Huskers Honored at Postseason Banquet

The Nebraska wrestling team held its annual postseason banquet on Saturday night at Memorial Stadium, handing out awards to several wrestlers.

All-Americans James Green and Robert Kokesh shared Outstanding Wrestler-of-the-Year honors. Green finished third at 157 pounds at the NCAA Championships, while Kokesh took fourth place at 174 pounds. 

Kokesh also took home the Granite Award, which represents someone who overcame adversity at some point during the season. The junior from Wagner, S.D. tore his ACL at the NCAA Championships, but wrestled on to an All-America finish for the second consecutive season.

The Spirit of Excellence was awarded to sophomore Ian Ousley. Ousley, a Saginaw, Mich. native, is one of the leaders in the classroom for the Huskers. He was among 12 grapplers to take home Academic All-Big Ten honors for the 2013-14 campaign.

NCAA qualifier Tim Lambert earned the Most Dedicated Wrestler Award. The redshirt freshman from Forest Hills, Mich. went 24-13 at 125 pounds in his first season in the NU lineup.

133-pounder Eric Montoya was named Redshirt of the Year. He compiled an 11-2 record, winning the Viking-Warrior Open and Cusatis Open titles.

After the team awards presentation, seniors Shawn Nagel, Adam Joseph and Caleb Kolb each spoke about their careers at Nebraska. In addition, Head Coach Mark Manning talked about the upcoming season before a video highlighting the 2013-14 season was shown.

2013-14 Nebraska Wrestling Awards
Co-Outstanding Wrestler of the Year: James Green and Robert Kokesh
Granite Award: Robert Kokesh
Most Dedicated: Tim Lambert
Spirit of Excellence: Ian Ousley
Redshirt of the Year: Eric Montoya