Huskers Set to Battle Pair of Top Five Teams

No. 7 Nebraska (14-1, 5-1 Big Ten) vs. No. 2 Penn State (9-1, 5-1 Big Ten)
NU Coliseum (4,030)  I  Lincoln, Neb.  I  Friday, Feb. 3, 2012  I  7 p.m.
Series History: NU leads, 8-4-1
Last Meeting: NU won, 20-16, on Jan. 10, 2009, in Cedar Falls, Iowa
Video: BTN.com (subscription required)
Live Updates: www.twitter.com/HuskerWrestling
Live Stats: www.huskers.com
*Pepsi Pack the House: Fans will receive $1 admission and $1 Pepsi products at Friday's dual as we try to race to 4,000 fans in the NU Coliseum.
*Senior Night: Husker seniors James Nakashima and Tucker Lane will be honored before the start of the dual for Senior Night.

No. 7 Nebraska (14-1, 5-1 Big Ten) vs. No. 4 Minnesota (9-3, 6-1 Big Ten)
Sports Pavilion (5,840)  I  Minneapolis, Minn.  I  Sunday, Feb. 5, 2012  I  Noon
Series History: NU trails, 19-48-0
Last Meeting: NU lost, 26-8, on Dec. 9, 2010 in Lincoln, Neb.
Video: Big Ten Network (same day tape delay - 5:30 p.m. CT)

The No. 7 Nebraska wrestling team (14-1, 5-1 Big Ten) returns from its two-dual road swing for a pair matches against top five opponents this weekend. The Huskers open their weekend at home against the No. 2 Penn State Nittany Lions (9-1, 5-1 Big Ten) on Friday, Feb. 3, at 7 p.m., before traveling to Minneapolis to take on the No. 4 Minnesota Gophers (9-3, 6-1 Big Ten) on Sunday, Feb. 5, at Noon.

Nebraska's dual against the Nittany Lions will be a special one for a pair of Huskers, as Friday will be Senior Night for James Nakashima and Tucker Lane. Nakashima and Lane will be honored during a presentation before the dual.

Fans will be able to enter the dual for $1 as part of our Pepsi Pack the House Promotion, while Pepsi Products will also only be just $1. The dual will be streamed on BTN.com (subscription required), while live stats  will be available on Huskers.com. Updates will also be available on the Huskers' twitter page at www.twitter.com/HuskerWrestling.

Sunday's dual against the Gophers will begin at Noon (CT) and can be seen on the Big Ten Network on tape delay at 5:30 p.m. the same day. Tim Johnson and Jim Gibbons will call the action, with Shane Sparks as the mat side reporter. This is the second time this season the Huskers have been featured on the Big Ten Network on a tape delay basis.

With a pair of victories this weekend, the Huskers can clinch the Big Ten regular season dual championship in their first season as a member of the conference. NU is coming off a pair road victories over Michigan State and Wisconsin, where they combined to win 17 out of the 20 matches, while taking down the Badgers, 36-0, for their second shutout of the season.

Last Time Out: Huskers Shutout Badgers, 36-0
The Nebraska wrestling team put together a dominant performance on Sunday, Jan. 28, 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.

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.  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.

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.

Scouting the Penn State Nittany Lions
The Penn State Nittany Lions will enter Friday's dual ranked at No. 2 in the latest NWCA Coaches Poll, which was released on Tuesday, Jan. 31. The Nittany Lions feature eight ranked wrestlers in their lineup, including seven that are ranked inside the top 10. PSU is 9-1 in dual competition and 5-1 in conference duals, with its only loss coming to the hands of Minnesota on Nov. 20, 23-14. Since that loss, they have reeled off eight straight wins, which have included four over teams ranked inside the top 20. In their last two duals, Penn State has defeated No. 2 Iowa, 22-12, and No. 5 Ohio State, 34-9.

PSU has two No. 1 ranked wrestlers in Frank Molinaro (149) and David Taylor (165). Molinaro, who is a three-time All-American and finished runner-up at last year's NCAA championships, is 21-0 on the year with 16 of his victories coming in bonus-point fashion. Taylor was also the runner-up at last year's NCAA Championships and currently sits undefeated at 19-0 and has an amazing 17 bonus-point wins, including nine by pin.

Other ranked wrestlers for Penn State include: No. 9 Nico Megaludis (125), No. 6 Dylan Alton (157), No. 2 Ed Ruth (174), No. 2 Quentin Wright (184), No. 12 Morgan McIntosh (197) and No. 6 Cameron Wade (Hwt).

Penn State is coached by Cael Sanderson, who is in his third season in State College. Sanderson led the Nittany Lions to the national championship last season. Sanderson is familiar with the Husker program having wrestled and coached at Iowa State. During his coaching career, he led Iowa State to three victories over NU, including two at the NU Coliseum.

Husker History vs. Penn State
The Huskers and Nittany Lions have faced off 13 times in their histories, with the Huskers holding an edge in the all-time series, 8-4-1. The Huskers won the last dual between the two on Jan. 10, 2009 at the National Duals in Cedar Falls, Iowa. In that dual, current Husker heavyweight Tucker Lane completed an historic comeback for NU after falling behind 16-0, defeating Cameron Wade by decision, 4-2.

Scouting the Minnesota Gophers
Minnesota is led by head coach J Robinson, who is in his 26th season as head coach of the Gophers. UM is 9-3 on the year and 6-1 in Big Ten duals, falling to Iowa in its previous dual, 19-17. The Gophers only losses this season have come to by teams currently ranked inside the top five, falling to Cornell in their season opener, 21-16, and Oklahoma State, 23-14. Minnesota currently sits at the top of the Big Ten Conference dual standings and can clinch the title with a victory. The Gophers took second at the Southern Scuffle with a total of 177.5 points and took home three individual champions in Zach Sanders (125), Chris Dardanes (131) and Tony Nelson (Hwt).

Sanders, one of four returning All-Americans on the Gopher roster, is No. 2 in the country at 125 pounds and has an overall record of 20-1, while Dardanes is ranked at No. 7 at 133 pounds with 18 victories this season. Nelson has won 12 consecutive matches for Minnesota and is ranked as the No. 4 heavyweight in the country. Nelson finished seventh at the NCAA championships last year.

Other ranked wrestlers for the Gophers include: No. 11 Nick Dardanes (141), No. 10 Dylan Ness (149), No. 15 Cody Yohn (165), No. 6 Logan Storley (174), No. 8 Kevin Steinhaus (184) and No. 6 Sonny Yohn (197).

Husker History vs. Minnesota
Nebraska and Minnesota have a very long and tradition-rich history having wrestled over 60 times. The Gophers have a 48-19-0 edge in the all-time series and have won the last two duals, including a 26-8 victory last season in Lincoln. Nebraska last defeated the Gophers on Dec. 21, 2008, in Lincoln, Neb. In that dual, Stephen Dwyer, Brandon Browne and Craig Brester all notched major decisions to lift the Huskers to victory.

Seniors to be Honored Before Dual
Seniors Tucker Lane and James Nakashima will be honored before the Huskers' dual against Penn State on Friday, as the Huskers take part in Senior Night at the NU Coliseum. Lane is a three-time NCAA qualifier for NU and has won 98 career matches. Nakashima, a junior college transfer from Dwight, Ill., is enjoying his best season as a Husker this year by winning 16 matches so far at 197 pounds.

Up Next: Huskers Travel to Stillwater for National Duals
After this weekend's duals, the Huskers will travel to Stillwater to take part in the 2012 NWCA/Cliff Keen National  Duals on Feb. 12. This season duals are a different format than in years past, with four regional sites (Cornell, Iowa State, Oklahoma State and Rutgers) and six teams completing at each regional site for a chance to advance to the championship dual site on Feb. 18-19. The site where the final four teams will compete will be announced next week.

In the Huskers' regional this season is host Oklahoma State, Ohio State, Wyoming, Chattanooga and Boise State.

If the Huskers are not able to advance, they will host Northern Iowa on  Feb. 19 at the NU Coliseum. Start time will be announced the week of the dual.

Huskers in the Rankings
For the fifth 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 Jan. 31. To go along with the five top 10 rankings, junior Ridge Kiley is ranked at No. 18.

Ranked Huskers include: No. 5 Jake Sueflohn (141), No. 7 James Green (157), No. 6 Robert Kokesh (165), No. 7 Josh Ihnen (184) and No. 9 Tucker Lane (Hwt).

As a team, the Huskers remained the same in the NWCA Coaches poll this week at No. 7.

Ihnen Tough to Takedown
Junior Josh Ihnen is having the best year of his Husker career in 2011-12. Ihnen is 19-2 on the year and is 14-1 in dual competition. The Sheldon, Iowa, native has been especially impressive in his last eight dual matches, not allowing a single takedown and recording four major decisions and a pin. The last time Ihnen was taken down was against Mac Stoll of North Dakota State on Dec. 18. 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. Ihnen's only two losses this year have been to current-No. 1 Joe LeBlanc of Wyoming, while each of those matches were decided by two points or less.

Nakashima Going Extra Time
James Nakashima continued his trend of wrestling in overtime matches this weekend when he defeated Wisconsin's Jackson Hein, 7-5, in the second tiebreaker. Nakashima has wrestled in overtime in four out of his last five matches, winning three of them. Overall, he has wrestled in five overtime matches this season, while no other Husker has wrestled in more than two overtimes this season. The senior defeated A.J. Kissel (Purdue) in the second sudden-victory period and defeated Joe Fagiano (Indiana) by riding time after finishing the match tied. Earlier in the season, Nakashima defeated Nick Tenpenny (Navy), 3-1, in sudden victory.

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 two victories away from cracking the top 10 for most victories in a season by a true freshman. Green's 25 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 13 straight matches that have included five 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 14-1 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 43 dual victories. Green leads the pack with 25 overall victories and has won nine duals by major decision. Kokesh has been nearly perfect this season, only dropping three matches to en route to his 22-3 record. The Wagner, S.D., native has won 18 out of his 23 matches in bonus-point fashion, with seven pins, one technical fall and 10 major decisions. Sueflohn has won 18 matches this season and has a 12-2 dual record, while Wilbourn has won six out of his last nine matches to improve his record to 10-8.

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.