Huskers Well-Represented at Marine Corps Nationals

Many current, future and former Nebraska wrestlers will be in action this weekend at the 2018 Marine Corps Open Wrestling Championships held Friday and Saturday at the South Point Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nev.

Incoming freshman Alex Thomsen (57 kg), redshirt freshman Christian Miller (61 kg), redshirt sophomore Caleb Licking (70 kg), redshirt sophomore Johnny Blankenship (74 kg), redshirt sophomore Beau Breske (79 kg) and redshirt freshman Mikey Labriola (79 kg) are all set to compete at the 2018 Marine Corps UWW Men’s Freestyle Junior Nationals (ages 17-20), which will be contested in four sessions Friday and Saturday.

The Freestyle Junior Nationals will qualify athletes for the UWW Junior World Team Trials, held May 18-20 in Rochester, Minn., May 18-20. The Junior World Championships are set for Sept. 17-23 in Trnava, Slovakia.

Husker alums Tim Lambert (57 kg/Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club/Lincoln, Neb.), Anthony Abidin (65 kg/NYAC/Valley WC/Fresno, Calif.) and TJ Dudley (86 kg/Nebraska Wrestling Training Center/Lincoln, Neb.), as well as Dom Bradley (125 kg/Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club/Lincoln, Neb.) who lives and trains in Lincoln at the Nebraska Wrestling Training Center, will compete at the 2018 Marine Corps U.S. Freestyle Senior Nationals. The Senior Nationals is the major qualifying event in the process to determine the 2018 U.S. Senior World Team, which will compete in Budapest, Hungary in October.

Bradley is the top pre-seed at 125 kg, while Dudley is fourth at 86 kg, Lambert is sixth at 57 kg and Abidin is seventh at 65 kg.

This year, men’s freestyle is part of Final X, the exciting three-event series set for Lincoln, Neb. on June 9, State College, Pa. on June 16 and Bethlehem, Pa on June 23 created by USA Wrestling and FloWrestling. Only the top two athletes in each weight earn the right to advance to Final X. Eight athletes who were 2017 World medalists have already advanced to Final X and are not expected at the Open in Las Vegas this year, including former Husker greats and 2017 U.S. Open champions Jordan Burroughs and James Green.

In the weight classes where there were no World medalists, the 2018 U.S. Open champion advances to Final X. Those weight classes include men’s freestyle 61 kg, 65 kg, 79 kg, 86 kg and 92 kg

In the weights where a World medalist has already reached Final X, the U.S. Open champion advances directly to the finals of the Freestyle World Team Trials Challenge Tournament in Rochester, Minn., May 18-20. Those weight classes include men’s freestyle 57 kg, 70 kg, 74 kg, 97 kg and 125 kg.

In men’s freestyle, the top seven at each weight class at the U.S. Open advance to the Freestyle World Team Trials Challenge Tournament.

Marine Corps UWW Men's Freestyle Junior Nationals
April 27-28, 2018
Las Vegas, Nev. (South Point Arena)

Event Schedule (All times CT)
Friday, April 27

• Session I (Preliminaries, Consolation): 11 a.m.
• Session II (Quarterfinals, Consolation): 5 p.m.

Saturday, April 28

• Session III (Semifinals, Consolation Place Matches): 11 a.m.
• Session IV (Finals): 12:30 p.m.

Marine Corps U.S. Senior Freestyle Nationals
April 27-28, 2018
Las Vegas, Nev. (South Point Arena)

Event Schedule (All times CT)
Friday, April 27

• Session I (Preliminaries, Quarterfinals, Consolation): 11 a.m.
• Session II (Semifinals): 7 p.m.

Saturday, April 28

• Session III (Consolation Place Matches): 11 a.m.
• Session IV (Finals): 5 p.m.