Huskers Travel to Stillwater for Mat Mayhem

No. 8 Nebraska (14-3, 5-3 Big Ten) at NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals - Stillwater Regional
Gallagher-Iba Arena I Stillwater, Okla. I Sunday, Feb. 12, 2012
Schedule: First Round - 1 p.m.
Second Round - 3 p.m.
Finals - 7 p.m.
Live Video (free): www.okstate.tv or www.livesportsvideo.com
Live Updates: www.twitter.com/HuskerWrestling
Live Stats: www.nwcaonline.com
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The No. 8 Nebraska wrestling team will look to bounce back from back-to-back losses for the first time this season when they travel to Stillwater, Okla., to wrestle in the first-ever Mat Mayhem NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals on Sunday, Feb. 12, at Gallagher-Iba Arena. The Huskers finished the Big Ten dual season with an overall record of 14-3 and a 5-3 mark in conference action.

The 2012 National Duals will feature a regional style format for the first time in its history. Four regional sites around the country (Oklahoma State, Cornell, Iowa State and Rutgers) will host six teams battling for the right to advance to the final four championships at a site that will be determined next week. The top two teams in each region will receive a bye, while seeds 3-6 will wrestle at 1 p.m. to determine who advances to the semifinals at 3 p.m. The regional final will take place at 7 p.m.

The Huskers earned the No. 2 seed in the region and will face off against the winner of No. 6 Ohio State and Boise State in the regional semifinal at 3 p.m. Should the Huskers win and advance, they will wrestle in the regional final at 7 p.m. against either Oklahoma State, Wyoming or Chattanooga. All duals can be viewed for free at www.okstate.tv or www.livesportsvideo.com. Fans can also view live stats www.nwcaonline.com or get updates from the Husker Twitter account at www.twitter.com/HuskerWrestling.

The Huskers last appeared at the National Duals in 2010, but fell to No. 1 Iowa and Buffalo in their two duals. In 2009, NU captured a fourth-place finish after recording wins over Northwestern and Penn State.

Last Time Out: Huskers Fall to Gophers
The Nebraska wrestling team dropped its second consecutive dual on Sunday, Feb. 5, falling to the No. 4 Minnesota Gophers, 26-7, in Minneapolis, Minn. The Huskers, who dropped four matches by three points or less, fall to 14-3 on the year and 5-3 in the Big Ten Conference. Minnesota improved to 10-3 and 7-1 in the conference.

Wrestling in front of 3,663 spectators at the Sports Pavilion, the Huskers led the dual off with a victory from redshirt freshman Robert Kokesh (165). No. 7 Kokesh accumulated over 1:40 of riding time against Danny Zilverberg (UM), but entered the third period in a scoreless tie. Starting the third in the down position, the Wagner, S.D., native scored reversal to take control and went on to win the dual, 6-0.

James Green (157) moved one match closer to moving into the top 10 for most wins in a season by a freshman in school history with his 11-3 major decision over Bart Reiter (UM) to conclude the dual. Green recorded a takedown in each of the first two periods to garner a 4-1 lead entering the final two minutes, where he captured a reversal and two more double-leg takedowns to pull away.

At 184 pounds, No. 7 Josh Ihnen dropped a heartbreaker to No. 8 Kevin Steinhaus (UM), 3-2. Tied at 1-1 in the third period and holding the riding time advantage, Ihnen gave up a single-leg takedown as time expired to drop the match. Following Ihnen's match, redshirt freshman Spencer Johnson saw the first action of his career in dual competition at 197 pounds, falling to No. 6 Sonny Yohn (UM) by decision, 6-1.

No. 9 Tucker Lane (Hwt) gave up a takedown in the sudden-victory period to drop his match against No. 4 Tony Nelson (UM), 3-1. The senior got in on a single-leg in the overtime, but Nelson turned the shot attempt by Lane into a takedown of his own for the victory.

Jake Suelfohn (141) lost for the first time in three matches, falling to No. 11 Nick Dardanes (UM) in a one-point decision. The deciding points came in the second period when Dardanes recorded an escape and a takedown gain control. No. 5 Sueflohn wasn't able to get his offense going in the final period and fell by a 3-2 final.

Tyler Koehn (174) dropped a 5-2 decision to No. 6 Logan Storley, while Shawn Nagel (125) fell to No.2 Zach Sanders (UM) by major decision, 23-14. No. 10 Dylan Ness defeated Brandon Wilbourn (149) by decision, 9-4, to give UM its final victory.

Scouting the Regional
Nebraska's second round matchup will feature a squad that the Huskers have already defeated this season in either Ohio State or Boise State. Nebraska defeated the Broncos at the ASU Duals on Dec. 29, 34-3, in Tempe, Ariz. The Huskers won all but one match, while recording four major decision victories. True freshman James Green (NU) took down George Ivanov (BSU) by major decision, 12-1, while fellow freshman Jake Sueflohn (NU) added his own bonus-point victory by beating No. 16 Josh Strait, 14-3. The Huskers took down Ohio State in their Big Ten opener on Jan. 6, 18-16. Junior Josh Ihnen sealed the victory for the Huskers with his major-decision victory over Craig Thomas (OSU) at 184 pounds. Sueflohn also took down then-No. 6 Hunter Stieber in a top 10 matchup, while Tucker Lane defeated then-No. 17 Peter Capone (OSU).

Boise State features two nationally-ranked wrestlers in No. 14 Ivanov and No. 10 Jake Swartz. Ivanov leads the Broncos with 18 victories, while Swartz has added 10 wins of his own. BSU owns a 3-8 overall dual record. No. 6 Ohio State is 11-3 overall and has eight ranked wrestlers. No. 3 Logan Stieber (133) has won 22 matches this season, while No. 7 Nick Heflin (174) has been victorious 20 times.

The other side of the bracket includes two top ten opponents in No. 1 Oklahoma State and No. 10 Wyoming. Wyoming will take on Chattanooga in the first round, while Oklahoma State will play the winner of the two after receiving the No. 1 seed and first-round by. The Cowboys are 12-0 on the year, while Wyoming owns a 7-2 record and has won seven duals in a row. Chattanooga is 11-4 this year and features one ranked wrestler in No. 13 Nick Soto (133), who has won 21 matches in his true freshman season. Oklahoma State has seven ranked wrestlers, including defending national champion Jordan Oliver at 133 pounds.

Husker History at the NWCA National Duals
The Huskers have reached the National Duals final three times since they began in 1989, which is the third-most appearances of any team in the country. NU made its first appearance in the finals in 1993, falling to No. 2 Penn State, 20-13. In 1996, the Huskers defeated Findlay, Arizona State and Penn State, but dropped a 20-15 dual in the finals to No. 1 Iowa. Most recently, the Huskers reached the finals in 2008 when they won four duals, including an upset of No. 1 Penn State in the second round, but was defeated by No. 2 Iowa in the finals, 24-6.

Overall, the Huskers have finished in the top 10 a total of 13 times.

Johnson Makes First Varsity Appearance
Redshirt freshman Spencer Johnson saw the first action of his varsity career last weekend when the Huskers took on the Minnesota Gophers. Wrestling in his native state of Minnesota, Johnson fell to No. 6 Sonny Yohn at 197 pounds. Johnson boasts a 23-5 overall record and has 14 bonus-point victories this season.

Huskers in the Rankings
For the sixth consecutive week, the Huskers will have five wrestlers ranked inside the top 10 of their respective weight classes after the newest rankings were released by InterMat on Feb. 7. To go along with the five top 10 rankings, junior Ridge Kiley (133) is ranked at No. 18 and junior Tyler Koehn cracks the rankings at No. 20 (174).

Top 10 Huskers include: No. 9 Jake Sueflohn (141), No. 7 James Green (157), No. 6 Robert Kokesh (165), No. 8 Josh Ihnen (184) and No. 9 Tucker Lane (Hwt).

As a team, the Huskers dropped one spot in the NWCA poll to No. 8.

Ihnen Tough to Takedown
Junior Josh Ihnen is having the best year of his Husker career in 2011-12. Ihnen is 19-4 on the year and is 14-3 in dual competition. The Sheldon, Iowa, native has been especially impressive in his last 10 dual matches, only allowing three takedowns and recording four major decisions and a pin. Ihnen's seven major decisions this year is one better than his total from a year ago and his 54 team dual points is also a career high.

Nakashima Keeping it Close
James Nakashima has seen his last eight matches decided by two points or less, while going 5-3 in those duals. Nakashima has wrestled in overtime in four out of his last six matches, including his last victory over Jackson Hein of Wisconsin. Overall, Nakashima has wrestled in 13 matches this season decided by two points or less. The senior is 16-7 on the year and owns a 12-4 dual record.

Lane Two Victories Away from 100-Win Club
Tucker Lane is only two wins away from becoming the 20th wrestler in Nebraska history to win 100 matches during his career at Nebraska. Lane is a four-year starter at heavyweight for the Huskers, and has posted at least 23 victories in each of his first three seasons. The three-time NCAA qualifier won 28 matches during his redshirt freshman season, before winning 23 his sophomore year and 27 last season.

The latest Husker to join the 100-win club was two-time NCAA champion Jordan Burroughs, who did so in 2010-11.

Green Looks to Break Top 10 for Freshman Wins
True freshman James Green currently sits one victory away from cracking the top 10 for most victories in a season by a true freshman. Green's 26 victories is good enough for third on the team and leads all varsity starters. Former Husker Justin Ruiz currently sits at No. 10 with a 27-11 record in 2001-02 as a freshman.

Green has won 12 out of his last 14 matches, which have included six wins by major decision and three over ranked foes.

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 14-3 record. Redshirt freshmen Brandon Wilbourn (149) and Robert Kokesh (165), along with true freshman Jake Sueflohn (141) and James Green (157) have combined to capture 45 dual victories. Green leads the pack with 26 overall victories and has won 10 duals by major decision. Kokesh has been nearly perfect this season, only dropping four matches to en route to his 23-4 record. The Wagner, S.D., native has won 18 out of his 25 matches in bonus-point fashion, with seven pins, one technical fall and 10 major decisions. Sueflohn has won 19 matches this season and has a 13-3 dual record, while Wilbourn owns a 10-9 record at 149 pounds.

Lanes' Streak Over Ranked Foes Comes to an End
With his loss to Adam Chalfant of Indiana on Jan. 20, senior Tucker Lane saw his streak of four consecutive victories over ranked opponents come to an end. The last Husker to win four straight matches over ranked foes was Stephen Dwyer in 2010. Lane's streak surpassed the number of ranked opponents that he defeated last year, which was 3. The Redvale, Colo., native has defeated a total of seven ranked opponents this year and has won 14 out of his last 15 matches.

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.

Six Huskers Place at Cliff Keen Invitational
A total of six Husker wrestlers, including four third-place finishers, found the awards stand on Saturday, Dec. 3, at the 30th Annual Cliff Keen Invitational in Las Vegas, Nev. As a team, the Huskers finished in fourth place with a total of 106 points. Ohio State took the title with 129 points, followed by Michigan and Wyoming.

James Green (141), Robert Kokesh (165), Josh Ihnen (184) and Tucker Lane (Hwt) all won their consolation finals matches to capture third place finishes, while Jake Sueflohn (141) finished in fourth place and Ridge Kiley (133) finished in sixth.

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 163-61-3 record, which is the best clip in school history. For his career, Manning owns a 186-85-5 record after spending three seasons at Northern Iowa.

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 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.

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.