Huskers Come Up Short Against Iowa, 22-9

Lincoln, Neb. – Junior 157-pounder James Green upset top-ranked Derek St. John, but No. 8 Nebraska (8-1, 2-1 Big Ten) suffered its first loss of the season in a 22-9 setback to No. 3 Iowa in front of 3,946 fans on Saturday evening at the Devaney Center.

Green’s victory came in the fifth match of the night after 149-pounder Jake Sueflohn earned the first victory for Nebraska in the previous bout. Green, the No. 3 wrestler in InterMat’s rankings, earned a takedown against St. John in the first period to take an early 2-0 lead against the defending national champion.

In the second period, St. John escaped to cut the lead to 2-1 before another takedown by Green made the score 4-1. In the third period, Green managed two more takedowns to notch a 9-7 victory over St. John. Green, a two-time All-American, improves to 22-0 on the season, while St. John suffers his first loss of the 2013-14 campaign after a 20-0 start.

Sueflohn, the No. 5 wrestler in InterMat’s poll, took down No. 13 Brody Grothus by a 5-2 decision in the third match of the night to cut Iowa’s lead to 10-3. Sueflohn earned two takedowns against the Hawkeye and improves to 22-3 on the season with an 8-1 mark in duals.

No. 4 Robert Kokesh (174) earned Nebraska’s third win of the evening with a 7-3 decision over No. 6 Mike Evans. Kokesh, a junior All-American, notched three takedowns in the bout and moves to 24-1 on the season, with a 9-0 dual record.

The Huskers suffered losses in the first three matches of the dual as No. 9 Tim Lambert (125) and Colton McCrystal (141) fell by decision and Shawn Nagel (133) lost by major decision.

Lambert battled No. 3 Thomas Gilman to a scoreless first period before Gilman earned a second-period escape. Lambert chose down to start the third period and earned an escape, but Gilman earned a point for riding time and managed a 2-1 victory over the Husker redshirt freshman.

Nagel fell to No. 3 Tony Ramos, 15-4, and McCrystal dropped a 9-2 decision to No. 13 Josh Dziewa.

Following Green’s victory at 157 pounds, Nebraska trailed Iowa 10-6 at the halfway point. At 165 pounds, Austin Wilson fell to No. 4 Nick Moore, 8-2. After Kokesh cut the Iowa’s lead to 13-9, the Hawkeyes won narrow matches in each of the final three bouts.

No. 11 TJ Dudley (184) suffered his first dual loss of the season in a 6-4 sudden victory at the hands of Sammy Brooks. Caleb Kolb (197) earned a third-period escape against No. 16 Nathan Burak in the subsequent match, but the Hawkeye managed a 3-1 victory. At heavyweight, Collin Jensen lost to No. 3 Bobby Telford, 2-0.

The Huskers hit the road next weekend for a pair of Big Ten duals. Nebraska faces Ohio State on Friday at 6 p.m., in Columbus, Ohio, before Sunday’s matchup against Purdue in West Lafayette, Ind., at noon. Both duals will be streamed online on the Big Ten Digital Network.

No. 3 Iowa 22, No. 8 Nebraska 9
Bob Devaney Sports Center, Lincoln, Neb.
Saturday, Jan. 18, 2014
Attendance: 3,946

Official Results
125: #3 Thomas Gilman (IOWA) by dec. over #9 Tim Lambert (NEB), 2-1 (IOWA 3, NEB 0)
133: #3 Tony Ramos (IOWA) by major dec. over Shawn Nagel (NEB), 15-4 (IOWA 7, NEB 0)
141: #13 Josh Dziewa (IOWA) by dec. over Colton McCrystal (NEB), 9-2 (IOWA 10, NEB 0)
149: #5 Jake Sueflohn (NEB) by dec. over #13 Brody Grothus (IOWA), 5-2 (IOWA 10, NEB 3)
157: #3 James Green (NEB) by dec. over #1 Derek St. John (IOWA), 9-7 (IOWA 10, NEB 6)
165: #4 Nick Moore (IOWA) by dec. over Austin Wilson (NEB), 8-2 (IOWA 13, NEB 6)
174: #4 Robert Kokesh (NEB) by dec. over #6 Mike Evans (IOWA), 7-3 (IOWA 13, NEB 9)
184: Sammy Brooks (IOWA) by sudden victory over #11 TJ Dudley (NEB), 6-4 (IOWA 16, NEB 9)
197: #16 Nathan Burak (IOWA) by dec. over Caleb Kolb (NEB), 3-1 (IOWA 19, NEB 9)
HWT: #3 Bobby Telford (IOWA) by dec. over Collin Jensen (NEB), 2-0 (IOWA 22, NEB 9)