as he took down Shane McQuade (UW), 12-0, while No. 5 Sueflohn recorded a 3-point nearfall as time expired against Thomas Glenn (UW) to capture his second technical fall of the season, 17-2. Sueflohn, who was wrestling in his native state of Wisconsin, improved to 18-5 on the year and 4-1 in the Big Ten.

Redshirt freshman Brandon Wilbourn (149) broke a four-match losing streak with his 10-4 decision victory over Frank Baer (UW), and was followed by No. 8 James Green (157), who used three first period takedowns to take control against Shawn Perry en route an 8-5 decision.

In the only match that featured two nationally ranked wrestlers, No. 6 Robert Kokesh defeated No. 13 Ben Jordan by major decision, 13-4. After a scoreless first period, Jordan earned an escape at the beginning of the second and a takedown to give the Badgers their only lead in any match during the dual. The takedown by Jordan was also the only offensive points recorded by Wisconsin. After a reversal, Kokesh entered the third period trailing 3-2, but fought back in a big way by recording a takedown, a stalling point and five points in nearfalls in the last minute to secure the 13-4 victory.

Tyler Koehn (174) won his fourth straight decision over a conference foe with his 8-3 win over Scott Liegel (UW), while No. 7 Josh Ihnen (184) concluded the dual with his third major decision in a row, defeating Timmy McCall, 11-1.

The Huskers return to action next Friday, Feb. 3, when they take on the defending national champion Penn State Nittany Lions at 7 p.m. inside the NU Coliseum. Next Friday's dual is Senior Night for both Nakashima and Lane, who will be honored before the dual. Also, the dual against Penn State will be Pepsi Pack the House Night at the Coliseum, where fans will receive $1 admission and $1 Pepsi products. Continue to check back to Huskers.com for continued coverage of the Nebraska wrestling team.

NU 36, UW 0
UW Field House, Madison, Wis.
Jan. 29, 2012
Attendance: 623

Official Results
197 - James Nakashima (NU) by dec. over Jackson Hein (UW), 7-5 (TB2) (NU 3, UW 0)
Hwt - #9 Tucker Lane (NU) by dec. over Cole Tobin (UW), 5-0 (NU 6, UW 0)
125 - Shawn Nagel (NU) by major dec. over Austin Hietpas (UW), 11-0 (NU 10, UW 0)
133 - #19 Ridge Kiley (NU) by major dec. over Shane McQuade (UW), 12-0 (NU 14, UW 0)
141 - #5 Jake Sueflohn (NU) by tech. fall over Thomas Glenn (UW), 17-2 (NU 19, UW 0)
149 - Brandon Wilbourn (NU) by dec. over Frank Baer (UW), 10-4 (NU 22, UW 0)
157 - #8 James Green (NU) by dec. over Shawn Perry (UW), 8-5 (NU 25, UW 0)
165 - #6 Robert Kokesh (NU) by major dec. over #13 Ben Jordan (UW), 13-4 (NU 29, UW 0)
174 - Tyler Koehn (NU) by dec. over Scott Liegel (UW), 8-3 (NU 32, UW 0)
184 - #7 Josh Ihnen (NU) by major dec. over Timmy McCall (UW), 11-1 (NU 36, UW 0)