Green Finishes Third, Kokesh Takes Fourth at NCAAs

Oklahoma City, Okla. – James Green (157) went 2-0 on Saturday to earn a third-place finish at the NCAA Championships, while Robert Kokesh (174) split his matches to finish fourth during Session V.

Green, a three-time All-American, capped a 6-1 performance at the NCAA Championships with a pair of bonus-point victories on Saturday. He won by medical forfeit over seventh-seeded Brian Realbuto of Cornell in the consolation semifinals to earn a spot in the third-place bout against No. 4 seed Ian Miller of Kent State.

Green dominated from start to finish against Miller, winning a 13-1 major decision. Green earned an early takedown in the first period before adding a pair of nearfalls to build a 7-1 advantage after the opening stanza. Green started the second period on top and added three more nearfall points to take a 10-1 lead into the third period. He also started the third period on top, adding two nearfall points before a riding time point to cap the victory.

Green finishes the season at 35-2 and collects his best NCAA finish in three attempts. He took seventh place in both 2012 and 2013. The 35 wins put him in a tie for 17th on Nebraska’s Season Victories List and in a tie for sixth on the Season Wins by a Junior List.

Kokesh’s first match of the day was against No. 4 seed Mike Evans of Iowa in the consolation semifinals. Kokesh earned a first-period takedown against the Hawkeye to take a 2-0 lead before starting the second period in the down position. Kokesh earned an escape and added a takedown to build a 5-0 advantage heading into the third frame.

Evans earned an escape from the down position before a Kokesh takedown made the score 7-1. Evans escaped and took down Kokesh to cut the lead to 7-4, but Kokesh escaped to make it 8-4. Evans was penalized and Kokesh added a point for riding time to notch a 10-4 decision.

In the third-place match, Kokesh wrestled sixth-seeded Logan Storley of Minnesota in a rematch of the quarterfinals. The South Dakota natives battled to a scoreless opening stanza before trading escapes in the second and third periods. After a scoreless sudden victory period, Storley started the first tiebreaker in the down position. He earned a reversal on Kokesh before riding out the Husker to collect a 3-1 win.

Kokesh, a two-time All-American, finishes the season with a 37-3 record. The 37 wins put him in a tie for 11th on Nebraska’s Top 20 Season Victories List and in a tie for fourth on Nebraska’s Season Wins by a Junior List. Last season, Kokesh finished third at the NCAA Championships.

The Huskers finished 11th as a team with 43.5 points. Penn State captured its fourth consecutive team title with 109.5 points, edging runner-up Minnesota by 5.5 points. 

NCAA Championships
March 20-22, 2014
Chesapeake Energy Arena
Oklahoma City, Okla.

125 pounds
First Round: #12 Tim Lambert (NEB) by dec. over David White (BING), 5-1
Second Round: #5 Dylan Peters (UNI) by dec. over #12 Tim Lambert (NEB), 7-5
Consolation Second Round: #12 Tim Lambert (NEB) by dec. over Nick Herrmann (UVA), 7-3
Consolation Third Round: Darian Cruz (LEH) by dec. over #12 Tim Lambert (NEB), 7-4

149 pounds
First Round: #6 Jake Sueflohn (NEB) by tech. fall over Christian Barber (UNC), 16-0
Second Round: #11 Joshua Kindig (OKST) by dec. over #6 Jake Sueflohn (NEB), 7-5
Consolation Second Round: #6 Jake Sueflohn (NEB) by major dec. over Bryce Busler (BLO), 8-0
Consolation Third Round: #3 Chris Villalonga (CORN) by dec. over #6 Jake Sueflohn (NEB), 7-6

157 pounds
First Round: #1 James Green (NEB) by major dec. over Joshua Kreimier (AF), 14-3
Second Round: #1 James Green (NEB) by major dec. over #16 Zac Brunson (ILL), 14-3
Quarterfinals: #9 Dylan Ness (MINN) by pin over #1 James Green (NEB), 3:36
Consolation Fourth Round: #1 James Green (NEB) by major dec. over #14 Joseph LaVallee (MIZZ), 12-2
Consolation Quarterfinals: #1 James Green (NEB) by tech. fall over #5 Isaac Jordan (WIS), 15-0
Consolation Semifinals: #1 James Green (NEB) by med. forfeit over #7 Brian Realbuto (CORN)
Third-Place Match: #1 James Green (NEB) by major dec. over #4 Ian Miller (KSU), 13-1

165 pounds
First Round: #10 Cooper Moore (UNI) by dec. over Austin Wilson (NEB), 5-3
Consolation First Round: Austin Wilson (NEB) by dec. over Zach Toal (MIZZ), 6-1
Consolation Second Round: #9 Joseph Booth (HOFS) by sudden victory over Austin Wilson (NEB), 4-2

174 pounds
First Round: #3 Robert Kokesh (NEB) by major dec. over Jacob Scheffel (WVU), 10-1
Second Round: #3 Robert Kokesh (NEB) by major dec. over Conor Brennan (RID), 14-5
Quarterfinals: #6 Logan Storley (MINN) by tiebreaker 2 over #3 Robert Kokesh (NEB), 6-4
Consolation Fourth Round: #3 Robert Kokesh (NEB) by dec. over Tony Dallago (ILL), 8-2
Consolation Quarterfinals: #3 Robert Kokesh (NEB) by tiebreaker 1 over #7 Tyler Wilps (PITT), 2-1
Consolation Semifinals: #3 Robert Kokesh (NEB) by dec. over #4 Mike Evans (IOWA), 10-4
Third-Place Match: #6 Logan Storley (MINN) by tiebreaker 1 over #3 Robert Kokesh (NEB), 3-1

184 pounds
First Round: #8 TJ Dudley (NEB) by major dec. over Donald Patrick (DAV), 13-5
Second Round: Blake Stauffer (ASU) by dec. over #8 TJ Dudley (NEB), 7-2
Consolation Second Round: Kurtis Julson (NDSU) by dec. over #8 TJ Dudley (NEB), 3-2

Heavyweight
First Round: #11 Austin Marsden (OKST) by major dec. over Collin Jensen (NEB), 10-2
Consolation First Round: Nick Tavanello (OHST) by pin over Collin Jensen (NEB), 3:41