Kokesh Wins Cliff Keen Invitational Title

Las Vegas, Nev. – Senior All-American Robert Kokesh captured the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational crown at 174 pounds at the Las Vegas Convention Center on Saturday.

Four Huskers placed in the tournament, with senior James Green taking runner-up honors at 157 pounds. Sophomore Justin Arthur (149) notched a fourth-place finish and TJ Dudley (184) finished seventh. Nebraska finished sixth as a team with 89 points.

Kokesh, the No. 2 seed, started his day with a 7-2 decision over third-seeded Tanner Weatherman of Iowa State in the semifinals. In the finals, Kokesh took down No. 5 seed Blaise Butler of Virginia, 6-2. In the first period, the Husker senior earned one takedown to build a 2-0 lead. He started the second period on bottom and escaped to take a 3-0 advantage into the third stanza.

Both wrestlers started the final period in the neutral position, but Butler took down Kokesh to cut the lead to 3-2. After a quick escape, Kokesh extended his lead with a takedown at the buzzer. For the tournament, the two-time All-American notched two major decisions in five matches. He improves to 14-0 on the season.

Green, the No. 2 seed at 157 pounds, opened Saturday with an 11-6 semifinal victory over third-seeded Anthony Perrotti of Rutgers to set up a matchup against No. 1 Dylan Ness of Minnesota in the finals. The Husker senior took an early 2-0 lead after a first-period takedown, but ultimately fell to the Gopher by a 4-3 decision.

Arthur (149) started his day in the consolation bracket and went 3-1. His wins came against nationally ranked wrestlers Ken Theobold of Rutgers (No. 18), Sal Mastriani of Virginia Tech (No. 9) and Cody Ruggirello of Hofstra (No. 15). Arthur fell to Iowa State’s Gabe Moreno, 6-1, in the third-place match.

Sophomore TJ Dudley (184) went 2-1 on Saturday en route to a seventh-place finish. Dudley, 17th-ranked wrestler at 184 pounds, opened with a 4-0 decision over Jakob Scheffel of West Virginia before falling to No. 6 seed Ophir Bernstein of Brown in the consolation quarterfinals, 11-10. Dudley responded with a pin in the seventh-place match against 11th-seeded Austin Gabel of Virginia Tech in 4:41.

Austin Wilson (165) and Collin Jensen (HWT) each competed in one match on Saturday, but did not place.

The Huskers return home next weekend to face Wisconsin on Saturday, Dec. 13 at 6 p.m. (CT) at the Devaney Center.

Tournament Finishes
125: #13 Tim Lambert DNP (1-2)
133: Eric Montoya DNP (2-2)
141: #15 Anthony Abidin DNP (2-1)
149: Justin Arthur 4th (6-2)
157: #2 James Green 2nd (4-1)
165: #17 Austin Wilson DNP (2-2)
174: #2 Robert Kokesh 1st (5-0)
184: #17 TJ Dudley 7th (5-2)
197: Micah Barnes DNP (1-2)
HWT: #14 Collin Jensen DNP (2-2)