No. 7 Huskers Top No. 25 Cowboys in Season Opener

Laramie, Wyo. – No. 7 Nebraska (1-0) opened its dual season with a 22-13 victory over No. 25 Wyoming at the Wyoming Indoor Practice Facility on Friday afternoon.

No. 15 Collin Jensen opened the dual with a victory at heavyweight, taking down Wyoming’s Leland Pfeifer by a 6-1 decision. Jensen earned a takedown in the first period and added one in the second period after an escape from the bottom position. In the third stanza, Jensen racked up more than two minutes of riding time before letting Pfeifer escape.

At 125 pounds, No. 14 Tim Lambert fell by a 7-4 margin to No. 8 Tyler Cox. After a scoreless first period, Lambert escaped from the down position to build a 1-0 lead before a Cox takedown. Lambert responded with a reversal before a Cox escape made it 3-3. In the third period, Cox escaped from bottom and added a takedown before giving up a Lambert escape. Cox added a point for riding time.

Sophomore Eric Montoya picked up a 9-3 victory at 133 pounds over the Cowboys’ Drew Templeman. Montoya earned a takedown and added near fall points in the first period to build a 4-0 lead. Templeman earned a reversal before Montoya’s escape to make the score 5-2 after the first period. After an escape from the down position in the second period by Montoya, Templeman picked up one of his own in the third to make it 6-3. Montoya added a takedown before a riding time point to finish off the win.

Anthony Abidin continued NU’s momentum at 141 pounds in his dominating 14-2 major decision over Cole Mendenhall. After an early Mendenhall takedown, Abidin earned three of his own and added near fall points en route to his first win of the season.

At 149 pounds, sophomore Justin Arthur lost a 5-3 decision to Jake Elliott to cut NU’s lead to 10-6 at the halfway point. After a scoreless first period, Arthur escaped from the down position before an Elliott takedown in the second period. Elliott escaped from the down position to start the third period and added a takedown to ensure the victory.

No. 2 James Green pinned Wyoming’s Archie Colgan in 5:17 to give the Huskers a 16-6 lead. Green earned two takedowns and five near fall points before the fall.

At 165 pounds, No. 14 Austin Wilson came from behind to defeat No. 15 Dakota Friesth by a 5-2 decision. Friesth earned a first-period takedown before Wilson escaped to make it 2-1. Wilson rode out Friesth in the second period before earning an escape in the third period to tie the score 2-2. Wilson added a takedown and a point for riding time.

No. 2 Robert Kokesh trailed early against Andy McCulley at 174 pounds, but emerged victorious with a 5-2 decision. McCulley took down Kokesh in the opening stanza before a Kokesh escape to make it 2-1. Kokesh rode out McCulley from the top position in the second period to secure riding time. In the third period, Kokesh escaped from bottom and earned a takedown.

At 184 pounds, No. 13 TJ Dudley fell by a 15-6 major decision to No. 17 Ben Stroh. At 197 pounds, Micah Barnes lost a 3-2 decision to No. 16 Shane Woods to close out the dual.

The Huskers finish their weekend trip by competing at the Cowboy Open on Saturday, starting at 10 a.m. (CT). Live video streaming is available on Flowrestling.org, with a subscription required to view the matches. Live scoring will be through TrackWrestling.com.

No. 7 Nebraska 22, No. 25 Wyoming 13
Wyoming Indoor Practice Facility, Laramie, Wyo.
Friday, Nov. 7, 2014

Results
HWT: #15 Collin Jensen (NEB) by dec. over Leland Pfeifer (WYO), 6-1 (NEB 3, WYO 0)
125: #8 Tyler Cox (WYO) by dec. over #14 Tim Lambert (NEB), 7-4 (NEB 3, WYO 3)
133: Eric Montoya (NEB) by dec. over Drew Templeman (WYO), 9-3 (NEB 6, WYO 3)
141: #17 Anthony Abidin (NEB) by major dec. over Cole Mendenhall (WYO), 14-2 (NEB 10, WYO 3)
149: Jake Elliott (WYO) by dec. over Justin Arthur (NEB), 5-3 (NEB 10, WYO 6)
157: #2 James Green (NEB) by pin over Archie Colgan (WYO), 5:17 (NEB 16, WYO 6)
165: #14 Austin Wilson (NEB) by dec. over #15 Dakota Friesth (WYO), 5-2 (NEB 19, WYO 6)
174: #2 Robert Kokesh (NEB) by dec. over Andy McCulley (WYO), 5-2 (NEB 22, WYO 6)
184: #17 Ben Stroh (WYO) by major dec. over #13 TJ Dudley (NEB), 15-6 (NEB 22, WYO 10)
197: #16 Shane Woods (WYO) by dec. over Micah Barnes (NEB), 3-2 (NEB 22, WYO 13)