Huskers Travel to Wyoming Over Weekend

No. 7 Nebraska (0-0, 0-0 Big Ten) vs. No. 25 Wyoming (0-0)
Friday, Nov. 7 • 4 p.m. (CT)
UniWyo Sports Complex (1,200) • Laramie, Wyo.
Series History: Nebraska leads, 33-14-0
Last Meeting: Nebraska won, 26-12, on Jan. 3, 2014 in Lincoln, Neb.
Video Streaming (subscription required): FloWrestling.org
Scoring/Live Stats: TrackWrestling.com
Twitter Feed: @HuskerWrestling

Cowboy Open
Saturday, Nov. 8 • 10 a.m. (CT)
War Memorial Fieldhouse (2,400) • Laramie, Wyo.
Video Streaming (subscription required): FloWrestling.org
Scoring/Live Stats: TrackWrestling.com
Twitter Feed: @HuskerWrestling

No. 7 Nebraska opens its dual season on Friday when the Huskers battle No. 25 Wyoming at UniWyo Sports Complex in Laramie, Wyo., starting at 4 p.m. (CT). Nebraska will stay in Wyoming on Saturday for the Cowboy Open, which begins at 10 a.m., at War Memorial Fieldhouse. 

Both events will be streamed on FloWrestling.org, with a subscription required to view the matches. TrackWrestling.com will provide live stats for each competition.
The Huskers and Cowboys are facing off for the 48th time in series history, with NU holding a 33-14-0 advantage. Last season, the Huskers notched a 26-12 triumph at the Devaney Center.

All-Americans James Green (157) and Robert Kokesh (174) each opened their senior campaign with a win at the NWCA All-Star Classic on Saturday, Nov. 1, and will wrestle in Wyoming this weekend. Returning NCAA qualifiers Tim Lambert (125), Austin Wilson (165), TJ Dudley (184) and Collin Jensen (HWT) will also make the trip to Laramie.

Justin Arthur, who qualified for the NCAA Championships last season at Clarion, is projected to start at 149 pounds and will be making his first appearance in a Husker singlet.

At 197 pounds, sophomore Micah Barnes will grapple after finishing fifth at last weekend’s Warren Williamson/Daktronics Open in Brookings, S.D. The Huskers’ lineup also includes sophomore Eric Montoya (133) and junior Anthony Abidin (141). Montoya earned Nebraska Redshirt-of-the-Year honors last season, while Abidin posted an 18-3 record for the Huskers.

Last Time Out: Green, Kokesh Win at NWCA All-Star Classic
All-Americans James Green (157) and Robert Kokesh (174) each opened their senior campaign with a victory at the NWCA All-Star Classic on Saturday, Nov. 1 at The Palestra in Philadelphia, Pa.

Kokesh defeated NAIA No. 1 and three-time national champion Brock Gutches of Southern Oregon by an 8-2 decision at 174 pounds. After a Gutches takedown in the first period, the Husker senior controlled the rest of the match, earning an escape in the opening stanza before getting a takedown to build a 3-2 lead.

In the second period, Kokesh rode out Gutches from the top position to rack up nearly two minutes of riding time heading into the final period. Kokesh started the third period on bottom and earned an early escape before taking down Gutches and added a riding time point to secure a victory in his first match of the season.

Green won by a 6-4 decision over No. 3 Ian Miller of Kent State. Miller struck first with a takedown in the opening period, but gave Green a free release. Green responded with a takedown of his own before rewarding Miller with a free release to make the score 2-2.

In the second period, Green started in the bottom position and earned an escape to take a 3-2 advantage. Miller took down Green, but the Husker senior escaped to tie the score 4-4 heading to the third period.

Miller started the final period in the down position and was called for stalling, which gave Green a 5-4 lead. Green added a point for riding time, which led to a 6-4 final. After the competition, Green was named Most Valuable Wrestler for the Red team.

Scouting the Wyoming Cowboys
No. 25 Wyoming begins its dual season on Friday evening against Nebraska after two Cowboys won weight class titles at the Northwest Open last weekend. Jake Elliott (149) and Archie Colgan (157) captured crowns for the Pokes and are projected to start on Friday against the Huskers.

Wyoming returns four NCAA qualifiers from last season: Tyler Cox (125), Dakota Friesth (165), Ben Stroh (184) and Shane Woods (197). In InterMat’s latest poll, released on Nov. 4, Cox is ranked eighth, Friesth is No. 15, Stroh is 17th and Woods is ranked 16th.

Drew Templeman (133), Cole Mendenhall (141) and Andy McCulley (174) are also projected to start for the Cowboys on Friday. Heavyweight will be either Tanner Harms or Leland Pfeifer.

Wyoming is coached by Mark Branch, who is in his seventh season with the Cowboys and his seventh season overall. Branch holds a 63-28-0 record, and is assisted by Ethan Kyle and Alfonso Hernandez.

Huskers in the Rankings
All-Americans James Green (157) and Robert Kokesh (174) are each ranked No. 2 in their respective weight classes by InterMat’s Nov. 4 poll. Returning NCAA qualifiers TJ Dudley (No. 13 at 184), Tim Lambert (No. 14 at 125), Austin Wilson (No. 14 at 165) and Collin Jensen (No. 15 at heavyweight) are also ranked. Junior Anthony Abidin garnered the 17th spot at 141 pounds.

In WIN Magazine’s preseason poll, Green and Kokesh are each ranked second, while Lambert (No. 15), Dudley (No. 18) and Wilson (No. 19) also earned spots. TheOpenMat.com released its rankings on Oct. 15, and put Green and Kokesh each at No. 2, and included five additional Huskers. Wilson leads the way at No. 15, Jensen is 16th, Dudley and Lambert are each 17th, and Abidin is No. 18.

As a team, Nebraska is ranked seventh in the USA Today/NWCA Coaches Poll, 10th by InterMat and 10th by WIN Magazine.

Huskers Impress at Intrasquad
Nebraska held its annual Coaches Clinic/Intrasquad event on Friday, Oct. 31 at the Devaney Center, which gave fans their first chance to see the 2014-15 Huskers.
Head Coach Mark Manning introduced the team before the exhibition and shared facts about each wrestler during the competition. Assistant Coach and Olympic Gold Medalist Jordan Burroughs also spoke to the crowd about the upcoming season. The 90-minute workout included matches from all 10 weight classes.

Green Seeks Fourth All-America Honor
Senior James Green (157) looks to become the second Husker all-time to earn All-America status on four occasions. The title is currently owned by Associate Head Coach Bryan Snyder, who wrestled for the Huskers from 1999 to 2002. Green finished third at the 2014 NCAA Championships after taking seventh during both his sophomore and freshman seasons.

Sueflohn Out for the Season
Senior Jake Sueflohn (149) will miss the 2014-15 campaign with a torn ACL. Sueflohn will redshirt this season and has one more year of eligibility. The three-time NCAA qualifier has a career record of 80-24, and holds a dual mark of 37-8.

Keeping an Eye on Nebraska’s Career Records Lists
• Head Coach Mark Manning is 13 wins away from becoming the winningest coach in Nebraska wrestling history. The win would also mark the 200th in his time with the Huskers. Manning holds a 187-73-3 record in his 15th season at Nebraska. Former Head Coach Tim Neumann (1985-2000) went 199-77-6 while coaching the Huskers.

• Senior James Green (157) is five wins away from the 100th of his career at Nebraska. He would become the 23rd member of NU’s 100-win club. Green holds a career record of 95-17-0 and is a three-time All-American.

• Senior Robert Kokesh (174) is six wins away from joining Nebraska’s Top 10 Career Victories List. He holds a career record of 106-14-0 and is a two-time All-American. Gary Albright (1981-86) is currently 10th in school history with 112 wins.

Huskers Working Through 2014-15 Slate
Following this weekend’s action, Nebraska welcomes Maryland to the Big Ten Conference in its home opener at the NU Coliseum on Sunday, Nov. 16 at 1 p.m. (CT). On Nov. 22, the Huskers travel to North Carolina to face Duke and NC State.

The Huskers will grapple at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, Dec. 5-6, in Las Vegas, Nev., before hosting Wisconsin in their final competition of 2014. The Huskers and Badgers square off on Saturday, Dec. 13 at 6 p.m.

Nebraska heads to Chattanooga, Tenn., to open 2015 at the Southern Scuffle, Jan. 1-2. Following the tournament, the Huskers return home to face Purdue on Friday, Jan. 9 at 7 p.m. The matchup between the Huskers and Boilermakers marks the first of 10 duals for Nebraska during January and February.

On Friday, Jan. 23, NU journeys to Champaign, Ill., to face Illinois, before returning home to host new Big Ten foe Rutgers on Sunday, Jan. 25 at the Devaney Center. The following weekend, the Huskers make a return to trip to Illinois on Friday, Jan. 30 to face Northwestern in Evanston, before returning home for a Sunday match against Indiana on Feb. 1.

The Huskers head to the Great Lakes State for a pair of duals on the subsequent weekend, as NU faces Michigan on Friday, Feb. 6, before visiting East Lansing, Mich., to wrestle against Michigan State.

Senior Night at the Devaney Center is slated for Friday, Feb. 13, as Nebraska hosts Stanford at 7 p.m. On Saturday, Feb. 21, NU will compete against Drexel and Princeton in Philadelphia, Pa., starting at noon.

The Big Ten Championships are scheduled for March 7-8 in Columbus, Ohio, while the NCAA Championships will be March 19-21 in St. Louis, Mo.

Burroughs Takes Bronze at World Championships
Olympic Gold Medalist and Nebraska Assistant Coach Jordan Burroughs earned the freestyle bronze medal at 74 kg/163 pounds at the 2014 FILA World Championships after going 4-1 at the Gymnastics Palace in Tashkent, Uzbekistan on Sept. 9.

In his first-round match, Burroughs injured his left knee, but managed a 4-3 victory over Guinea Bisau’s Augusto Midana. Burroughs dominated in his next two matches, defeating Korea’s Yunseok Lee and Uzbekistan’s Rashid Kurbanov by a combined score of 18-2.

Wrestling with a wrapped leg in the semifinals, Burroughs fell behind 7-0 in the first period and never recovered, dropping a 9-2 decision to Denis Tsargush. The loss marked his first to a foreign opponent on the international circuit.

Burroughs responded in the bronze medal match with a first-period fall in 2:48. His opponent, Rustam Dudaev of Ukraine, earned the first takedown but Burroughs built a 6-2 lead before pinning Dudaev.

After his performance, Burroughs holds a 92-2 record internationally, earning gold medals at the 2012 Olympics, as well as the 2011 and 2013 FILA World Championships. At Nebraska, he won national titles in 2009 and 2011, capturing the Hodge Trophy in his final year with the Huskers.

Green Falls in World Team Trials Finals
James Green (70 kg/154 pounds) advanced to the finals of the Phase II World Team Trials before dropping two matches to Nick Marable on July 24 at the Fargodome in Fargo, N.D.

Green, representing Titan Mercury Wrestling Club, won the challenge tournament to earn a spot in the best-of-three championship series for a spot on the U.S. World Team. In the first match against 2014 U.S. Open champion Marable, Green fell by a 2-1 margin. Marable also came out on top in the second match, 8-2.

Gold Medalist Burroughs Hired As Assistant Coach
Head Coach Mark Manning announced the hiring of Husker legend and Olympic Gold Medalist Jordan Burroughs as an assistant coach for the team on July 11.

“We are pleased to announce Jordan as one of my top assistants,” Manning said. “Jordan is one of the best wrestlers in the world and his accomplishments speak for themselves. We want him to continue to win World and Olympic titles until he completes his career. Jordan and his wife Lauren have made a commitment to be a part of Nebraska Athletics for a very long time. I along with the wrestlers and staff are glad to have the influence, mentorship and knowledge that Jordan brings to Nebraska wrestling. He has been a part of Nebraska wrestling for the last eight years and will continue to be a tremendous ambassador for the University of Nebraska.”

Burroughs previously served on the Nebraska wrestling staff as an administrative assistant for the 2012-13 season. He graduated from the University of Nebraska with a degree in sociology in May 2011.

“This is a huge stepping stone for my career and for Nebraska wrestling,” Burroughs said. “These are great facilities, people and tradition, and I’m extremely happy to continue to be a part of it. Now I get to look at things from the inside-out, whereas before it was from the outside-in. I want us to win team championships.”

Green Takes Silver at University Worlds
James Green earned the silver medal at 70 kg/154 pounds in the men’s freestyle division of the University World Championships in Pecs, Hungary on July 9.

Green (Titan Mercury WC/Nebraska RTC) opened the day with an 11-1 victory over Finland’s Jere Kunnas in the quarterfinals before taking down Russia’s Shamil Magomedov, 8-4, in the semifinals. In the finals, Evgheni Nedealco of Moldova pinned Green.

This year’s competition marked the second consecutive year that Green competed in the University World Championships. Last summer Green posted a 1-1 record in Kazan, Russia.

Ex-Husker Raschke Inducted into Hall of Fame
Former Husker wrestler Jim Raschke was one of four men inducted into the Alan and Gloria Rice Greco-Roman Hall of Champions on Oct. 18 at the Kennedy Center in Minneapolis, Minn.

In addition to Raschke, the fifth induction class included Jim Burke (posthumous), Brad Rheingans and Jim Martinez. The Martinez Family received the Legacy Award and Dave Curby was given the Alan Rice Leadership Award.

Raschke lettered for Nebraska from 1960 to 1962, and captured the 1962 Big Eight title at heavyweight. After his collegiate career, Raschke became the second American to win a medal at the Greco-Roman World Championships when he finished third at heavyweight in 1963. In 1965, he became a worldwide interservice wrestling champion for the U.S. Army. While in high school, Raschke won the 1958 Nebraska Class A state crown at heavyweight while wrestling at Omaha North.

Raschke joined former Huskers Rulon Gardner and Matt Lindland in the prestigious Greco-Roman Hall of Fame. The four inductees for 2014 increased the Hall of Fame total to 14 wrestlers.

Ex-Husker Scherr Collects USA Wrestling Honor
Former Husker wrestler Bill Scherr earned USA Wrestling’s Myron Roderick Man-of-the-Year Award on June 19, an accolade that recognizes an outstanding man for his contributions to the sport of wrestling.

Scherr served a pivotal role in keeping wrestling as an Olympic sport, as he chaired the Committee for the Preservation of Olympic Wrestling (CPOW). In the position, Scherr developed the working structure of CPOW, ran weekly conference calls to help with CPOW’s strategy, oversaw the international relations area of CPOW and served as a spokesman for the organization.

Scherr has served on USA Wrestling’s Board of Directors and coached numerous teams, including the Women’s World Team. He was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1998 as a distinguished member after achieving success on the international level.

Scherr made one Olympic appearance, capturing the bronze medal at 220 pounds in 1988. At the FILA World Championships, Scherr earned four medals from 1985 to 1989. He took first place at 198 pounds in 1985, while earning runner-up finishes in 1986 and 1989, and a third-place result at the 1987 World Championships.

While at Nebraska, Scherr capped his impressive career with the NCAA title at 190 pounds in 1984. The three-time All-American earned a third-place finish at the NCAA Championships in 1983 and finished fourth in 1982. Scherr completed his career at Nebraska (1981-84) with a record of 133-18.

Scherr’s brother Jim, also a former wrestler at Nebraska, took home USA Wrestling’s Man of the Year Award in 1994. In addition, former Huskers Jordan Burroughs (2012) and Rulon Gardner (2000) have earned the accolade.

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

Next Up: Maryland
The Huskers host Big Ten newcomer Maryland at the NU Coliseum on Sunday, Nov. 16 at 1 p.m. (CT). The meeting will be the sixth in series history, with Nebraska holding a 3-1-1 advantage. All five of NU’s remaning home duals will be held at the Devaney Center.