Experienced Huskers Seek National Titles

The Nebraska wrestling team returns all seven of its NCAA qualifiers from last season, as the Huskers set their sights on contending for championships in 2014-15.

Reigning All-Americans James Green (157) and Robert Kokesh (174) each earned top-four finishes at the 2014 NCAA Championships, and enter their final season in a Husker singlet along with three-time NCAA qualifier Jake Sueflohn (149). All three made it to the 2014 Big Ten Finals, with Green and Kokesh capturing crowns in their respective weight classes.

The Huskers finished 11th at the national tournament with 43.5 points after taking fifth at the Big Ten Championships. Nebraska went 12-2 in dual competition, with a 6-2 mark in Big Ten duals.

Green compiled a 35-2 record in 2013-14, and spent much of the year as the top-ranked wrestler at 157 pounds. Kokesh went 37-3 and compiled a perfect 14-0 dual record, while leading the team in pins with nine. Sueflohn also accomplished the 30-win mark, going 31-6 overall, with all of his losses coming to ranked opponents. He led the team in major decisions with 11.

NCAA qualifiers Tim Lambert (125), Austin Wilson (165), TJ Dudley (184) and Collin Jensen (HWT) also return and are each projected to start in 2014-15. Lambert, Dudley and Jensen will all be sophomores, while Wilson begins his junior campaign this season.

Lambert went 24-13 in his first year in the NU lineup, posting a 9-5 record in duals. He finished fifth at the Big Ten Championships. He turned in runner-up finishes at the Reno Tournament of Champions and Warren Williamson/Daktronics Open.

Dudley compiled a 26-8 record, which included a 13-1 mark in dual competition. He was second on the team in pins with eight, and also had eight major decisions. Dudley finished second at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational and third at the Daktronics Open.

Wilson placed in three tournaments, including the Big Ten Championships, on his way to a 23-16 record. He took sixth at the conference tournament, and added a runner-up finish at the Reno Tournament of Champions. Wilson notched a fifth-place result in Las Vegas.
Jensen opened his season by capturing the Daktronics Open title in his native state of South Dakota, and placed fifth in Reno en route to a 20-15 mark.

The Huskers will see competition for the starting spot at 133 and 197 pounds, while Anthony Abidin is projected to start at 141 pounds. Abidin went 18-3, which included a perfect 5-0 dual record, last season. He earned runner-up finishes at the Daktronics Open and Cliff Keen Invitational as a sophomore, while adding a third-place result at the Reno Tournament of Champions.

Sophomore Eric Montoya and freshman Hayden Tuma will battle at 133 pounds. Montoya, a 2013 NCAA qualifier from Campbell, collected a pair of open tournament titles on his way to Nebraska Redshirt-of-the-Year honors in 2013-14. Tuma won four consecutive Idaho state titles at Centennial High School.

Senior Spencer Johnson and sophomore Micah Barnes are likely to face off for the 197-pound starting spot. Johnson went 25-8 last season, which included a 3-2 dual mark. Barnes moved up from 165 pounds, where he went 9-1 last season, and captured a pair of tournament crowns.

Head Coach Mark Manning enters his 15th year at Nebraska and his 18th season overall as a head coach. He is 13 wins shy of his 200th victory at Nebraska. Manning added Olympic Gold Medalist Jordan Burroughs to his staff in July. Burroughs, a two-time world champion and two-time national champion, will be an assistant coach for the Huskers in 2014-15. Associate Head Coach Bryan Snyder begins his fifth season on staff this season.

The Huskers open their 2014-15 campaign on Friday, Oct. 31 by hosting the Coaches Clinic/Intrasquad. On the following day, Green and Kokesh will compete at the NWCA All-Star Classic at the Palestra in Philadelphia, Pa.

Nebraska’s first dual is set for Friday, Nov. 7 at Wyoming. NU holds a 33-14-0 record in the all-time series with the Cowboys, which includes last season’s 26-12 triumph. The Huskers will stay in Laramie, Wyo., the next day for the Cowboy Open.

NU’s first home dual will be held at the NU Coliseum on Nov. 16, as the Huskers welcome Big Ten newcomer Maryland. NU leads the all-time series against the Terrapins, 3-1-1. Nebraska’s five other home duals will be contested at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.

On Nov. 22, the Huskers hit the road to face Duke and N.C. State. NU will wrestle the Blue Devils at noon in Durham, N.C., before battling the Wolfpack at 6 p.m., in Raleigh, N.C. The meeting between the Huskers and Duke will be the first in series history, while NU has a 3-0-0 advantage all-time against NC State.

Nebraska opens December at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, Dec. 5-6. The Huskers finished second at last year’s tournament, as Green earned the 157-pound title. NU also hosts Wisconsin on Dec. 13 before the start of the New Year. Last season, the Huskers topped the Badgers by a 22-15 margin in Madison, Wis.

The Huskers are slated to compete at the Southern Scuffle, Jan. 1-2 in Chattanooga, Tenn., before returning home to host Purdue on Jan. 9. Nebraska leads the all-time series with the Boilermakers, 7-1, including last season’s 28-9 win on the road.

On Jan. 23, NU visits Illinois before grappling against Big Ten newcomer Rutgers at home on Jan. 25. Nebraska leads the series against Illinois, 4-3-0, and against the Scarlet Knights, 2-0-0. The Huskers’ final matchup of January will be on the 30th at Northwestern.

Nebraska will host Indiana on Feb. 1, before taking a road trip to the Great Lakes State for a pair of matches on the following weekend. NU faces Michigan on Feb. 6 before squaring off with Michigan State on Feb. 8.

Senior Day at the Devaney Center is scheduled for Feb. 13 against Stanford. Nebraska’s final pair of duals will be on Feb. 21, as the Huskers face Drexel in Philadelphia, Pa., at noon before wrestling against Princeton in Princeton, N.J., at 7 p.m.

The 2015 Big Ten Championships are March 7-8 in Columbus, Ohio. The Huskers are making their fourth all-time appearance in the tournament since joining the conference in 2011. Last season, Green and Kokesh became the first two Big Ten champions in Nebraska history, and led NU to a fifth-place finish.

The 2015 NCAA Championships will be held at Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Mo., March 19-21. NU seeks to crown its first national champion since 2011, when Burroughs won the 165-pound title.

Eleven Huskers have been crowned national champions all-time, while 95 have racked up All-America honors, including Green and Kokesh, who accomplished the feat in 2014. As a team, Nebraska has 18 top-10 finishes, with the most recent coming in 2009.