Huskers Open Dual Season This Weekend

No. 9 Nebraska (0-0) vs. Northern Colorado (0-0)
Greeley Central High School | Greeley, Colo. | Saturday, Nov. 10 | 7 p.m.
Series History: NU trails, 9-12-1
Last Meeting: NU won, 34-6, on Dec. 3, 2010 in Greeley, Colo.

No. 9 Nebraska (0-0) vs. No. 19 Wyoming (1-0)
UniWyo Sports Complex • Laramie, Wyo. • Sunday, Nov. 11 • 2 p.m.
Series History: NU leads, 31-14-0
Last Meeting: NU won, 19-15, on Dec. 10, 2011 in Lincoln, Neb.
Live Stats: http://www.trackwrestling.com/dualmeets/DualMeetDetail.jsp?dualMeetId=121606009
Video (subscription required): www.gowyo.com/allaccess

Huskers Open Dual Season This Weekend
The No. 9 Nebraska wrestling team is set to begin its 2012-13 dual season on Saturday when it travels to Greeley, Colo., for the first of two duals on the weekend. The Huskers will take on the Northern Colorado Bears to open their season on Saturday at 7 p.m., before heading to Laramie, Wyo., to face the No. 19 Wyoming Cowboys on Sunday at 2 p.m. 

Live stats will be provided for the Huskers’ dual against Wyoming at the link provided at the top of the page, while streaming video is offered, but a subscription is required in order to view the match. The matchup against Northern Colorado will not have live scoring, but results will be available on Huskers.com following the match.

Nebraska is entering its second season as a member of the Big Ten Conference after finishing the 2011-12 campaign with a 15-4 record, which included a 5-3 mark in Big Ten duals. The Huskers tied for 21st at the NCAA Championships after an eighth-place finish in the Big Ten. NU returns six NCAA qualifiers in 2012-13: Ridge Kiley (141), Jake Sueflohn (149), James Green (157), Robert Kokesh (174), Tyler Koehn (174) and Josh Ihnen (184).

Four Huskers are ranked in InterMat’s most recent poll, which was released on Nov. 6. Sueflohn, a sophomore, earned the No. 14 spot at 149 pounds. At 157 pounds, fellow sophomore Green is ranked No. 5 after achieving All-American status last season. Kokesh is ranked No. 8 at 174 pounds after moving up a weight class from 165, where he competed last year. At 184 pounds, Ihnen will start the dual season ranked No. 6 after an eighth-place finish at the 2012 NCAA Championships.

This weekend the Huskers will start either Skylar Wood or Eric Coufal at 125 pounds. Both are newcomers to the squad in 2012-13 and could compete for a spot in the NU lineup at 133 pounds as well throughout the season. Junior Shawn Nagel, who started for Nebraska at 125 pounds last season, will start at 133 pounds this weekend after going 4-0 at the Warren Williamson/Daktronics Open on Sunday. At 141 pounds, Kiley or sophomore Skylar Galloway will start for NU. 

Redshirt freshman Austin Wilson or sophomore Brandon Wilbourn will start at 165 pounds this weekend. Wilbourn compiled a 4-0 record at the Daktronics Open, while Wilson went 4-1. Junior Caleb Kolb will start at 197 pounds and redshirt freshman Donny Longendyke will start at heavyweight. Longendyke went 3-2 at the Daktronics Open.

Scouting the Northern Colorado Bears
• Northern Colorado returns eight starters from a team that went 6-7 in dual competition last year and finished fifth in the Western Wrestling Conference.

• Northern Colorado’s top returner is Henry Chirino (HWT), who finished last season with 13 wins.

• The Bears are coached by Ben Cherrington, who is in his fourth season as head coach. Cherrington has won 11 duals in his time at Northern Colorado.

Scouting the Wyoming Cowboys
• The Cowboys are ranked No. 19 by the NWCA/USA Today poll. They won their first match of the season on Nov. 1 against Boise State, 26-12.

• Wyoming concluded last season with a first-place finish in the Western Wrestling Conference and boasted a 10-3 overall record. The Cowboys tied for 19th at the 2012 NCAA Championships.

•Wyoming is coached by Mark Branch, who is in his fifth season as head coach, and holds a 48-16 record.

Eight Huskers Win at Daktronics Open
Nebraska opened its regular season on Sunday, Nov. 4, as eight wrestlers won their weight classes at the Warren Williamson/Daktronics Open.

The Huskers took home the top three places at 165 pounds as Brandon Wilbourn won, Austin Wilson was runner up and Shaun’qae McMurtry earned a third-place finish. Wilbourn won a 4-2 decision over Wilson in the championship match. McMurtry pinned Augustana College’s Parker Swanson in the third-place match. Ross Grande went 4-3 to earn a sixth-place finish, while Michael Klinginsmith finished with a 1-2 mark.

At 174 pounds, the Huskers earned the top four spots with no contest in the championship and third place matches. Robert Kokesh and Tyler Koehn went 3-0, while Aaron Studebaker and Micah Barnes went 3-1. Freshman McCoy Newberg went 3-2.

Sophomores Jake Sueflohn (149) and James Green (157) as well as senior Josh Ihnen (184) won their respective weight classes at the Daktronics Open. Sueflohn won an 11-6 decision over Augustana’s Nate Herda, while Green won a 7-4 decision over SDSU’s Cody Pack. Ihnen won by decision over Minnesota’s Brett Pfarr, 8-3.

Newcomer Tim Lambert went 4-0 as the lone Husker competing at 125 pounds. Following a first-round bye, the freshman pinned South Dakota State’s Chet Utesch in 1:34 before a 7-0 decision over NSU’s Anthony Bruno. In the semifinals, Lambert won a 5-0 decision over SDSU’s Aaron Pickrel to advance to the finals where he pinned Augustana’s TJ North in 3:28.

At 133 pounds, junior Shawn Nagel took home the title with Adam Joseph taking sixth place. Nagel went 4-0, capping the tournament with a 7-6 decision over North Dakota State’s Justin Scherkenbach.

Sophomore Skylar Galloway went 4-0 en route to the title at 141 pounds. Following a first-round bye, Galloway won a major decision over Midland’s Jacob Luning-Hoshino, 12-3. Then Galloway won a 3-2 decision over Angel Vega before a 5-3 decision over Iowa Central’s Stephen Mincey. In the championship match, Galloway won a 4-0 decision over SDSU’s Will James.

Huskers Prepare for Season with Wrestle-Offs
Nebraska kicked off its 2012-13 campaign with the annual wrestle-offs on Friday, Nov. 2, at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.

Returning Huskers Robert Kokesh (174), Skylar Galloway (141) and Austin Wilson (165) as well as newcomers Tim Lambert (125) and Eric Coufal (133) posted 2-0 records on Friday night. Cody Compton (165), Donny Longendyke (HWT), Caleb Kolb (197), James Green (157), Josh Ihnen (184) and Jake Sueflohn (149) all won their lone match at the Devaney Center.

Kokesh, a sophomore, won both his matches in dominating fashion on Friday night. He opened with a pin in 2:06 over freshman McCoy Newberg before a 12-1 major decision over senior Tyler Koehn. Kokesh wrestled at 165 pounds last season, but moved up a weight class to 174 pounds for the 2012-13 campaign.

At 141 pounds, Galloway started with a 4-3 decision over Luis DeAnda, then won a 3-2 decision over Ridge Kiley. Galloway started for the Huskers at 149 pounds in 2011-12, but moved down a weight class for this season.

Six Huskers wrestled at 165 pounds on Friday night, but Austin Wilson (2-0) and Cody Compton (1-0) were the only ones without a loss. Wilson, a redshirt freshman, started his night with a 3-2 decision over Ross Grande before narrowly taking a 2-1 decision over Brandon Wilbourn. Compton’s lone victory was a 2-0 decision over Michael Klinginsmith. Klinginsmith and Grande finished the night at 1-1, while Wilbourn went 0-1 and Shaun’qae McMurtry posted an 0-2 record at 165 pounds.

Lambert, a freshman at 125 pounds, won a 6-3 decision over junior Shawn Nagel to open his night. Lambert followed that up with a 4-0 decision over fellow freshman Skylar Wood. Coufal also went 2-0 at the Wrestle-Offs, recording a 4-3 decision over Nagel as well as a 5-3 sudden victory pin over Adam Joseph at 133 pounds.

Heavy Competition Expected at 165 Pounds
The Huskers will have plenty of competition at 165 pounds as the deepest weight class on the team. Sophomore Brandon Wilbourn moved up from 149 pounds to compete alongside senior Ross Grande, juniors Cody Compton and Michael Klinginsmith, freshman Shaun’qae McMurtry and redshirt freshman Austin Wilson.

Grande moved up from 157 pounds, where he won 10 matches last year. Wilbourn also won 10 matches last season, where he competed at 149 pounds. Compton saw limited action in 2011-12, going 4-0 at 157 pounds. Klinginsmith and Wilson added depth last season at 165 pounds. Klinginsmith won 19 matches and Wilson won 10.

Last season then-redshirt freshman Robert Kokesh started at 165 pounds. He won 30 matches, which included a team-high 17 dual wins en route to a third-place Big Ten finish and an NCAA appearance.

Huskers Welcome 17 Newcomers in 2012-13
Junior Adam Joseph (133), redshirt freshman Nyle Bartling (197), and freshmen Gage Anderson (149), Nick Babcock (149), Micah Barnes (174), Eric Coufal (125), TJ Dudley (184), Jed Fenske (149), Collin Jensen (HWT), Tim Lambert (125), Shaun’qae McMurtry (165), Ben Morgan (133), McCoy Newberg (174), Zeke Nistrian (157), Aaron Studebaker (174), Skylar Wood (133) and Joe Zimmer (184) as the newcomers to the 2012-13 squad. Joseph comes to Nebraska after two years at Concordia, while Bartling wrestled at Ohio State for one year. Nebraska’s 2012 recruiting class was ranked No. 6 by InterMat. 

Challenging Schedule Awaits Huskers
The Nebraska wrestling team will face a challenging schedule in 2012-13, which includes a trip to Madison Square Garden as well as matches against the top three NCAA finishers from 2012.

The first dual of the season is against Northern Colorado in Greeley, Colo., on Nov. 10. It is the first of two non-conference road duals as the next night the Huskers face Wyoming in Laramie, Wyo.

The Huskers’ first conference home dual of the season is on the night of Nov. 16, as they will host 2012 NCAA runner-up Minnesota at the NU Coliseum at 7 p.m. Two days later, Nebraska hosts a pair of afternoon non-conference duals against North Carolina and South Dakota State. The Huskers hold a 10-1 advantage over the Tar Heels in the all-time series.

Nebraska heads to Las Vegas, Nev., Nov. 30-Dec. 1, for the Cliff Keen Invitational. Last season the Huskers finished fourth with 106 points. NU then returns home for a pair of duals against Arizona State (Dec. 8) and Wisconsin (Dec. 9). In 2011-12, the Huskers shut out both opponents by a combined score of 78-0.

On Dec. 16, the Huskers are set to compete in the first Grapple at the Garden in New York, N.Y. NU faces Maryland at 9:30 a.m., before wrestling Rutgers at 11:30 a.m. Other teams participating in the Grapple at the Garden include Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Iowa, Hofstra, Chattanooga and Bucknell. To close out 2012, the Huskers compete at the Midlands Invitational in Evanston, Ill., Dec. 29-30.

January begins with two road Big Ten duals against Michigan and Northwestern. The Huskers head to Ann Arbor, Mich., on Jan. 11 before a trip to Evanston, Ill., on Jan. 13. Nebraska returns home to face Illinois on Jan. 18. The Fighting Illini finished seventh at the 2012 NCAA Championships. Nebraska then heads to University Park, Pa., for a showdown against defending national champion Penn State on Jan. 27.

On Feb. 1, the Huskers host Michigan State at the NU Coliseum. Last season the Big Red crushed the Spartans 27-8 in East Lansing, Mich. The final Big Ten dual of the 2012-13 campaign comes Feb. 10 against Iowa, which finished third at the 2012 NCAA Championships. The Huskers will compete at the NWCA National Duals in Ithaca, N.Y., on Feb. 17. Their opponents are to be determined.

On March 9-10, Nebraska will make its second appearance in the Big Ten Championships in Champaign, Ill. Last season the Huskers produced four top-five finishers. The 2012-13 season concludes March 21-23 at the NCAA Championships in Des Moines, Iowa. Last year Nebraska finished 21st with 28 points. James Green (157) and  Josh Ihnen (184) earned All-America honors, as eight Huskers qualified for the 2012 NCAA Championships.

BTDN to Feature Huskers Nine Times
The Nebraska wrestling program will be featured nine times on the Big Ten Digital Network in 2012-13. Home matches against Minnesota (Nov. 16), Arizona State (Dec. 8), Wisconsin (Dec. 9), Illinois (Jan. 18) and Michigan State (Feb. 1) will be streamed online. Road matches against Michigan (Jan. 11), Northwestern (Jan. 12), Penn State (Jan. 27) and Iowa (Feb. 10) will also be streamed through BTDN. Throughout the season, go to the BTN/BTN2Go/BTDN Olympic Sports TV schedule page for the most up-to-date information on the BTN and BTDN wrestling schedules.

Former Husker Burroughs Wins Gold Medal in Freestyle
Former Husker Jordan Burroughs won the gold medal at 74 kilograms (163 pounds) at the 2012 Olympics in London. Burroughs defeated Iran’s Sadegh Saeed Goudarzi 3-0 in the gold medal match.

Burroughs, a two-time NCAA champion at Nebraska, won four matches on Friday en route to becoming the first freestyle gold medalist in school history. Burroughs adds the gold medal to his list of accomplishments after Nebraska, which includes winning the 2011 FILA World Championships.

After taking a bye in the round of 32, Burroughs dominated Puerto Rico’s Francisco Soler Tanco. Burroughs won the first round 4-0 before taking the second round 6-0. With the win, he advanced to the quarterfinals to face Matthew Gentry of Canada.

In a much closer match, Burroughs survived the scare from Gentry. Burroughs posted a 2-1 victory in the first round before tying the second round and winning the match.

In the semifinals, Burroughs was challenged by Russia’s Denis Tsargush, but prevailed in the third round. The Sicklerville, N.J., native won the first round 3-1, but fell 2-0 in the second round. He bounced back in the third round, however, for a 2-1 win.

Burroughs then shut out Goudarzi in the gold medal match, winning 1-0, 1-0.

Burroughs, who won the 2011 Hodge Trophy for best collegiate wrestler, was coached by Nebraska Head Coach Mark Manning at the London Olympics.

Burroughs joins Dan Brand (1964), Bill Scherr (1988), Rulon Gardner (2000 and 2004) and Matt Lindland (2000) as the only former Huskers to earn Olympic medals. Brand and Scherr each took bronze in freestyle, Gardner won gold (2000) and bronze (2004) in Greco-Roman and Lindland earned silver.