Huskers to Tussle with Tigers in National Duals

#6 Missouri at #11 Nebraska
Sunday, Feb. 21 • 2 p.m. (CT)
Lincoln, Neb. • Devaney Center
Video: BTN Plus (subscription required)
Scoring: TrackWrestling.com

The No. 11 Nebraska wrestling team is set to host No. 6 Missouri as part of the NWCA National Duals Championship Series on Sunday at the Devaney Center starting at 2 p.m. (CT). The dual, which is one of eight matchups for the series, will be streamed on BTN Plus (subscription required). NU is making its first NWCA National Duals appearance since 2013, when the Huskers finished second with a 1-1 record.

Last Time Out: The Huskers won nine matches against Northwestern en route to a 39-6 win on Friday, Feb. 12.

Up Next: The Huskers will compete in the Big Ten Championships, March 5-6, at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa.

About the Huskers
• Nebraska has outscored its 16 dual opponents by a combined score of 388-190.

• Nebraska has won 105 of 160 individual matches in dual competition.

• NU is ranked 11th in the USA Today/NWCA Division I Coaches Poll, released on Feb. 15.

• Nebraska crushed Northwestern, 39-6, during Senior Night and Tumble N Rumble on Feb. 12.

            • Huskers won nine matches; Lambert and Dudley earn pins; Montoya topped ranked opponent

• Nebraska split its duals at home, Feb. 5-6.

• #13 Illinois (W, 30-10): Four Huskers win by bonus points
• #3 NC State (L, 15-19): Five Huskers collect victories

• Nebraska lost to #2 Iowa, 21-11, in front of a school-record 3,952 fans at home on Jan. 24.

            • Dudley pinned #7 Brooks; Abidin and Wilson also collected wins

• Nebraska fell on the road to No. 1 Penn State and No. 11 Ohio State, Jan. 15-17.

• at #1 Penn State (L, 10-24): Abidin, Wilson and Jensen earn victories
• at #11 Ohio State (L, 17-21): Sueflohn, Wilson, Dudley and Studebaker earn victories

• Jake Sueflohn became the 24th member of Nebraska’s 100-win club on Jan. 10.

• Nebraska took down Wisconsin and No. 23 Minnesota in its first two duals of the New Year, Jan. 8-10.

• at Wisconsin (W, 29-11): Five Huskers win by bonus points
• #23 Minnesota (W, 24-10): Abidin and Sueflohn defeat ranked opponents; Sueflohn joins 100-win club

• NU finished second in the Midlands Championships with 135 points in Evanston, Ill., Dec. 29-30. Ten Huskers earned podium spots, led by runners-up TJ Dudley (184) and Derek White (197).

• Nebraska split its duals on the first Big Ten road trip of the season, Dec. 11 and 12.

• at Maryland (W, 30-9): Four Huskers win by bonus points
• at #11 Rutgers (L, 16-17): Lost by criteria (total points, 51-48); snapped 17-dual win streak

• NU won both of its duals in the Grapple at the Garden (Madison Square Garden) on Nov. 29.

• vs. #7 Cornell (W, 21-14): Lambert and Wilson defeated ranked opponents; Abidin and Sueflohn added bonus points
• vs. Princeton (W, 21-12): Barnes and Dudley defeated ranked opponents; Montoya and Wilson added bonus points

• Nebraska defeated Wyoming, 35-4, in its home opener on Nov. 21.

            • 2 pins; 2 major decisions; Barnes and Jensen defeated ranked Cowboys

• Nebraska opened its dual season with dominating wins over Lock Haven, No. 20 Oregon State and No. 7 Lehigh in the Journeymen/Asics Northeast Duals at Hudson Valley Community College on Nov. 15.

• NU outscored its three opponents by a combined score of 90-12
• NU won 26 of 30 individual matches
• vs. Lock Haven (W, 41-0): first shutout since Nov. 30, 2013 against CSU-Bakersfield; 7 bonus-point wins
• vs. #20 Oregon State (W, 25-6): Wilson and Studebaker defeated top-12 opponents
• vs. #7 Lehigh (W, 24-6): Berger and Dudley defeated top-5 opponents; 3 additional Huskers won against ranked Mountain Hawks (Lambert, Sueflohn, Barnes)

• Head Coach Mark Manning announced the signing of five student-athletes on Nov. 13.

• Chad (CJ) Red - New Palestine, Ind. (New Palestine) – 141
• Beau Breske - Hartford, Wis. (Hartford Union) – 174
• Eric Schultz - Tinley Park, Ill. (Tinley Park) – 197
• Taylor Venz - Farmington, Minn. (Farmington) – 184
• Johnny Blankenship - Platte County, Mo. (Platte County) - 165

• Nebraska won six weight class titles in the Warren Williamson/Daktronics Open in Brookings, S.D. on Nov. 1. Thirteen Huskers earned spots on the podium at the tournament.

• Nebraska’s lone returning All-American is TJ Dudley, who finished eighth at 184 pounds in the 2015 NCAA Championships.

• The Huskers have eight wrestlers with NCAA Championships experience, including seven from last season. Jake Sueflohn (149), a three-time NCAA qualifier, missed the 2014-15 season with a torn ACL.

            • Seniors (3): Anthony Abidin (141), Jake Sueflohn (149), Austin Wilson (165)

            • Juniors (5): TJ Dudley (184), Collin Jensen (HWT), Tim Lambert (125), Eric Montoya (133), Aaron Studebaker (197)

• Nebraska faced 10 opponents who finished in the top 20 at last year’s NCAA Championships: Ohio State (1st), Iowa (2nd), Cornell (5th), Penn State (6th), Minnesota (8th), Illinois (12th), Lehigh (13th), Northwestern (15th), NC State (16th) and Wisconsin (17th)

• Nebraska held its annual Intrasquad/Coaches Clinic at the Devaney Center on Nov. 6, which gave fans the first chance to see the entire 2015-16 team.

• Former Huskers Jordan Burroughs and James Green each took home men’s freestyle medals in the 2015 World Championships in Las Vegas, Nev. on Sept. 12.

• Jordan Burroughs - 1st at 74 kg (4th World/Olympic title)
• James Green - 3rd at 70 kg (1st World Championships appearance)

• Six Huskers collected medals at the Asics University Nationals in Akron, Ohio on May 31.

• Anthony Abidin - 2nd at 65 kg
• Tyler Berger - 3rd at 70 kg
• Tim Lambert - 3rd at 57 kg
• Micah Barnes - 5th at 80 kg
• Collin Jensen - 7th at HWT
• Aaron Studebaker - 8th at 86 kg

Scouting the Missouri Tigers
• Dual Record: 13-2 (8-0 MAC - clinched regular-season conference title)

            • Wins: SIU Edwardsville, #25 Northern Iowa, #3 Ohio State, #21 Ohio, Kent State, Buffalo, #14 Cornell, Eastern Michigan, #16 Central Michigan, #7 Oklahoma, Old Dominion, Northern Illinois, Appalachian State,

            • Losses: #5 Oklahoma State, #3 NC State

• Tournaments:

• Joe Parisi Open - No Team Score (Nov. 21): five individual champions
• Cliff Keen Invitational - 1st place (Dec. 4-5): Cox and Mayes win titles

• Ranked wrestlers (InterMat): #9 Barlow McGhee (125), #15 Zach Synon (133), #7 Matt Manley (141), #3 Lavion Mayes (149), #4 Daniel Lewis (165), #7 Blaise Butler (174), #14 Willie Miklus (184), #2 J’den Cox (197)

• Coached by Brian Smith (18th year at Missouri)

• Assistant Coaches: Alex Clemsen, Joe Johnston and Drake Houdashelt