Huskers Wrap Up Dual Season at Wisconsin

No. 8 Nebraska (11-2, 5-2 Big Ten) vs. No. 15 Wisconsin (12-4, 5-1 Big Ten)
UW Field House (10,300) • Madison, Wis. • Friday, Feb. 21 • 7 p.m. CT
Series History: Nebraska trails, 5-9-2
Last Meeting: Nebraska lost, 17-19, on Dec. 9, 2012, in Lincoln, Neb.
Video Streaming (subscription required): Big Ten Digital Network
Twitter Feed: @HuskerWrestling (www.twitter.com/HuskerWrestling)
Scoring: TrackWrestling.com

No. 8 Nebraska looks to finish its dual season on winning note when the Huskers face No. 15 Wisconsin at UW Field House on Friday night in Madison, Wis.

The Big Ten dual starts at 7 p.m. CT and will be streamed on the Big Ten Digital Network, with a subscription required to view the matches. Scoring is available through TrackWrestling.com and updates will be provided on Twitter by following @HuskerWrestling.

The dual marks Nebraska’s sixth consecutive dual against a ranked opponent as the Huskers seek to complete a perfect road record. NU is 4-0 in true road duals this season, with three of those wins coming against Big Ten opponents.

The Huskers look to bounce back from their last outing, a 17-16 loss to then-No. 11 Michigan at the Devaney Center on Feb. 7. The dual ended in a tie before technical points decided the outcome.

This weekend’s matchup against Wisconsin marks the 17th all-time meeting between the schools, with the Badgers holding a 9-5-2 advantage in the series. Wisconsin won the most recent dual between the schools last season, 19-17, in Lincoln, Neb. Robert Kokesh (174), Austin Wilson (165) and Jake Sueflohn (149) each picked up victories in the dual for the Huskers and are all expected to start on Friday night.

Kokesh looks to complete a perfect dual record this season, riding a 13-0 mark into the weekend. Fellow junior James Green (157) also has a chance to accomplish that feat, sitting at 12-0. Green is ranked first in the country and holds a 26-0 record overall. He will face seventh-ranked Isaac Jordan of Wisconsin on Friday night in the lone top-10 matchup of the dual.

Senior Caleb Kolb is expected to don the singlet at 197 pounds for the Huskers following his triumph against Michigan two weeks ago. Fellow senior Shawn Nagel (133) will grapple for NU, and faces No. 5 Tyler Graff.

No. 9 TJ Dudley (184) leads a trio of redshirt freshmen into action this weekend. He joins Tim Lambert (No. 11 at 125) and Collin Jensen (HWT) in the lineup for Nebraska. Lambert looks to pick up his 10th dual victory of the season in a matchup against No. 9 Ryan Taylor. Jensen will battle No. 10 Connor Medbery.

True freshman Colton McCrystal will start for the Huskers at 141 pounds.

Last Time Out: Huskers Fall By Tiebreaker to Michigan, 17-16
Nebraska fell to No. 11 Michigan by a 17-16 margin (Tiebreaker 3) in front of 2,667 fans at the Devaney Center on Friday, Feb. 7.

The Senior Night dual ended in a 16-16 tie, but the Wolverines won on technical points, 56-52. The Huskers trailed 9-0 after three matches, but won five of the next six to build a 16-12 lead before dropping the final bout.

Junior Jake Sueflohn (149) started Nebraska’s run in the fourth match of the night with his 9-3 decision over No. 7 Eric Grajales. The pair traded takedowns in the first period before Sueflohn earned an escape and a takedown in the second period. Holding a 6-2 lead, Sueflohn added on a takedown in the final period to emerge with the victory.

Top-ranked 157-pounder James Green continued Nebraska’s momentum in the following match, edging Jake Salazar, 7-6, in overtime. Green built a 5-1 lead in the second period before Salazar mounted a comeback to tie the match at 6. Following a scoreless sudden victory, Green escaped in the first 30-second overtime period before riding out Salazar in the second overtime.

After Nebraska’s Austin Wilson (165) fell by a 4-0 decision to No. 6 Dan Yates, the Huskers responded by winning the next three matches.

At 174 pounds, reigning All-American Robert Kokesh earned four takedowns against Collin Zeerip to emerge with an 11-2 major decision. Kokesh won his 14th match in a row to improve to 28-1 on the season and boasts a perfect 13-0 dual record.

A pair of ranked freshmen grappled at 184 pounds, with Nebraska’s TJ Dudley coming out with an 8-6 sudden victory. At the end of the second period, Dudley trailed 6-3 after the officials reversed their original call to give Dominic Abounader a takedown. Dudley started the final period in the down position, earning an escape and a takedown to tie the score a 6 before taking down the Wolverine in sudden victory.

Caleb Kolb (197) was one of three seniors honored before the dual and came from behind to win a 5-4 decision over Chris Heald. Heald earned a takedown in the first period to take a 2-0 lead, but Kolb managed to escape in the second period to cut the lead to 2-1. Heald started the third period in the down position and earned an escape to take a 3-1 advantage. Kolb earned two additional takedowns to emerge with the win and send the home crowd into a frenzy.

In the final match, redshirt freshman Collin Jensen dropped a 12-3 major decision to No. 2 Adam Coon. The Huskers also suffered losses at 125, 133, 141 and 165 pounds.

In the opening bout, No. 9 Tim Lambert (125) lost by a 2-0 decision to No. 20 Conor Youtsey. At 133 pounds, senior Shawn Nagel trailed 5-1 in the second period before tying the match at 6. However, No. 19 Rossi Bruno earned a point for riding time to give Michigan a 6-0 lead.

Freshman Colton McCrystal (141) fell to No. 13 Steve Dutton, 10-3, and sophomore Austin Wilson (165) lost to No. 6 Dan Yates, 4-0.

Scouting the Wisconsin Badgers
Wisconsin is 12-4 on the season, with a 5-1 record in Big Ten duals. The Badgers ride a three-dual win streak heading into their matchup with Nebraska. Two weeks ago, Wisconsin took down then-No. 21 North Dakota State at home after posting victories over then-No. 16 Northwestern and Indiana on the previous weekend. The Badgers’ last loss was Jan. 12 against current-No. 1 Minnesota.

Wisconsin opened the New Year with a narrow triumph over then-No. 9 Ohio State at home after December Big Ten victories over Michigan State and then-No. 7 Illinois. UW went 6-3 in November, defeating Cumberland (Tenn.), Chattanooga, Virginia, UW-Parkside, UW-Whitewater and American. The Badgers suffered losses to North Carolina, Old Dominion and then-No. 16 Northern Iowa.

The Badgers captured the Navy Classic title on Nov. 23 in Annapolis, Md., and finished eighth at the Midlands Invitational, Dec. 29-30.

Senior 133-pounder Tyler Graff leads a quartet of Badgers in the top 10 of InterMat’s latest poll, released on Feb. 18. He is fifth in his weight class with a 25-3 record this season. Redshirt freshman Isaac Jordan is seventh at 157 pounds and holds a 22-4 mark for Wisconsin. Redshirt freshman Ryan Taylor (No. 9 at 125) and sophomore Connor Medbery (HWT) round out the Badgers’ grapplers in the top 10.

At 174 pounds, Scott Liegel is ranked 20th with a 16-8 record this season. 184-pounder Jackson Hein is No. 20 in WIN Magazine’s rankings and could see time in the lineup this weekend as Wisconsin also has Dylan Iczkowski listed. The Badgers also have multiple wrestlers listed at 149 and 165 pounds. TJ Ruschell or Rylan Lubeck will get the start at 149, while either Frank Cousins or Ben Cox will grapple for UW at 165 pounds.

At 141 pounds, redshirt freshman Jesse Thielke is expected to start, while Timmy McCall is scheduled to wrestle at 197 pounds.

Wisconsin is coached by Barry Davis, who is in his 20th season at the helm of Wisconsin’s wrestling program. Davis holds a career record of 207-148-11, with all of his head coaching experience coming at Wisconsin. His assistant coaches are Kyle Ruschell and Trevor Brandvold.

Eight Huskers in Second Coaches’ Panel Rankings
Eight Huskers earned spots in the second NCAA Coaches’ Panel Rankings, while seven Nebraska grapplers garnered spots in the first set of RPI Rankings when the NCAA released both polls on Thursday, Feb. 13.

Junior 157-pounder James Green holds the top spot in both set of rankings with a perfect 26-0 record. Green, a two-time All-American, has six victories against ranked opponents this season.

Fellow reigning All-American Robert Kokesh (174) is second in the RPI Rankings and third in the Coaches’ Panel Rankings. Kokesh is 28-1 this season and holds a perfect 13-0 record in duals. The junior is 4-1 against ranked opponents, with his only loss coming to top-ranked Andrew Howe of Oklahoma on Dec. 7.

Jake Sueflohn is No. 4 in the Coaches’ Panel Rankings and ninth in the RPI Rankings at 149 pounds. Sueflohn rides a 13-match winning streak following a runner-up finish at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational in December. The junior owns a 26-3 mark, which includes a 12-1 dual record.

Redshirt freshman TJ Dudley (184) also earned spots in the top 10 of each set of rankings, taking eighth in the RPI and ninth in the coaches’ rankings. He leads a trio of redshirt freshmen in the rankings as Tim Lambert (125) and Collin Jensen (HWT) also earned spots.

Lambert is No. 11 by the coaches and 25th by the RPI, while Jensen holds the No. 23 spot in the coaches’ poll and No. 25 ranking in the RPI.

Sophomore Austin Wilson (165) is 18th in the RPI and 21st in the coaches’ rankings. Wilson is 18-11 this season after qualifying for the NCAA Championships last season.
Senior Caleb Kolb (197) is 30th in the Coaches’ Panel Rankings following his 5-4 decision over Michigan’s Chris Heald on Friday night.

The NCAA will release one more set of Coaches’ Panel Rankings and use that, along with the RPI as two of the tools used to determine qualifiers for the NCAA Championships. The national tournament is set for March 20-22 in Oklahoma City, Okla.

NCAA Coaches’ Panel Rankings (Feb. 13)
125: #11 Tim Lambert
149: #4 Jake Sueflohn
157: #1 James Green
165: #21 Austin Wilson
174: #3 Robert Kokesh
184: #9 TJ Dudley
197: #30 Caleb Kolb
HWT: #23 Collin Jensen

RPI Rankings (Feb. 13)
125: #25 Tim Lambert
149: #9 Jake Sueflohn
157: #1 James Green
165: #18 Austin Wilson
174: #2 Robert Kokesh
184: #8 TJ Dudley
HWT: #25 Collin Jensen

Green Named to Sensational Six List for Hodge Trophy
James Green (157) is one of six wrestlers named as a front-runner for the 2014 WIN Magazine/Culture House Dan Hodge Trophy, presented by ASICS.

Green, a two-time All-American, holds the top ranking at 157 pounds in every major poll across the country and sits at 26-0 heading into this weekend. He has four pins, three technical falls and six major decisions to go along with six victories over ranked opponents this season. One of those wins was his 9-7 decision over defending national champion Derek St. John of Iowa on Jan. 18.

Green has also claimed three tournament titles in addition to his 12-0 dual record. He took home first place at the Warren Williamson/Daktronics Open (Nov. 3), Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational (Dec. 6-7) and Reno Tournament of Champions (Dec. 22).

Additional wrestlers on the Sensational Six list include Oklahoma’s Andrew Howe (174), Edinboro’s Mitchell Port (141), Penn State’s Zain Retherford (141), Maryland’s Jimmy Sheptock (184) and Penn State’s David Taylor (165).

A 44-member Hodge Voting Committee will select the 2014 winner and the announcement is set to be made the week after the NCAA Championships, which are March 20-22 in Oklahoma City, Okla. The committee consists of former Hodge winners, selected national wrestling media members, retired college coaches, a representative from a number of national wrestling organizations and two votes from a fan vote on WIN’s website.

Kokesh, Green on NCAA Most Dominant List
Reigning All-Americans Robert Kokesh (174) and James Green (157) are each on the NCAA’s Division I Most Dominant Rankings list that was released on Wednesday, Feb. 19. Kokesh is sixth with 4.32 points, while Green is eighth with 4.04 points.

Huskers Look to Complete Perfect Road Season
Nebraska is 4-0 this season in true road duals, and could cap a perfect season with a win over Wisconsin this weekend. The Huskers earned their first road victory on Nov. 24 at South Dakota State. Nebraska has also taken down Big Ten foes Ohio State, Purdue and Illinois away from Lincoln.

Nebraska is 3-0 in neutral matches, defeating Utah Valley, Stanford and CSU-Bakersfield at the Stanford Duals. The Huskers finished their home season with a 4-2 mark, winning over Northwestern, Wyoming, Indiana and Penn at the Devaney Center.

Huskers Surpass 11,000-Fan Mark for Home Duals
Nebraska had 11,958 fans in attendance this season over six duals as the Huskers made their return to the Devaney Center. Nebraska managed four duals of more than 1,000 fans, and surpassed the 2,500-fan plateau in each of its final three matchups. The highest attended dual this season was Jan. 18 against Iowa, where 3,946 fans showed up.

Juniors Leading Dual Win Total
The junior class leads the Huskers in dual competition, winning 40 matches among six different wrestlers. The redshirt freshmen, who have had four different starters, have compiled 28 wins. The sophomores have accounted for 11 wins, while lone freshman starter Colton McCrystal has earned six victories. Three seniors have started and accumulated five wins.

Battle for Pin King
Robert Kokesh (174) and TJ Dudley (184) lead all Husker starters with eight pins each heading into this weekend’s matchup with Wisconsin. In what has been a back-and-forth battle all season, Dudley managed the most recent fall when he pinned Ohio State’s Kenny Courts to tie the race at eight. Non-varsity member McCoy Newberg (174) also has eight pins this season. Spencer Johnson (197), Collin Jensen (HWT) and Aaron Studebaker (184) are all tied for fourth on the team with five pins a piece.

Kokesh, Sueflohn on Winning Streaks
Juniors Robert Kokesh (174) and Jake Sueflohn (149) each ride double-digit winning streaks into this weekend’s dual against Wisconsin. Kokesh has won 14 matches in a row, dating back to his 3-2 setback to No. 1 Andrew Howe of Oklahoma at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational on Dec. 7. Sueflohn’s last loss also came at the tournament, falling to No. 2 Kendric Maple of Oklahoma in the finals, 8-3. Sueflohn has won 13 straight matches, which include his first-place showing at the Reno Tournament of Champions. Kokesh also took home the crown at the tournament in Reno, Nev.

Kokesh Nearing 100th Win
Junior Robert Kokesh (174) is four wins shy of the 100th of his collegiate career at Nebraska. The third-year starter holds a 96-12 career record, with 28 of those victories coming this season. Last season, Kokesh went 38-4 en route to a third-place finish at the NCAA Championships at 174 pounds. In 2011-12, Kokesh wrapped up his redshirt freshman campaign with a 30-7 mark at 165 pounds.

Nebraska has 21 members in its 100-win club, with Josh Ihnen becoming the most recent to reach the milestone last season.

Huskers in the Rankings
No. 1 James Green (157) leads five Huskers who are ranked in InterMat’s latest poll, released on Feb. 18. Fellow juniors Robert Kokesh (No. 3 at 174) and Jake Sueflohn (No. 6 at 149) as well as redshirt freshmen TJ Dudley (No. 9 at 184) and Tim Lambert (No. 11 at 125) also made appearances in the rankings.

The WIN Magazine rankings were released on Feb. 18 and feature five Huskers in its poll, with Green garnering the top spot. Sueflohn moved up to second at 149, while Kokesh garnered the No. 3 spot at 174. Dudley is 12th and Lambert is ranked 14th.

In TheOpenMat.com’s poll, released on Feb. 19, five Huskers achieved top-20 rankings. Green is first, Sueflohn is second, Kokesh is third, while Dudley is ninth and Lambert is 13th.

As a team, Nebraska is ranked seventh by InterMat, sixth in WIN Magazine and eighth in the USA Today/NWCA/Amateur Wrestling News Coaches rankings.

Honors Pile Up for Undefeated Green
James Green remained No. 1 at 157 pounds in this week’s rankings and currently sits at 26-0 this season.

Green ascended to the top spot following his Jan. 18 victory over then-No. 1 Derek St. John of Iowa, 9-7. Green still retains the No. 1 ranking in the InterMat, TheOpenMat.com, WIN Magazine, Asics FloRankings and WrestlingReport polls this week. The RPI and NCAA Coaches’ Panel Rankings, released on Feb. 13, also tabbed the Husker junior No. 1 in their polls.

Green also earned a pair of national honors during the week of his rise to No. 1. The two-time All-American won USA Wrestling Athlete of the Week on Jan. 21 and Flowrestling.com’s Brute Wrestler-of-the-Week Award on Jan. 20. He was named to the Hodge Trophy’s Sensational Six List on Feb. 3.

James Green’s List of Honors (all rankings reflect the 157-pound weight class only)
• Sensational Six List for Hodge Trophy
• USA Wrestling Athlete of the Week (Jan. 21)
• Flowrestling.com’s Brute Wrestler of the Week (Jan. 20)
• Ranked #1 in InterMat
• Ranked #1 in TheOpenMat.com
• Ranked #1 in WIN Magazine
• Ranked #1 in Asics FloRankings
• Ranked #1 in WrestlingReport
• Ranked #1 in RPI Rankings (Feb. 13)
• Ranked #1 in NCAA Coaches’ Panel Rankings (Feb. 13)

Fans Set Attendance School Record at Iowa Dual
The audience of 3,946 that showed up to the Devaney Center on Saturday, Jan. 18 set a record for largest home crowd in Nebraska wrestling’s dual history.

Nebraska Wrestling’s Largest Home Crowds
1. Iowa (2014) - 3,946
2. Iowa State (2001) - 3,574
3. Iowa (2012) - 3,526
4. Oklahoma State (2005) - 3,442
5. Missouri (2008) - 3,252

Huskers Set to Close Dual Season
Nebraska’s matchup with Wisconsin this weekend is the last of 14 scheduled duals this season, leading up to the NCAA Championships, March 20-22, in Oklahoma City, Okla. The Huskers will also compete at the Big Ten Championships, March 8-9, in Madison, Wis.

The Huskers have competed against seven teams that are currently ranked in the USA Today/NWCA/AWN Poll, released on Feb. 11. Nebraska faces No. 15 Wisconsin in its final dual of the season on Friday night.

BTN, BTDN Giving Huskers Exposure
Nebraska is set to make its final dual appearance on the Big Ten Digital Network this weekend after making five previous showings this season.

The Huskers have also made two appearances on the Big Ten Network. Their home dual against Iowa on Jan. 18 was broadcasted as well as their road victory against Illinois on Feb. 1.

Friday night’s battle with Wisconsin is the sixth BTDN appearance of the season, with the Huskers’ matchups against Indiana, Wyoming, Ohio State, Purdue and Michigan being streamed.

NU’s win over Penn on Jan. 11 was streamed on Huskers.com as part of the “Tumble N Rumble” event.

Times and coverage for the Big Ten Championships, March 8-9, in Madison, Wis., are also set. Session I on March 8 starts at 10 a.m., with a stream on BTDN. Session II on the same day begins at 5 p.m., on BTDN. Sunday’s Session III commences at 11 a.m., with the third-place matches slated for 1 p.m., on BTDN. BTN will broadcast the first-place matches at 1 p.m., on Sunday.

BTDN is available at www.video.btn.com/allaccess and requires a subscription. All dates and times of scheduled events are subject to change and can be found on www.BTN.com.

Any changes to Nebraska’s schedule during the season can be found on Huskers.com.

Next Up: Big Ten Championships
After Nebraska wraps up its dual season this weekend, the Huskers take a two-week break before returning to competition at the Big Ten Championships, March 8-9, in Madison, Wis. Session I of the conference tournament is scheduled to start at 10 a.m. CT.

Husker Wrestling on Social Media
Nebraska wrestling can be followed on a variety of social media platforms for up-to-date team information as well as features on wrestlers:

• Twitter: @HuskerWrestling (www.twitter.com/HuskerWrestling)
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/NebraskaWrestling
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/HuskerWrestling
• YouTube: www.youtube.com/HuskerWrestling
• Flowrestling: www.flowrestling.org/user/NEwrestle

“Behind the Grind” is a weekly video blog that showcases the Nebraska wrestling program. Each week, photos from the Nebraska wrestling room will be tweeted to show behind-the-scenes footage of practice. Additionally, following practice a wrestler and/or coach will talk about Nebraska wrestling while also previewing the upcoming week. Fans are encouraged to tweet their questions for each coach and wrestler at @HuskerWrestling.

Three Huskers Earn Reno Titles
Jake Sueflohn (149), James Green (157) and Robert Kokesh (174) each won their respective weight division titles to lead Nebraska to the team championship at the Reno Tournament of Champions on Sunday, Dec. 22.

The Huskers finished with 159 points, which was 56 ahead of second-place Wyoming. North Carolina finished third with 97 points.

After Sueflohn took a first-round bye, he won back-to-back major decisions before capping his perfect day with three consecutive decisions. He won the championship match by a 7-1 margin over The Citadel’s Matt Frisch.

Green pinned three of his five opponents in Reno, while adding a technical fall and one decision. He took down Andy McCulley of Wyoming in the championship bout, 9-5. Green earned his third tournament title of the season after claiming the Warren Williamson/Daktronics Open and Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational crowns as well.

Kokesh capped his performance with a 3-1 decision over Southern Oregon’s Brock Gutches in the finals. Kokesh added a decision in his opening bout, but earned two pins and two major decision in his other matches. His quickest pin came in the third round in a time of 1:02.

Tim Lambert (125) and Austin Wilson (165) each made it to the finals in their respective weight classes, but ultimately took runner-up honors. Lambert went 4-1 with a major decision before falling to Wyoming’s Tyler Cox in the finals by a 4-3 margin. Wilson opened with back-to-back technical falls before a major decision in the third round. He lost to Corey Mock of Tennessee-Chattanooga, 9-1, in the championship match.

At 141 pounds, Anthony Abidin earned a third-place finish, winning a 13-0 major decision over CSU-Bakersfield’s Ian Nickell in his final match. Abidin registered two pins on his way to the semifinals before falling by an 8-3 decision to Joey Ward. Abidin won two matches in the consolation bracket following his lone loss of the day.

Spencer Johnson (197) and Collin Jensen (HWT) each finished fifth. Johnson dropped a 3-1 decision to Reuben Franklin of CSU-Bakersfield in his first match of the day, but reeled off five consecutive victories before suffering his second loss. He defeated Upper Iowa’s Carl Broghammer by injury default in the fifth-place match.

Jensen pinned his first opponent, but lost in the second round. In the consolation bracket, he won five matches, two of which were by fall. His final victory was a pin in 5:37 over Wayne Purnell of West Virginia.

Colton McCrystal (133), Ben Morgan (133), Brandon Wilbourn (165), McCoy Newberg (174), TJ Dudley (184) and Aaron Studebaker (197) also competed at the Reno Tournament of Champions for the Huskers.

Green Captures Cliff Keen Crown
James Green won the 157-pound title at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational to lead Nebraska to a second-place finish on Saturday, Dec. 7.

The Huskers’ 130.5-point total was 24 points behind team champion Oklahoma.
Green opened his day with a 7-5 sudden victory over Michigan’s Brian Murphy in the semifinals. In the finals, Green outlasted No. 12 Brian Realbuto of Cornell, 6-5, to capture the title.

Anthony Abidin (141), Jake Sueflohn (149), Robert Kokesh (174) and TJ Dudley (184) each advanced to the finals in their respective weight classes, but fell in the championship bout.

Abidin earned a medical forfeit win over Virginia Tech’s Devin Carter in the semifinals before losing to No. 1 Logan Stieber of Ohio State by a 16-1 technical fall. Sueflohn managed a 7-6 win over No. 7 Eric Grajales of Michigan, but fell by an 8-3 margin to No. 5 Kendric Maple of Oklahoma in the finals.

Kokesh won a 6-0 decision over No. 11 Stephen Doty of Virginia in the semifinals, but lost a 3-2 decision to No. 1 Andrew Howe of Oklahoma. Kokesh suffered his first loss of the season after a 14-0 start.

Dudley defeated No. 18 Benjamin Stroh of Wyoming in the semifinals, 18-9, before losing a 13-3 major decision to No. 12 Gabriel Dean of Cornell in the finals.

Austin Wilson (165) and Colton McCrystal (133) each started the day in the consolation bracket and managed top-eight finishes. After a decision and a pin for Wilson, he fell by a 4-2 margin to Northern Iowa’s Cooper Moore. In the fifth-place match, Wilson bounced back to win a 9-8 decision over Cornell’s Dylan Palacio.

McCrystal opened his day with a 5-2 decision over Rutgers’ Vincent Dellafave before being pinned by No. 18 Rosario Bruno of Michigan. In the seventh-place, McCrystal fell to Navy’s Colton Rasche, 8-5.

At heavyweight, Collin Jensen dropped his lone match of the day to No. 14 Ross Larson of Oklahoma by fall.

Tim Lambert (125) and Spencer Johnson (197) each lost their opening match on the first day to fall into the consolation bracket. Both picked up a win in the consolation bracket, but were ultimately eliminated.

Manning Earns 200th Career Victory
Nebraska Head Coach Mark Manning picked up his 200th career dual victory on Sunday, Nov. 24, when the Huskers took down South Dakota State, 36-6.

Manning, who is in his 17th season overall, earned the win in his home state of South Dakota. The Vermillion, S.D. native holds a career record of 209-97-5. Manning is 186-73-3 in his 14th season at Nebraska after compiling a 23-24-2 record in three seasons at Northern Iowa.

Huskers Return to Devaney Center
Nebraska returned to the Devaney Center this season for all of its home duals after years of wrestling at the NU Coliseum. The Huskers opened their home dual season on Nov. 17 before hosting a four-dual home stand in January and finished their home calendar at the newly renovated 7,907-seat venue against Michigan on Feb. 7.

In addition to hosting duals, the Devaney Center and Hendricks Training Complex house the wrestling offices, locker room, weight room and wrestling room, all just steps from each other, providing an atmosphere conducive to elite training. The Hendricks Complex, which is inside the Devaney Center, includes a practice facility, coaches’ offices as well as strength and conditioning and athletic medicine areas.

Huskers Show Depth at Wrestle-Offs
Nebraska held its annual Wrestle-Offs in conjunction with the Fall Coaches Clinic at the Devaney Center on Friday, Nov. 8.

Returning All-American Robert Kokesh (174) made one appearance, winning a 17-2 technical fall over McCoy Newberg. 2013 NCAA qualifiers Jake Sueflohn (149) and Caleb Kolb (197) also competed during Wrestle-Offs and each won both of their matches.

Sueflohn opened with a pin over Luis DeAnda in 2:47 before winning by injury default over newcomer Destin McCauley. Kolb battled Spencer Johnson to extra time twice on the night, winning by a 3-2 margin on both occasions.

At 184 pounds, Aaron Studebaker and TJ Dudley split their matches against each other. Studebaker won the first battle by a 4-2 decision, while Dudley won the second showdown, 6-5.

At 125 pounds, redshirt freshman Tim Lambert defeated Shawn Nagel twice, winning the first by pin in 4:52 and the second by technical fall, 18-0. At 133 pounds, Colton McCrystal put together a pair of victories. McCrystal took down Ben Morgan, 6-1, before defeating Eric Montoya, 7-4.

Micah Barnes (165) won both of his matches, defeating Brandon Wilbourn by injury default and outlasting Ian Ousley, 12-3. At 157 pounds, John Svoboda picked up a pair of wins. Svoboda opened with a 5-2 triumph over Ousley and added a 5-2 decision over Metzler.

The heavyweights battled once on Friday night, with Nyle Bartling notching an injury default victory over Collin Jensen.

At 141 pounds, Anthony Abidin pinned Adam Joseph in 1:27 following Joseph’s 5-3 decision over Tyrell Galloway.

Three Huskers Win at Daktronics Open
Robert Kokesh (174), James Green (157) and Collin Jensen (HWT) each captured titles to open the season in the Warren Williamson/Daktronics Open at Frost Arena on Sunday, Nov. 3.

Kokesh tore through the bracket at 174 pounds with two pins, one technical fall and two major decisions. The Wagner, S.D., native opened with a fall in 6:04 over Augustana College’s Drake Fanslau and added a pin in 2:06 in the semifinals against Michael Joseph of Minnesota. Kokesh completed his tournament run with a 13-3 major decision over Missouri’s Mike England in the finals.

Green took home the title at 157 pounds with a victory in the finals over Kyle Bradley of Missouri. Green added a pin, major decision and technical fall leading into the final match. His fall occurred in 1:49 in the quarterfinals against Northern Illinois’ Andrew Morse.

Jensen captured the heavyweight crown in South Dakota by winning four matches after a first-round bye. Jensen pinned his first opponent in 2:46 before a major decision in the quarterfinals. He won back-to-back decisions to cap his championship run, including a 7-3 victory over Devon Mellon of Missouri in the finals.

Tim Lambert (125), Anthony Abidin (141) and Jake Sueflohn (149) each made appearances in the finals but fell by decision to finish second. Lambert finished the day with four wins, including two by technical fall. Abidin achieved a pin in 1:08 and a technical fall as part of his four victories on Sunday. Sueflohn won five matches, earning two pins and two major decisions in the process.

Ben Morgan (133), TJ Dudley (184) and Spencer Johnson (197) each finished third in their respective weight classes. Dudley defeated fellow Husker Aaron Studebaker, 9-4, in the third-place match at 184 pounds.

Additional Husker placers include Brandon Wilbourn (fourth at 165), McCoy Newberg (fourth at 174), Shawn Nagel (fifth at 125) and Nyle Bartling (seventh at heavyweight).

Burroughs Wins Second FILA World Title
Former Husker Jordan Burroughs added to his international wrestling legacy this fall by winning the 74-kg freestyle gold medal at the 2013 FILA World Championships on Sept. 18.

Burroughs captured his third consecutive world title with the win, which includes the 2012 Olympic Gold Medal in London, England, and the 2011 FILA World Championship. His crown marks the third FILA freestyle title won by a former Husker as Bill Scherr won at 90 kg in 1985.

In the gold medal match, Burroughs defeated Iran’s Essadollah Akbari by a 4-0 decision. Burroughs took a 1-0 lead late in the first period following a push out and extended the lead to 2-0 in the second period with an additional push out. With time winding down in the match, the Sicklerville, N.J. native took down Akbari to close out the match.

Burroughs opened the tournament with a 9-2 technical fall over Gamid Dzhalilov of Tajikistan before winning 7-0 over India’s Narsingh Yadav in the second round.

After the first round of the quarterfinals, Burroughs managed a 1-0 lead over Jabrayil Hassanov of Azerbaijan. The American struck quickly in the second period, however, and extended his lead to 7-0, which stood as the final score.

Burroughs faced Ali Shabanau of Belarus in the semifinals and trailed 0-1 before a double at the end of the first period gave him the lead. Burroughs expanded his lead as Shabanau received penalties for hitting Burroughs in the face. Burroughs held on to a 6-1 lead at the five-minute mark but Shabanau received his third caution and was ultimately disqualified.

Burroughs extended his international winning streak to 65 consecutive matches with his performance in Hungary. He was a two-time NCAA champion at Nebraska and won the Hodge Trophy in 2011.

Green Competes at World University Games
Nebraska All-American James Green went 1-1 representing the United States in freestyle wrestling at the 2013 World University Games at Ak Bars Wrestling Palace on July 11.

Green, a junior from Willingboro, N.J., defeated Finland’s Petteri Martikainen, 4-0, in his opening match in the 66 kg class. Martikainen finished fifth at the 2012 World University Championships.

Nebraska’s two-time All-American was then eliminated from medal contention in the round of eight with a loss to Kyrgyzstan’s Ulukman Mamatov.

Russia’s Magomed Kubanaliev defeated Armenia’s Devid Safaryan 3-1 to capture the gold medal at 66 kg.

Green was one of seven wrestlers from Big Ten schools competing on the 14-member USA Wrestling Team at the World University Games.

Green earned his place on the USA Wrestling World University Games Team by capturing the 66 kg/145.5-pound championship at 2013 ASICS University Freestyle Nationals in Akron, Ohio in late May.

Green was one of four U.S. wrestlers competing in freestyle at the World University Games, along with Ed Ruth (Penn State, 84kg), Nico Megaludis (Penn State, 55 kg) and Tyrell Fortune (Grand Canyon, 120 kg), who earned a bronze medal for the United States.