%20--%3e%3csvg%20version='1.1'%20id='Nebraska_N'%20xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg'%20xmlns:xlink='http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink'%20x='0px'%20y='0px'%20viewBox='0%200%20163%20152'%20style='enable-background:new%200%200%20163%20152;'%20xml:space='preserve'%3e%3cstyle%20type='text/css'%3e%20.st0{fill:%23FFFFFF;}%20%3c/style%3e%3cg%3e%3cpath%20class='st0'%20d='M159.1,144c-2.3,0-4.1,1.8-4.1,4s1.8,4,4,4s4-1.8,4-4S161.2,144,159.1,144z%20M159,151.2c-1.8,0-3.2-1.4-3.2-3.2%20s1.4-3.2,3.2-3.2c1.7,0,3.2,1.5,3.2,3.2C162.2,149.8,160.8,151.2,159,151.2z'/%3e%3cg%3e%3cpath%20class='st0'%20d='M157.4,145.6h1.4c0.6,0,0.8,0,1.1,0.2c0.4,0.2,0.6,0.6,0.6,1.1c0,0.4-0.1,0.7-0.3,1c-0.1,0.2-0.3,0.2-0.6,0.4%20h-0.1l1.1,2.1h-0.8l-1-2h-0.6v2h-0.8L157.4,145.6L157.4,145.6z%20M158.6,147.7c0,0,0.3,0,0.4,0c0.4-0.1,0.6-0.3,0.6-0.8%20c0-0.3-0.1-0.5-0.4-0.6c-0.1,0-0.1,0-0.6,0h-0.4v1.4L158.6,147.7L158.6,147.7z'/%3e%3c/g%3e%3c/g%3e%3cg%3e%3cpath%20class='st0'%20d='M147,0H93h-5v5v35v5h5h5v24.8L55.2,2.3L53.7,0H51H5H0v5v35v5h5h5v62H5H0v5v35v5h5h54h5v-5v-35v-5h-5h-5V82.2%20l42.8,67.5l1.5,2.3h2.7h46h5v-5v-35v-5h-5h-5V45h5h5v-5V5V0H147z%20M150,5v35v3h-3h-7v66h7h3v3v35v3h-3h-46h-1.6l-0.9-1.4L52,75.3%20V109h7h3v3v35v3h-3H5H2v-3v-35v-3h3h7V43H5H2v-3V5V2h3h46h1.7l0.9,1.4L100,76.7V43h-7h-3v-3V5V2h3h54h3V5z'/%3e%3c/g%3e%3cpath%20class='st0'%20d='M103,87L103,87L51,5H5v35c0,0,7.8,0,10,0c0,3.3,0,68.7,0,72l0,0c-2.2,0-10,0-10,0v35h54v-35c0,0-7.8,0-10,0l0,0%20c0-2.6,0-47,0-47l52,82h46v-35c0,0-7.8,0-10,0l0,0c0-3.3,0-68.7,0-72c2.2,0,10,0,10,0V5H93v35c0,0,7.8,0,10,0%20C103,42.6,103,87,103,87z'/%3e%3c/svg%3e)
Las Vegas, Nev. – Senior All-Americans James Green (157) and Robert Kokesh (174) each advanced to the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational semifinals to lead Nebraska on Friday at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
The Huskers are in seventh place with 54.5 points heading into Saturday’s action. Minnesota leads the team race with 85.5 points.
Green, the No. 2 seed at 157 pounds, won by technical fall in each of his first two matches against California Baptist’s Nolan Kistler and Bakersfield’s Spencer Hill. He notched a 15-5 major decision over seventh-seeded Justin Staudenmayer of Brown in the quarterfinals. Green will face No. 3 seed Anthony Perrotti of Rutgers in Saturday’s semifinals.
Kokesh, the No. 2 seed at 174 pounds, opened the tournament with a 14-4 triumph over Columbia’s Shane Hughes before taking down Harvard’s Josef Johnson in the second round, 13-5. In the quarterfinals, the Husker senior won a 6-2 decision over No. 7 seed Mark Martin of Ohio State. Kokesh will battle third-seeded Tanner Weatherman of Iowa State in the semifinals.
Junior Austin Wilson went 2-1 at 165 pounds, falling to top-seeded Nicholas Sulzer of Virginia in the quarterfinals, 14-3. Wilson, the No. 8 seed, opened with a 12-2 major decision over Hofstra’s Nick Terdick before notching a 4-2 decision over Army’s Chandler Smith in the second round. Wilson is set to wrestle Air Force’s Jesse Stafford in the consolation bracket.
Collin Jensen, the No. 7 seed at heavyweight, also went 2-1 and will wrestle in the consolation bracket on Saturday. In the first round, Jensen defeated West Virginia’s Anthony Vizcarrondo, 5-3, and took down 10th-seeded Michael Hughes of Hofstra, 6-1, in the second round. Jensen was pinned by Michigan’s Adam Coon in the quarterfinals.
Justin Arthur (149) and TJ Dudley (184) will also wrestle in the consolation bracket on Saturday. Arthur went 3-1 on Friday with one pin and will face Ken Theobold of Rutgers on Saturday. Dudley also compiled a 3-1 mark with two major decisions and is set to grapple against West Virginia’s Jakob Scheffel in the consolation bracket.
No. 13 Tim Lambert (125), Micah Barnes (197), Eric Montoya (133) and No. 15 Anthony Abidin (141) also competed at the tournament, but were eliminated on Friday. First day results are available at arena.flowrestling.org.
The Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational continues on Saturday with Session III at 11 a.m. (CT). The championship finals are set for 5 p.m.