Huskers Knock Off Badgers, 22-15

Madison, Wis. – Four Huskers earned bonus-point victories to propel No. 8 Nebraska (12-2, 6-2 Big Ten) to a 22-15 triumph over No. 15 Wisconsin in front of 1,021 fans at UW Field House on Friday night.

The dual marks Nebraska’s last of the season as the Huskers completed a perfect record away from home (8-0). The two losses tie the fewest by Nebraska in a season under Head Coach Mark Manning, who is in his 14th season. In 2004-05, the Huskers went 19-2-1 under Manning.

Senior Shawn Nagel (133) started the scoring for NU with his first-period pin of Matt Cavallaris in the second bout of the night. Nagel’s fall came at 1:27 after the Huskers’ No. 11 Tim Lambert suffered a loss at 125 pounds to No. 9 Ryan Taylor. Nagel’s pin marked his fourth of the season.

No. 6 Jake Sueflohn (149) managed Nebraska’s other victory before the halfway point as he posted a 7-1 decision over Ryan Lubeck. Sueflohn, a junior, earned takedowns in each of the first two periods before tacking on a point for riding time at the end of the match. The victory marks Sueflohn’s 14th straight as he improves to 27-3 and completes the dual season with a 13-1 record.

No. 1 James Green suffered his first loss of the season after a 26-0 start to No. 7 Isaac Jordan at 157 pounds by a 3-1 margin in the second sudden victory period. However, the Huskers reeled off wins in the next three matches to build a 22-9 lead.

165-pounder Austin Wilson started NU’s scoring run in a dominating 12-0 major decision over Frank Cousins. After an early takedown for the Husker sophomore, he added a pair of three-point near falls in the opening stanza to build an 8-0 advantage. Wilson managed a takedown in the second period and earned one point for riding time in the third period.

Junior Robert Kokesh (174) completed a perfect 14-0 dual season with a commanding victory over No. 20 Scott Liegel, 16-1. Like Wilson, Kokesh built an 8-0 lead with an early takedown and two near falls in the first period. Kokesh, the No. 3 wrestler by InterMat, added three more takedowns in the match before a point for riding time to earn his fifth technical fall of the season.

At 184 pounds, redshirt freshman TJ Dudley won by an 11-2 major decision over Dylan Iczkowski. Dudley earned two takedowns in the first period and added near fall points to take a 7-2 lead after the opening stanza. After riding out Iczkowski in a scoreless second period, Dudley escaped from the down position before a late takedown and riding time point.

In addition to Green and Lambert’s losses, the Huskers also fell at 141, 197 pounds and heavyweight. At 141 pounds, Colton McCrystal dropped a 5-0 decision to Jesse Thielke. Caleb Kolb (197) fell by an 8-3 margin to Timmy McCall, while heavyweight Collin Jensen lost a 5-2 decision to No. 10 Connor Medbery.

The Huskers return to Madison in two weeks for the Big Ten Championships, starting on Saturday, March 8 and ending on March 9. Saturday’s first session commences at 10 a.m. CT on the Big Ten Digital Network. BTDN will provide streaming for the first three sessions before the Big Ten Network broadcasts Sunday’s finals.

No. 8 Nebraska 22, No. 15 Wisconsin 15
UW Field House, Madison, Wis.
Friday, Feb. 21, 2014
Attendance: 1,021

Results
125: #9 Ryan Taylor (WIS) by sudden victory over #11 Tim Lambert (NEB), 5-3 (WIS 3, NEB 0)
133: Shawn Nagel (NEB) by pin over Matt Cavallaris (WIS), 1:27 (NEB 6, WIS 3)
141: Jesse Thielke (WIS) by dec. over Colton McCrystal (NEB), 5-0 (NEB 6, WIS 6)
149: #6 Jake Sueflohn (NEB) by dec. over Rylan Lubeck (WIS), 7-1 (NEB 9, WIS 6)
157: #7 Isaac Jordan (WIS) by sudden victory 2 over #1 James Green (NEB), 3-1 (NEB 9, WIS 9)
165: Austin Wilson (NEB) by major dec. over Frank Cousins (WIS), 12-0 (NEB 13, WIS 9)
174: #3 Robert Kokesh (NEB) by tech. fall over #20 Scott Liegel (WIS), 16-1 (NEB 18, WIS 9)
184: #9 TJ Dudley (NEB) by major dec. over Dylan Iczkowski (WIS), 11-2 (NEB 22, WIS 9)
197: Timmy McCall (WIS) by dec. over Caleb Kolb (NEB), 8-3 (NEB 22, WIS 12)
HWT: #10 Connor Medbery (WIS) by dec. over Collin Jensen (NEB), 5-2 (NEB 22, WIS 15)