Huskers Come Up Short at Penn State

University Park, Pa. - Sophomores Jake Sueflohn (149) and Robert Kokesh (174) each upset top-three opponents but it wasn't enough as the No. 13 Nebraska wrestling team fell to No. 1 Penn State, 33-9, on Sunday afternoon at Rec Hall.

The Huskers move to 9-4 on the season following the loss. NU is now 3-3 in Big Ten duals as it lost its first true road match of the 2012-13 campaign. The Nittany Lions improve to 8-0 with a 5-0 mark in the Big Ten.

Following a forfeit at 125 pounds, Nebraska's Shawn Nagel faced off with Penn State's Jordan Conaway at 133 pounds. Nagel, a junior, had an early takedown but trailed the rest of the way in a 14-5 major decision loss. Nagel falls to 12-11 on the season and suffers his seventh dual loss.

Senior Ridge Kiley and Bryan Pearsall battled through a scoreless first two periods at 141 pounds. In the third period, Pearsall earned an escape and used a riding time point en route to a 2-0 decision. The victory gave Penn State an early 13-0 lead. Kiley, the 19th-ranked wrestler by InterMat, suffered his seventh loss of the season and moves to 7-3 in duals.

Sueflohn picked up Nebraska's first win of the dual as he pinned No. 3 Andrew Alton in 5:33 at 149 pounds. Alton took an early 4-0 against Sueflohn but the Husker sophomore used a third-period reversal for a 6-5 lead before the pin. Alton suffered his first loss of the season after a 17-0 start. Sueflohn improves to 17-3 on the season with an 8-2 record in duals.

No. 4 James Green looked to keep the momentum going for Nebraska at 157 pounds but fell by a 3-1 decision against No. 6 Dylan Alton. Following a scoreless first period, Alton escaped to take a narrow 1-0 lead before a late takedown in the third to clinch the victory. Green suffered his first loss in dual competition and falls to 15-2 overall.

At 165 pounds, senior Tyler Koehn started for the Huskers against No. 2 David Taylor. Koehn trailed throughout in a 16-1 technical fall loss that gave Penn State a 21-6 lead.

No. 4 Kokesh responded at 174 pounds with a 10-7 decision over No. 3 Matt Brown to cut the lead to 21-9. Kokesh extends his winning streak to 21 as he improves to 26-1 on the season with a 12-1 dual mark.

The Huskers suffered losses at 184, 197 and heavyweight to contribute to the 33-9 final score. Senior Josh Ihnen (184) took an early lead against No. 1 Ed Ruth but fell by an 18-3 technical fall. Caleb Kolb (197) fell to No. 3 Quentin Wright by a 10-2 major decision before Spencer Johnson (HWT) lost a 7-4 decision in the final match of the afternoon against No. 17 Jon Gingrich.

The Huskers will look to bounce back on Friday night as they host Michigan State at 7 p.m. Fans are encouraged to arrive early for the final match at NU Coliseum for senior night festivities as well as a tribute to gold medalist Jordan Burroughs and Tom Osborne. The dual will be available on Big Ten Digital Network.

Jan. 27, 2013
No. 1 Penn State 33, No. 13 Nebraska 9
Rec Hall, University Park, Pa.

Results
125: #2 Nicholas Megadulis (PSU) by forfeit (PSU 6, NEB 0)
133: Jordan Conaway (PSU) by major dec. over Shawn Nagel (NEB), 14-5 (PSU 10, NEB 0)
141: Bryan Pearsall (PSU) by dec. over #19 Ridge Kiley (NEB), 2-0 (PSU 13, NEB 0)
149: #12 Jake Sueflohn (NEB) by pin over #3 Andrew Alton (PSU), 5:33  (PSU 13, NEB 6)
157: #6 Dylan Alton (PSU) by dec. over #4 James Green (NEB), 3-1 (PSU 16, NEB 6)
165: #2 David Taylor (PSU) by tech. fall over Tyler Koehn (NEB), 16-1 (PSU 21, NEB 6)
174: #4 Robert Kokesh (NEB) by dec. over #3 Matt Brown (PSU), 10-7 (PSU 21, NEB 9)
184: #1 Ed Ruth (PSU) by tech. fall over #8 Josh Ihnen (NEB), 18-3 (PSU 26, NEB 9)
197: #3 Quentin Wright (PSU) by major dec. over Caleb Kolb (NEB), 10-2 (PSU 30, NEB 9)
HWT: #17 Jon Gingrich (PSU) by dec. over Spencer Johnson (NEB), 7-4 (PSU 33, NEB 9)