Huskers Welcome Wolverines for Senior Night

No. 11 Michigan (9-3, 5-1 Big Ten) vs. No. 7 Nebraska (11-1, 5-1 Big Ten)
Devaney Center (7,907) • Lincoln, Neb. • Friday, Feb. 7 • 7 p.m. CT
Series History: Nebraska leads, 6-3-0
Last Meeting: Nebraska won, 20-19, on Jan. 11, 2013, in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Video Streaming (subscription required): Big Ten Digital Network
Twitter Feed: @HuskerWrestling (www.twitter.com/HuskerWrestling)
Scoring: TrackWrestling.com
Pre-Dual Events: Senior Night
Promotions: Pepsi Pack the House, Youth Night

After winning three consecutive road duals against ranked opponents, No. 7 Nebraska (11-1, 5-1 Big Ten) returns home for its final dual of the season at the Devaney Center on Friday night. The Huskers face No. 11 Michigan (9-3, 5-1 Big Ten), starting at 7 p.m. CT.

Friday night also marks Senior Night, Pepsi Pack the House and Youth Night. Admission to the dual is $1 for all fans and Pepsi products are also $1. Prior to the dual, seniors Caleb Kolb, Shawn Nagel and Adam Joseph will be honored.

The dual will be streamed on the Big Ten Digital Network, with a subscription required to view the action. It can also be followed on Twitter by tracking @HuskerWrestling.

The Huskers enter the weekend after achieving their highest ranking of the season at No. 7 in the USA Today/NWCA/Amateur Wrestling News Coaches poll. Last weekend, Nebraska won six matches over Illinois en route to a 22-13 triumph at Huff Hall in Champaign, Ill. The Huskers ride a three-match winning streak into the Michigan dual as NU downed Ohio State and Purdue on the road two weeks ago.

Friday night marks the 10th all-time meeting between the Huskers and Wolverines. Last season, Nebraska edged Michigan, 20-19, in Ann Arbor, Mich., to take a 6-3-0 lead in the series. During the match, Nagel pinned Rossi Bruno to turn the tide of a back-and-forth battle and help Nebraska earn the upset. The pair is scheduled to square off this weekend at 133 pounds.

A top-10 matchup is slated for 149 pounds between No. 5 Jake Sueflohn of Nebraska and Michigan’s No. 7 Eric Grajales. Friday night’s dual could also see top-20 matches at 125, 157 and 184 pounds.

No. 9 Tim Lambert (125) looks to bounce back from a heartbreaker against defending national champion Jesse Delgado when he grapples against No. 20 Conor Youtsey. Top-ranked 157-pounder James Green could face either No. 14 Brian Murphy or Jake Salazar. At 184 pounds, No. 9 TJ Dudley battles No. 16 Dominic Abounader.

Additional Huskers scheduled to start include No. 4 Robert Kokesh (174), Colton McCrystal (141), Austin Wilson (165), Collin Jensen (HWT) and Kolb (197).

Last Time Out: Huskers Outlast Illinois, 22-13
Nebraska built a 15-4 lead at the halfway point and held off an Illinois comeback in a 22-13 triumph at Huff Hall on Saturday, Feb. 1.

The dual started at 149 pounds, where junior Jake Sueflohn came from behind to defeat Illinois’ Caleb Ervin. Sueflohn gave up a first-period takedown before earning an escape later in the opening stanza. In the second period, Ervin earned an escape after starting in the down position. Entering the third period trailing 3-1, Sueflohn earned a takedown and tacked on a point for riding time in a 4-3 decision.

No. 1 James Green (157) continued his undefeated season in the second bout of the dual, notching a 10-3 decision over No. 13 Zac Brunson. Green managed four takedowns in the match and added an additional point for riding time. The two-time All-American picked up his 25th win of the season.

Nebraska suffered its first loss of the dual at 165 pounds as sophomore Austin Wilson fell to No. 13 Jackson Morse by a 17-4 major decision. Wilson drops to 17-9 on the season, with a 6-6 record in duals.

At 174 pounds, No. 4 Robert Kokesh won his 13th consecutive match and earned his fourth technical fall with an 18-2 triumph over Tony Dallago. Kokesh, a junior, earned three takedowns in the match to give Nebraska an 11-4 lead.

No. 9 TJ Dudley (184) continued the momentum for the Huskers heading into the halfway break with a 10-1 major decision over Nikko Reyes. In the first period, Dudley managed a last-second takedown to build a 2-0 lead. He added an additional takedown in the second period before a late one in the third period and added near fall points at the end.

At 197 pounds, Caleb Kolb battled No. 4 Mario Gonzalez to extra time before falling by a 3-2 margin. After a scoreless first period, the pair traded escapes in the second and third periods. After a scoreless minute of sudden victory, Gonzalez earned a reversal in the first 30-second overtime period to take a 3-1 advantage. Kolb managed an escape in the second 30-second period but it wasn’t enough.

Heavyweight Collin Jensen responded in the next match with a 3-1 decision over Chris Lopez. After a scoreless opening stanza, Lopez earned a second-period escape before Jensen answered with one of his own in the third period. With time winding down, Jensen took down Lopez at the buzzer to emerge with a victory and give NU an 18-7 lead.

Nebraska suffered back-to-back losses in the next two matches before 141-pounder Colton McCrystal closed out the dual with a victory. At 125 pounds, No. 9 Tim Lambert lost to defending national champion Jesse Delgado in overtime, 3-1. In the following bout, senior Shawn Nagel (133) fell by a 4-2 margin to No. 11 Zane Richards.

At 141 pounds, McCrystal took down John Fahy by a 12-3 major decision to cap the Husker victory.

Scouting the Michigan Wolverines
No. 11 Michigan is 9-3 on the season, with a 5-1 mark in Big Ten duals. The Wolverines also appeared in a pair of tournaments, notching top-five finishes in each of them. Michigan managed a fifth-place result at the Cliff Keen Invitational, Dec. 6-7, and took third at the Midlands Invitational, Dec. 29-30.

Last weekend, Michigan fell to top-ranked Penn State at home by a 32-9 margin, which snapped the Wolverines’ seven-match win streak. The run of victories started on Dec. 15 when Michigan took down Central Michigan, 30-9, at home. A perfect January started with Michigan routing Maryland, 28-10, before notching a 22-12 win over No. 20 Purdue. The Wolverines escaped with narrow victories against No. 11 Illinois and No. 2 Minnesota, handing the Golden Gophers their only loss of the season. Michigan closed out the month with a 21-12 road victory over No. 12 Ohio State.

In November, Michigan went 2-2, with wins over Northern Illinois and No. 12 Oregon State. The Wolverines fell to Kent State and No. 23 Stanford.

Freshman heavyweight Adam Coon has made a huge impact for the Wolverines in his first season and carries a 25-1 record into the weekend. Coon is ranked second by InterMat in its Feb. 4 poll. Michigan has two additional wrestlers in the top 10 with Dan Yates (No. 6 at 165) and Eric Grajales (No. 7 at 149).

No. 13 Steve Dutton (141) leads a list of five Wolverines ranked outside of the top 10. He is joined by No. 14 Brian Murphy (157), No. 16 Dominic Abounader (184), No. 19 Rossi Bruno (133) and No. 20 Conor Youtsey (125).

Michigan is coached by Joe McFarland, who is in his 15th season at the school and in his 18th season overall as a head coach. McFarland holds a career mark of 196-105-5, while going 172-85-5 in his time at Michigan. His assistants are Sean Bormet and Donny Pritzlaff, while Josh Churella is Michigan’s volunteer assistant.

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 25-0 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 11-0 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 on NCAA Most Dominant List
Robert Kokesh (174) is on a pair of NCAA Statistical Leaders lists that were released on Wednesday, Feb. 5. Kokesh is tied for sixth on the Division I Most Dominant rankings with Penn State’s 174-pounder Matt Brown. Each of them has 4.33 points. In addition, Kokesh is 10th on the Division I Technical Fall list with four this season in a time of 20:08.

Juniors Leading Dual Win Total
The junior class leads the Huskers in dual competition, winning 37 matches among six different wrestlers. The redshirt freshmen, who have had four different starters, have compiled 27 wins. The sophomores have accounted for 11 wins, while freshman Colton McCrystal has earned six victories. Three seniors have started and accumulated four 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 Michigan. In what has been a back-and-forth battle all season, Dudley managed the most recent fall two weeks ago against 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.

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 Michigan. Kokesh has won 13 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 12 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 five wins shy of the 100th of his collegiate career at Nebraska. The third-year starter holds a 95-12 career record, with 27 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. 4. Fellow juniors Robert Kokesh (No. 4 at 174) and Jake Sueflohn (No. 5 at 149) round out Nebraska’s grapplers in the top five. Tim Lambert is ninth at 125 pounds and TJ Dudley is ninth at 184 pounds.

The WIN Magazine rankings were released on Feb. 3 and feature five Huskers in its poll, with Green garnering the top spot. Sueflohn remained third at 149, while Kokesh retained the No. 4 spot at 174. Lambert is 11th and Dudley is ranked No. 12.

In the Amateur Wrestling News poll, released on Feb. 4, five Huskers achieved top-20 rankings. Green is first, Sueflohn is third, Kokesh is fourth, while Dudley and Lambert are each 10th.

As a team, Nebraska is ranked seventh in the InterMat, WIN Magazine and 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 after posting a win over the weekend to improve to 25-0 on the 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, Amateur Wrestling News, WIN Magazine, Asics FloRankings and WrestlingReport polls this week.

Green also earned a pair of national honors in 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.

James Green’s List of Honors (all rankings reflect the 157-pound weight class only)
• 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 Amateur Wrestling News
• Ranked #1 in WIN Magazine
• Ranked #1 in Asics FloRankings
• Ranked #1 in WrestlingReport

Seven Huskers in First Coaches’ Panel Rankings
James Green leads seven Husker wrestlers who are ranked in the first NCAA Coaches’ Panel Rankings, released on Thursday, Jan. 23.

The rankings are the first of three that will be released to help determine seeding for the NCAA Championships, March 20-22, in Oklahoma City, Okla.

Green holds the top spot at 157 pounds with his perfect 25-0 record this season. He is one of three juniors ranked in the top five as Robert Kokesh (174) and Jake Sueflohn (149) each garnered the No. 4 spot in their respective weight classes.

Redshirt freshman TJ Dudley rounds out the top 10 at 184 pounds in the first Coaches’ Panel Rankings as 125-pounder Tim Lambert takes the No. 11 spot.

Sophomore Austin Wilson is 21st at 165 pounds as he seeks his second consecutive NCAA appearance. Redshirt freshman Collin Jensen holds the No. 22 position at heavyweight in his first year in Nebraska’s lineup.

NCAA Coaches’ Panel Rankings (Jan. 23)
157: #1 James Green
149: #4 Jake Sueflohn
174: #4 Robert Kokesh
184: #10 TJ Dudley
125: #11 Tim Lambert
165: #21 Austin Wilson
HWT: #22 Collin Jensen

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. The previous high came in 2012 against Iowa at the NU Coliseum, where 3,526 fans attended.

Nebraska Wrestling’s Largest Home Crowds
1. Iowa (2014) - 3,946
2. Iowa (2012) - 3,526
3. Oklahoma State (2005) - 3,442

Huskers Set for Home Stretch of Dual Season
Nebraska’s matchup with Michigan this weekend is one 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 six teams that are currently ranked in the USA Today/NWCA/AWN Poll, released on Feb. 4. Following Friday night’s dual against No. 11 Michigan, Nebraska heads to Madison, Wis., to face No. 15 Wisconsin in the Huskers’ final dual of the season.

BTN, BTDN Giving Huskers Exposure
Nebraska is set to appear on the Big Ten Digital Network this weekend and will have one more showing this season as the Huskers wrap up their dual campaign. Nebraska’s final road appearance on BTDN is slated for Feb. 21 against Wisconsin, starting at 7 p.m.

Friday night’s battle with Michigan is the fifth BTDN appearance of the season, with the Huskers’ victories over Indiana, Wyoming, Ohio State and Purdue being streamed.

The Huskers had their second Big Ten Network exposure of the season last weekend in their road victory at Illinois. Nebraska also appeared on BTN for its home dual against Iowa on Jan. 18.

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: Wisconsin
Nebraska wraps up its dual season on Friday, Feb. 21, when the Huskers travel to Madison, Wis., to face Wisconsin at 7 p.m. CT. The dual between the Huskers and Badgers will be streamed on the Big Ten Digital Network.

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 209-96-5. Manning is 186-72-3 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 will take on Michigan on Friday night to wrap up its home calendar at the newly renovated 7,907-seat venue.

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.