Huskers Make Trek to Minnesota for Regular Season Finale

The fourth-ranked Nebraska wrestling team heads north to Minneapolis, Minn., to close out the 2019-20 regular season campaign, facing No. 13 Minnesota on Friday at the Maturi Pavilion. Action from Minneapolis will get underway at 8:05 p.m. (CT) with television coverage provided by ESPNU and the WatchESPN platform. Mike Couzens (play-by-play) and Jim Gibbons (analyst) will be on the call. 

Minnesota (9-7, 4-4 Big Ten) will look to bounce back following a 35-6 defeat at the hands of the top-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes on Feb. 15. No. 20 Owen Webster (184) and No. 1 Gable Steveson (HWT) provided the two individual match victories for the Golden Gophers. Steveson has compiled a 28-0 dual record during his two-season stint in Maroon an Gold and has yet to yield a takedown this season. Other ranked Gopher grapplers include No. 11 Patrick McKee (125), No. 6 Mitch McKee (141), No. 7 Brayton Lee (149) and No. 8 Devin Skatzka (174). 

Nebraska (10-3, 5-3 Big Ten) ran its dual meet winning streak to five with a 25-15 victory over then-No. 22 Michigan on Feb. 14. No. 14 Ridge Lovett (133) scored a major decision victory over Austin Assad and has now won five consecutive dual meet bouts after dropping his first five. No. 9 Chad Red Jr. (141) has recorded consecutive sub-one minute falls his last two times out and will look to avenge last year's 9-2 loss to Mitch McKee. No. 5 Isaiah White (165) has reeled off three straight victories, including two by pinfall, since losing a 5-1 decision to Penn State's No. 1 Vincenzo Joseph on Jan. 24. No. 6 Mikey Labriola (174) has won four out of his last five matches and has a Top-10 bout on tap with Skatzka in a rematch of a tightly-contested match from one year ago (which Labriola won by decision, 7-6). Rounding out the Husker lineup are No. 11 Taylor Venz (184) and No. 4 Eric Schultz (197), each of whom bring three-match winning streaks with them into Friday night's match.      

Last Time Out: NU won six of ten bouts to top Michigan 25-15 at the Devaney Center on Feb. 14. 
 
Up Next: The Big Red have a little over two weeks off from competition before heading to New Jersey for the Big Ten Wrestling Championships. Session I begins at 9 a.m. (CT) on Sat., Mar. 7, and can be streamed online via BTN+ (subscription required). 

Nebraska Projected Starters*
125: Alex Thomsen RFr. • Neola, Iowa (9-12)  
133: #14 Ridge Lovett Fr. • Post Falls, Idaho (13-6)   
141: #9 Chad Red Jr. Jr. • Indianapolis, Ind. (14-6) 
149: #16 Collin Purinton Sr. • Banks, Ore. (13-8) 
157: #19 Peyton Robb RFr. • Owatonna, Minn. (16-5)
165: #5 Isaiah White Sr. • Chicago, Ill. (15-3) -OR- Jake Silverstein RFr. • Smithtown, N.Y. (9-7) 
174: #6 Mikey Labriola So. • Easton, Pa. (17-6) 
184: #11 Taylor Venz Jr. • Farmington, Minn. (15-7)  
197: #4 Eric Schultz Jr. • Tinley Park, Ill. (20-3) 
285: Christian Lance Sr. • Nixa, Mo. (10-6) -OR- #15 David Jensen Sr. • Mobridge, S.D. (14-4)
*Individual rankings according to InterMat  

Quick Notes 
• Nebraska has outscored its 13 dual opponents by a combined score of 344-158.
• NU has won 85 of 130 (65%) individual dual meet matches this season.
• With the win over Northern Iowa on Nov. 24, Coach Manning picked up his 250th victory at Nebraska. 
• Team leaders by category among starters: 
Dual Record: Eric Schultz (12-1)
Dual Points: Eric Schultz (48 pts) 
Dual Takedowns: Eric Schultz (68) 
Pins: Chad Red Jr. & Taylor Venz (5) 
Technical Falls: Eric Schultz (5) 
Major Decisions: Mikey Labriola (5) 
Quickest Pin: Mikey Labriola (0:13)   
     
Nine Huskers Rated in Second NCAA Coaches' Panel Rankings
The NCAA released the second of four coaches' panel rankings for the 2019-20 wrestling season on Feb. 14. The final rankings will be one of the criteria used as part of the selection process to determine qualifiers and seeding for the 2020 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships on March 19-21 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
The rankings are determined by a vote of 14 coaches in each weight class with two head coaches from each of the seven conferences (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, EIWA, MAC, Pac-12 and SoCon).

133: Ridge Lovett -- 11th
141: Chad Red Jr. -- 8th
149: Collin Purinton -- 16th
157: Peyton Robb -- 15th
165: Isaiah White -- 5th
174: Mikey Labriola -- 6th
184: Taylor Venz -- 10th
197: Eric Schultz -- 7th
HWT: Christian Lance -- 16th

Robb, Schultz Shine for Huskers
Peyton Robb (9-3) and Eric Schultz (12-1) have dominated dual meet competition this season.
Robb (157), a redshirt freshman from Owatonna, Minn., has scored 43 dual points for the Huskers and has recorded three pins and three technical fall victories. 
Schultz (197), a junior, leads the team with five technical fall victories and has amassed 68 dual takedowns while yielding only five. The Tinley Park, Ill., native has also scored a team-high 48 dual points for the Big Red. One of Schultz's best performances was a 3-1 upset victory against Iowa's then-No.5 Jacob Warner on Jan. 18.  

Lovett Sheds Redshirt, Enters Starting Lineup
Freshman Ridge Lovett (133) had his redshirt pulled when he entered the starting lineup at Northern Iowa on Nov. 24, 2019. An undefeated four-time state champion at Post Falls High School in Post Falls, Idaho, Lovett came to Nebraska a highly-touted recruit but was expected to redshirt this season. An injury to Tucker Sjomeling altered those plans, however.
Since being inserted into the starting lineup, Lovett has defeated a top-ten rated opponent (Utah Valley's Taylor LaMont), placed third at the Cliff Keen Invitational and earned his first Big Ten match victory on Jan. 26 over Michigan State's Garrett Pepple. Lovett used a last-second reversal to defeat 19th-rated Jordan Decatur (Ohio State) 6-5 on Feb. 2, pinned Purdue's Travis Ford-Melton on Feb. 7 and defeated Austin Assad (Michigan) by major decision on Feb. 14.    

Returning All-Americans Anchor Huskers  
Nebraska welcomed back four wrestlers from the 2018-19 squad who have earned All-America accolades during their careers. Much was expected from them and so far, the quartet has lived up to its billing. 
Chad Red Jr. (141) has an 8-3 mark in dual meets this season. Isaiah White (165) is 15-3 overall and added a second consecutive Cliff Keen Invitational individual title to his resume in December. Mikey Labriola (174) leads the team in major decision victories and has scored 42 dual points over the course of the season. Lastly, Taylor Venz (184) and Red are tied for the most pins among the starters and scored an upset victory over Penn State's No. 6 Aaron Brooks on Jan. 24.  

Huskers Top Wolverines 25-15 in Senior Sendoff 
The fourth-ranked Nebraska wrestling team won six of ten bouts, scoring bonus points in four matches to defeat No. 22 Michigan 25-15 on Senior Night at the Devaney Center on Feb. 14. Johnny Blankenship, Zak Hensley, David Jensen, Collin Purinton, Kyle Ruettiger and Isaiah White were all honored in a pre-meet ceremony. 
The dual began with a ranked matchup at 157 pounds between No. 18 Peyton Robb and No. 9 Will Lewan. In a low-scoring affair, Lewan scored the match-winning takedown with under one minute left in Period 3 and held on for a 4-3 victory. 
No. 5 Isaiah White (165) tallied four takedowns and led from start to finish against Tyler Meisinger and the Chicago, Ill., native recorded an 11-4 decision in his Devaney Center finale. 
No. 6 Mikey Labriola (174) put forth a dominant effort against Max Maylor, using a five-takedown third period to top off a 23-8 technical fall victory. 
No. 11 Taylor Venz (184) looked the part of a returning All-American in his matchup with No. 20 Jelani Embree. Venz scored four takedowns and four nearfall points en route to a 16-6 major decision. 
No. 5 Eric Schultz (197) extended his team-high dual meet win total to 12 with a workmanlike effort against Jackson Striggow. Schultz scored points in all three periods and won by decision, 6-3. 
Senior David Jensen (HWT) faced a tall task on Friday, taking on Michigan's undefeated and second-ranked sophomore Mason Parris. The Wolverine grappler proved to be formidable and ran his record to 24-0 with a first-period fall. 
Alex Thomsen (125) and No. 19 Jack Medley were scoreless after Period 1 and Thomsen scored first with a second-period escape, but Medley finished with a flurry, using four third-period points to win by decision, 6-1. 
No. 14 Ridge Lovett (133) ran his Big Ten dual meet winning streak to five with an 11-0 major decision victory over Michigan's Austin Assad. Lovett started strong with a six-point first period and held the Wolverine senior scoreless for the duration of the match. 
No. 8 Chad Red Jr. (141) recorded his third pin in his last four appearances with a 52-second fall against Cole Mattin. 
The dual concluded with a third bout between ranked wrestlers. No. 16 Collin Purinton (149) closed out his Devaney Center career against No. 10  Kanen Storr. Purinton, a Banks, Ore., native, fought valiantly but came up short, and fell by a final score of 8-5. 

Huskers Top Indiana to Complete Hoosier State Sweep 
The fourth-ranked Nebraska wrestling team won eight of 10 bouts, scoring bonus points in six matches, to win its fourth consecutive dual meet and defeat Indiana 35-6 at Wilkinson Hall on Feb. 9.
The meet began at 141 pounds. No. 8 Chad Red Jr. wasted no time against Eddie Bolivar, scoring a takedown seconds into the match. Bolivar escaped, but Red then scored a second takedown, earned nearfall points and recorded a pin, all in less than one minute of wrestling.
No.16 Collin Purinton (149) then faced No.14 Graham Rooks in the meet's lone match-up of ranked wrestlers. The two grapplers were scoreless after the first period. Purinton started the second period on top and Rooks was able to score a reversal. Purinton used two escapes to knot the score at two apiece, but Rooks was awarded the match-winning point when Purinton earned his second stalling warning of the match and the Hoosier grappler walked away a 3-2 winner.    
No.18 Peyton Robb (157) scored a takedown and two nearfall points in the first period against Indiana senior Fernie Silva. The second period saw Robb add to his lead with points via escape and a stalling call on Silva. The redshirt freshman from Owatonna, Minn., finished strong for the Huskers, closing out a 9-1 major decision victory with a third-period takedown and a point for riding time.  
Jake Silverstein saw his first dual meet action of the season at 165 pounds. Squaring off against Hoosier junior Dillon Hoey, Silverstein notched a takedown and four nearfall points in the first period, but Hoey was able to get on the board with a reversal. Hoey scored a takedown and ran his riding time total to over two minutes in Period 2. Silverstein started Period 3 on top and Hoey again registered a reversal, making the score 8-6 in favor of Silverstein. Hoey allowed Silverstein to escape, looking for a takedown which would have effectively tied the bout 9-9, but Silverstein got in on a single-leg shot and scored a takedown to win the back-and-forth match by decision, 11-7 
No. 6 Mikey Labriola (174) scored a takedown less than five seconds into his bout with Diego Lemley and needed less than a minute to record the meet's second pin.  
No. 11 Taylor Venz (184) kept the Big Red momentum going after intermission, scoring seven points in the first period and eight points in the second to tally a 15-0 technical fall victory over Jacob Hinz. 
No. 5 Eric Schultz (197) scored takedowns in all three periods and netted nearfall points in Period 3 to earn an 18-6 major decision victory against Indiana freshman Nick Willham.   
No. 16 Christian Lance (HWT), wrestling for the first time since Jan. 24 against Penn State, used a workman-like effort to make it two consecutive major decision victories for the Huskers. Lance scored one takedown in each of the first two periods before tallying two takedowns in the third period to defeat Jake Kliemola, 12-4. 
Alex Thomsen (125) and Liam Cronin exchanged escapes and were tied 1-1 when Cronin scored the match's first takedown with less than one minute remaining in the third period. Cronin was tough on top for the remainder of the bout and won 4-1, adding an additional point with one minute and one second of riding time.   
No. 14 Ridge Lovett (133) closed out the match with a hard-fought 4-2 victory over fellow freshman Cayden Rooks. Lovett, coming off a victory by pinfall on Friday, scored via a takedown in Period 1, an escape in Period 2 and added a point for riding time.

Huskers Steamroll Boilermakers
The fourth-ranked Nebraska wrestling team won seven of ten bouts, including two by pinfall, to defeat No. 14 Purdue 31-9 at Mackey Arena on Feb. 7. 
The meet began at 125 with Alex Thomsen squaring off against No.6 Devin Schroder. Schroder, a redshirt junior from Grand Rapids, Mich., scored a takedown in all three periods and notched an 8-2 decision to give Purdue an early 3-0 lead. 
No. 14 Ridge Lovett (133) recorded the first dual meet pin of his career just under four minutes into his match against Travis Ford-Melton. The Purdue freshman attempted to use an underhook on Lovett, but the Husker true freshman carried his momentum forward, taking Ford-Melton to his back. After a brief scramble, Lovett was awarded the pin, earning six team points for the Huskers. 
Zak Hensley got the call at 141 on Friday night, taking on Purdue's Parker Filius. Filius scored first and second-period takedowns and piled up over three minutes of riding time en route to a 6-1 decision victory.
No.16 Collin Purinton (149) then faced No.18 Griffin Parriott in one of three bouts between ranked wrestlers on the night. The senior from Banks, Ore., netted two nearfall points in the first period and tallied four takedowns overall to push past Parriott by a final score of 13-6.  
A second consecutive match-up of ranked wrestlers followed at 157 with No.18 Peyton Robb taking on No.7 Kendall Coleman. Fans were robbed of a full match, however, when the two grapplers' heads inadvertently collided 15 seconds into Period 2. Coleman was taken back to the locker room to be evaluated for a concussion and was unable to continue wrestling, giving Robb the victory by injury default.  
No.5 Isaiah White (165) returned to the mat for the first time since his match-winning pin against Ohio State on Feb. 2. White, a senior from Chicago, Ill., posted his second consecutive pin, winning by fall over Tanner Webster one minute, 22 seconds into their match.  
Following White's pin, No. 6 Mikey Labriola and No. 4 Dylan Lydy renewed their rivalry at 174. The two were quite familiar with one another coming into Friday's match. Lydy defeated Labriola twice at the 2017 Midlands Championships during Labriola's redshirt season. Labriola avenged those losses the following season, defeating Lydy in the second tiebreaker period at both the 2019 Big Ten Championships and 2019 NCAA Championships. The pair met once more earlier this season at the Cliff Keen Invitational in Las Vegas, Nev., where Lydy got past Labriola 3-1 in sudden victory on Dec. 7.    
On Friday night, Lydy came out on top once again. After trading escapes over the first five minutes, Lydy scored two takedowns in the third period and earned a 5-2 victory. 
No. 11 Taylor Venz (184) and Max Lyon were scoreless after Period 1, but Venz scored an escape, a takedown, and piled up over one minute of riding time in Period 2 to win by a final margin of 4-1. 
No. 5 Eric Schultz (197) rebounded nicely from his first dual meet loss of the season, scoring a 15-6 major decision victory against Purdue's Jared Florell. Schultz scored four points in Period 1, three points in Period 2 and then exploded for eight points in the match's final period.   
To cap off the night, David Jensen (HWT) took the mat for a third consecutive dual. He built a 9-0 lead over Thomas Penola through two periods, but Penola roared back, scoring three takedowns and a pair of stall points in the third. Jensen held on, however, scoring a takedown and one point for riding time to win 12-8. 

White's Pin Puts Huskers Past Ohio State
Nebraska used a last-second, match-clinching pin from a hobbled No. 4 Isaiah White (165) to defeat No. 3 Ohio State 19-14 on Feb. 2. The Huskers won six of ten bouts overall to record their first victory over a top three-rated opponent since 2008. 
No. 6 Mikey Labriola (174) set the tone for what would be a thrilling meet with a match-opening 3-1 victory. The returning All-American sophomore from Easton, Pa., battled No. 7 Kaleb Romero to a 1-1 tie as time was winding down in Period 3. Labriola was then able to get in on a shot and record a takedown before the buzzer sounded as Romero attempted to crawl away. Ohio State challenged the takedown, but officials confirmed the call on the mat following video review. Nebraska was, however, deducted one team point at the conclusion of the match for unsportsmanlike conduct. 
Buckeye redshirt freshman Rocky Jordan was able to record an upset victory over No. 8 Taylor Venz (184) in the second match of the afternoon. Venz started Period 2 on bottom and recorded a reversal to go up 2-0, but Jordan scored a third-period takedown and added a point for riding time to earn a 3-2 decision and put the Buckeyes in front 3-2. 
No. 6 Eric Schultz's undefeated streak against dual meet competition came to an end on Sunday as No. 1 Collin Moore (197) tallied two takedowns and rolled up two minutes and 27 seconds of riding time to win 6-2. 
David Jensen (HWT) got the nod at heavyweight for a second consecutive match and recorded a second straight win for the Huskers. Ohio State's Gary Traub scored a takedown in the first period, but Jensen got one of his own following a scramble at the end of Period 2. Jensen then scored two takedowns in the third period, included one off of an attempted throw by Traub, to win 8-3.
Alex Thomsen (125) continued his streak of resurgent wrestling with a 5-2 decision over Malik Heinselman. Thomsen has now won three straight bouts following a four-match dual meet losing streak. The redshirt freshman from Neola, Iowa, scored a critical reversal after being taken down in Period 2 and used repeated mat returns and a takedown in Period 3 to clinch the match by a final score of 5-2.          
No. 13 Ridge Lovett (133) added to the drama with a last-second reversal in his match against No. 19 Jordan Decatur. The true freshmen grapplers were knotted up at four with 15 seconds remaining, but Decatur had over one minute of riding time and thus, for all intents and purposes, had a one-point advantage . Facing a potentially crushing defeat, Lovett was able to get around Decatur and record a reversal with five seconds remaining to finish off an emphatic 6-5 decision. 
The Buckeyes (8-3, 4-2 Big Ten) then posted back-to-back major decision victories. No. 1 Luke Pletcher ran his record to 21-0 with a 10-1 victory over No. 8 Chad Red Jr. and No. 2 Sammy Sasso scored eight of his 13 points in the third period to defeat No. 14 Collin Purinton by a final score of 13-4. 
No. 16 Peyton Robb was able to even the team score at 14 with an 8-3 decision over Ohio State redshirt freshman Quinn Kinner. Robb scored a takedown and four near-fall points in the first period en route to victory.
With the match's outcome hanging in the balance, No. 4 Isaiah White squared off against No. 14 Ethan Smith, who had revenge on his mind following a 4-1 semifinal tiebreaker loss at the Cliff Keen Invitational back in December. White sustained a left ankle injury following a first period scramble at the edge of the mat. After receiving attention from the medical training staff, White decided to gut it out and continue wrestling. The back-and-forth match was 4-3 in favor of Smith with 10 seconds remaining. White then threw Smith to his back and recorded a pin with two seconds on the clock. Nebraska was deducted one team point for losing control of the mat, but it did little to dampen the Huskers' 19-14 victory. 
"I've been on the [losing] side so many times, including last Friday night [against Penn State], but today we made it happen," Head Coach Mark Manning said after the meet.

Redshirt Recap: Sioux City Dave Edmonds Open
Twelve Nebraska wrestlers competed at the Sioux City Dave Edmonds Open on Saturday and two Huskers took home individual titles. 
Jevon Parrish (141 - Unattached) and Bubba Wilson (157 - Unattached) each went undefeated with two victories by major decision to record first-place finishes in their respective weight classes. 
Three Huskers--Zak Hensley (133), Caleb Licking (149) and Kevon Davenport (149)--had second-place finishes. Johnny Blankenship (165) and Colton Wolfe (184) placed third while Wyoming transfer Cale Davidson (285 - Unattached) finished in fourth place. 
Austin Emerson (285), Johnathon Ortegon (125 - Unattached), Tyler Deen (141 - Unattached) and Isaiah Alford (174) also competed on Saturday but did not place. 

Huskers Defeat Spartans to Notch First Conference Victory
Nebraska defeated Michigan State 25-12 to earn its first conference victory of the season on Jan. 26. The Huskers won seven of 10 bouts and earned bonus points in two of those matches to roll to victory over the Spartans. 
The meet started at 149. Collin Purinton, coming off a pin against Friday night against Penn State, score a takedown in the first period and was able to grind out a 3-2 decision over Michigan State's Alex Hrisopoulos. 
No. 11 Peyton Robb (157) then squared off against No. 20 Jake Tucker in one of two bouts between ranked wrestlers on the afternoon. Tucker scored a first-period takedown, but Robb was able to get a reversal. Knotted up at five after three periods of wrestling, Tucker and Robb went to sudden victory, where the Spartan grappler scored a takedown to win the match, 5-3. 
Dalton Peters got the call at 165 for the Huskers on Sunday. Peters struck first with an early takedown, but Michigan State's Drew Hughes started Period 2 on top and was able to take Peters to his back and win by pinfall.
No. 6 Mikey Labriola (174) got the Huskers back on track with a dominant 17-6 major decision over the Spartans' Layne Malczewski. Labriola tallied six takedowns and four nearfall points en route to victory. 
No. 17 Cam Caffey and No. 8 Taylor Venz (184) grappled in the second ranked bout of the meet. Venz led 5-1 after two periods, but Caffey rallied and scored two takedowns and four nearfall points in the third and final period on his way to an 11-6 decision.
No. 8 Eric Schultz (197) defeated Nick May 3-2 to remain undefeated against dual meet competition on the season. Schultz scored all three of his points in the second period and outlasted May, whose points came from escapes in the second and third periods. 
David Jensen (HWT) returned to the lineup for the first time since wrestling Carter Isley (UNI) on Nov. 24. The senior from Mobridge, S.D., held the Spartans' Christian Rebottaro scoreless and scored six points via two takedowns, an escape and riding time. 
Action then shifted to 125. After picking off Penn State's Brandon Meredith in sudden victory on Friday night, Alex Thomsen won his second match of the weekend with a 5-2 victory against Michigan State's Logan Griffin. Thomsen recorded a takedown in Period 1 and reversal in Period 3 in addition to earning a point when Griffin was whistled for a potentially dangerous hold.   
No. 13 Ridge Lovett earned his first career Big Ten victory and first dual meet match win with a solid 5-0 decision over Spartan grappler Garrett Pepple. Lovett was able to record first and third-period takedowns and added a point for riding time. 
The final bout of the day was also the shortest, as No. 8 Chad Red Jr. (141) needed only one minute and ten seconds to pin Matt Santos.

Redshirt Recap: Hastings College Open
Eleven Nebraska wrestlers competed at the Hastings College Open on Jan. 11 and five earned first-place finishes in their weight class. 
Christian Miller (141), Kevon Davenport (149), Bubba Wilson (157), Johnny Blankenship (165) and Isaiah Alford (174) all collected individual titles for the Big Red; Cade Svoboda (197) and David Jensen (HWT) each placed second; Daniel Monahan (133), Tyler Deen (141), Colton Wolfe (184) and Austin Emerson (HWT) did not place.     

Redshirt Recap: Four Huskers Win Titles at Viking Warrior Open
Eleven Nebraska wrestlers competed at the Viking-Warrior Open on Jan. 4  and four brought home individual titles. 
Jevon Parrish (133), Caleb Licking (149), Bubba Wilson (157 - Unattached) and David Jensen (HWT) all earned first-place finishes in their respective weight classes. Jake Silverstein (165), Cade Svoboda (197) and Austin Emerson (HWT) all placed second; Johnathon Oretegon (125 - Unattached) and Daniel Monahan (133 - Unattached) each placed fourth; Tyler Deen (141 - Unattached) and Jordan Kelber (141) did not place.

Huskers Top Beavers 32-3
Nebraska scored bonus points in five matches and won eight of nine bouts overall to defeat Oregon State (2-1, 0-0 Pac-12) at the Devaney Center on Dec. 20.
No.6 Mikey Labriola (174) started the night off in dominant fashion, racking up six takedowns and eight near-fall points to defeat Colton Beisley by technical fall, 20-5. No.5 Taylor Venz (184) picked up right where Labriola left off, picking up a 9-0 major decision over Colt Doyle. No.10 Eric Schultz (197) gave the Huskers three consecutive bonus-point victories to start the evening when he replicated Labriola's 20-5 technical fall victory against the Beavers' J.J. Dixon.
The night's most exciting match took place at heavyweight. No.15 Christian Lance (HWT) led JaMarcus Grant 3-1 late in the third period when Grant earned a one-point escape and two-point takedown to seize a 4-3 lead. Lance responded with a takedown as time expired. An official's review confirmed the takedown, and Lance was victorious by decision, 5-4. 
Action then shifted to the lighter weights. A double forfeit was declared at 125 as NU's Alex Thomsen was too ill to wrestle and Oregon State's Brandon Kaylor suffered a concussion only days previously. Devan Turner used takedowns in the first and third periods to top No.10 Ridge Lovett (133), 6-2. Returning All-American No.6 Chad Red Jr. (141) earned a 6-2 decision of his own, topping Beaver grappler Grant Willits. No.12 Collin Purinton (149) gave up a reversal after taking down Lane Stigall in the first period, but did not look back after that, earning an 8-4 decision. 
The final two bouts of the night saw the Big Red rack up more bonus points. No.14 Peyton Robb (157) scored 10 points in the first period on his way to a technical fall victory over Logan Meek before returning All-American No.4 Isaiah White (165) used riding time and six third-period points to earn a major decision victory over Aaron Olmos.

NU Claims Cliff Keen Team Title
Isaiah White (165) won his second consecutive individual title and the Nebraska wrestling team won their third Cliff Keen Invitational team title in program history on Dec. 7 at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nev. White was one of nine Huskers who placed as NU amassed 118 team points, the most among the 32 schools competing. The team title is Nebraska's first since 2008; the Huskers also took home the title in 2003. In both seasons, Nebraska went on to record Top-5 finishes at the NCAA Championships.
Ridge Lovett (133) went 5-1 over the course of the weekend, including a win against then-#9 Taylor LaMont of Utah Valley, to finish third. Mikey Labriola (174) also went 5-1 to finish third, picking up a win over then-#14 Kaleb Romero (Ohio State) in the process. 
Returning All-American Chad Red. Jr (141) pinned then-#12 Tariq Wilson of NC State on his way to a fifth-place finish. Taylor Venz (184) recorded three pins and three wins over ranked foes en route to a fifth-place finish of his own. Eric Schultz (197) rounded out the trio of fifth-place finishers, as he went 5-2 over the course of the tournament.

125: Alex Thomsen DNP (1-2)
133: Ridge Lovett 3rd (5-1)
141: #6 Chad Red Jr. 5th (4-2)
149: #13 Collin Purinton 8th (3-3)
157: Peyton Robb 7th (4-2)
165: #4 Isaiah White 1st (5-0)
174: #5 Mikey Labriola 3rd (5-1)
184: #6 Taylor Venz 5th (5-2)
197: #10 Eric Schultz 5th (5-2)
HWT: #13 Christian Lance 6th (3-3)

Big Red Persevere Against Panthers
Nebraska picked up bonus points in four of their five match victories to defeat then-No. 17 Northern Iowa 23-19 at the West Gym in Cedar Falls, Iowa, on Nov. 24 
The Huskers' first road trip to Northern Iowa in nearly a decade started off unevenly. Alex Thomsen (125) scored three takedowns and led then-No.9 Jay Schwarm 6-2 before the Panther grappler put Thomsen in a cradle and took the Husker redshirt freshman to his back. Schwarm's pin gave the home team a quick 6-0 advantage. 
Ridge Lovett (133) had his redshirt pulled and saw action in his first dual meet of the season. Lovett scored a takedown less than one minute into the first period, but yielded four near-fall points and a late takedown, ultimately falling 8-2 to Jack Skudlarczyk.
Chad Red Jr. (141) turned the tide with a dominant technical fall victory over UNI's Michael Blockhus. Red scored six near-fall points less than one minute into the match and secured an 18-0 victory in less than three minutes of action.  
With the team score 9-5 in favor of the Panthers, Collin Purinton (149) went toe-to-toe with then-No.3 Max Thomsen in the first of three matchups between ranked wrestlers. Thomsen led Purinton 6-4 after two periods. Purinton then scored a third-period takedown to tie the score at six. Thomsen earned an escape but one point was rewarded to Purinton for stalling, evening the score at seven at the end of the third period. In the sudden victory period, Purinton scored a takedown to walk away with a 9-7 decision. 
Peyton Robb (157) and Isaiah White kept the positive momentum going for the Big Red. Robb took Keaton Geerts to his back and won by fall in the first period, giving NU a 14-9 lead at intermission. When action resumed, White tallied five takedowns and two near-fall points to earn a 13-5 major decision victory over Austin Yant. 
In a matchup of returning All-Americans, UNI's then-No.7 Bryce Steiert defeated Mikey Labriola (174) 2-1. Neither grappler recorded a takedown, with Steiert's two points coming via an escape and a locked hands call. Then-No.7 Taylor Lujan led Taylor Venz (184) 6-4 after Period 1 and did not allow Venz to record a takedown the rest of the match, instead tallying three takedowns of his own en route to a 15-6 major decision victory. 
With Nebraska clinging to an 18-16 lead, Eric Schultz (197) dominated Noah Glaser, piling up 11 takedowns in 24-9 techincal fall victory which gave the Huskers an insurmountable 23-16 advantage. 
In the final bout of the afternoon, Carter Isley defeated David Jensen (HWT) 6-2.

Huskers Corral Cowboys 28-7 
Nebraska won eight of 10 bouts, including three by bonus points, to defeat Wyoming 28-7 at the Devaney Center on Nov. 22. 
The Cowboys got off to a quick start, winning the first two matches of the evening. At 125, Wyoming's Cole Verner defeated Husker redshirt freshman Alex Thomsen in a three-overtime thriller. Knotted at five at the end of three periods, neither grappler scored in the sudden victory period or in the furst tiebreaker period. Verner earned an escape to open the second tiebreaker period and that proved to be enough, as he recorded a 7-6 victory. No.7 Montorie Bridges earned a major decision in the subsequent 133-pound bout, defeating Zak Hensley 14-6. 
Down 7-0, the Huskers then reeled off eight consecutive match victories. Chad Red Jr. (141) put forth a workman-like effort to defeat Chase Zollman 5-1. Collin Purinton (149) racked up four takedowns to earn an 11-3 major decision over Jaron Jensen, evening the team score at seven apiece. 
Peyton Robb (157) piled up 13 near fall points in a dominant 18-2 technical fall victory over Logan Jensen. At 165, Isaiah White did not yield a single takedown, defeating Cole Moody 9-3. 
The next two bouts featured ranked wrestlers on both sides. Mikey Labriola (174) joined Purinton and Robb in scoring bonus points for the Big Red. Labriola defeated then-No.14 Hayden Hastings by major decision (10-2) in a match that was decidedly different from their 2018 clash, a 25-point explosion in which Labriola earned a 14-11 decision. At 184, Wyoming's then-No.18 Tate Samuelson scored a takedown late in the third period to take the lead against Taylor Venz, but the returning Husker All-American persevered, scoring a reversal and two near-fall points to come out on top 11-8.      
Eric Schultz (197) gave Stephen Buchanan his first loss of the season, defeating the Cowboy freshman 7-6. And in the night's final match, Christian Lance (HWT) avenged last year's loss to No.14 Brian Andrews. Lance defeated Andrews 3-2 one year after Andrews won by pinfall in Laramie. 

Nebraska Dominates in New York
The Nebraska wrestling team had six individuals take first place in their respective weight-class pools at the Journeymen Collegiate Classic on Nov. 10. Overall, 15 Huskers traveled to Troy, N.Y., for the competition and in addition to the six first-place performances, six Nebraska grapplers recorded runner-up finishes. 
Collin Purinton (149) took home the crown in the 149A pool. In the 157B pool, Peyton Robb (157) recorded two major decisions before pinning teammate Johnny Blankenship in the championship match. No. 5 Isaiah White (165), fresh off a victory over the top-ranked Division II wrestler in his weight class at the Nebraska Duals, defeated sixth-ranked Joshua Shields of Arizona State 7-1 to take first place in the 165A pool. Dalton Peters (165) bounced back nicely from his narrow Nebraska Duals defeat by recording three pins and a 9-6 victory over Old Dominion's Jacob Curling in the 165E championship match. Eric Schultz (197) earned a closely-contested 3-2 decision in his first match of the day before recoding a pin and besting Rutgers' Jordan Pagano 5-1 to take home the crown in the 197A pool. 
The final first-place finisher for the Huskers was Christian Lance (285), who squared off against teammate David Jensen in the 285B final. Lance scored a takedown in overtime to earn the top spot.  
Returning All-Americans No.6 Chad Red Jr. (141), No. 3 Mikey Labriola (174) and No. 4 Taylor Venz (184) all advanced to the championship matches in the 'A' pool of their respective weight classes before falling to ranked opponents. Caleb Licking (149B), Johnny Blankenship (157B) and David Jensen (285B) also recorded runner-up finishes.

Lovett and Davenport Shine at Daktronics Open
Redshirt freshmen Ridge Lovett (133) and Kevon Davenport (149) each won individual championships competing unattached in their respective weight classes at the Warren Williamson/Daktronics Open on Nov. 17. Overall, six Huskers recorded top-three finishes. 
Lovett, a four-time Idaho Class 5A state champion, blazed through the 133-pound bracket. After pinning South Dakota State's Caleb Gross in 36 seconds, Lovett then defeated Minnesota's Brent Jones by major decision, 14-2. In the 133-pound championship match, Lovett earned a 6-4 decision over South Dakota State's Zach Price.  
Davenport, the 2019 Detroit Free-Press Athlete of the Year, recorded an 18-3 technical fall victory over Minnesota's Cael Carlson before facing Michael Zarif of Binghamton. Davenport earned a 4-2 decision and advanced by medical forfeit to the 149-pound championship match, where he ended things emphatically by pinning Henry Pohlmeyer (South Dakota State) in the first period. 
Redshirt freshmen Alex Thomsen (125) and Bubba Wilson (157 - Unattached) recorded runner-up finishes. Austin Emerson (HWT) and Caleb Licking (149) each finished third.

Huskers Nearly Shutout Chadron State 
The Big Red grappled with No. 24 Chadron State at the Nebraska Duals on Nov. 7. Nebraska started fast as Alex Thomsen (125) pinned Tate Stoddard in their 58-second match. The Huskers then scored decisions in their next five bouts. Zak Hensley (133), Christian Miller (141) and Caleb Licking (149) all secured victories before Johnny Blankenship (157) triumphed over fifth-ranked Chase Clasen 7-4. Following a closely-contested bout at 165 between Tate Allison and junior Dalton Peters, returning All-American Mikey Labriola (174) needed only 13 seconds to pin Gavin Eason. A sixth-place finisher at the 2019 NCAA Championships, the third-ranked Labriola began his sophomore campaign in style. 
Colton Wolfe (184) needed an extra period but came away with a 4-2 victory by taking down Terry Winstead in overtime. NU then closed out their first dual victory of the night with consecutive technical falls. Eric Shultz (197) stormed his way to 26-10 win over 10th-ranked Wade French before Christian Lance (HWT) overwhelmed Mason Watt 25-9 to give the Huskers a 37-3 win.

NU Caps Nebraska Duals with Strong Showing Against Kearney
Following their performance against Chadron State, the Huskers squared off against the No. 4 Nebraska-Kearney Lopers (UNK) in a matchup of squads ranked in the top five of their respective divisions by the National Wrestling Coaches Association. No. 5 Nebraska got off to another fast start when Thomsen (125) followed up his pin with a 17-6 major decision over John Portillo. Hensley (133) didn't surrender a point to Scott Fulsos, winning 6-0. Perhaps the most exciting match of the night followed. Returning All-American and sixth-ranked Chad Red Jr. (141) battled second-ranked Wesley Dawkins. Not 30 seconds into the match, Dawkins had Red on his back, with the latter doing everything in his power to avoid a pin. Red was able to navigate his way out of trouble, yielding near fall points in the process. From that point forward, Red scored two takedowns and four near fall points on his way to a 10-7 triumph. 
Peyton Robb (157) won his match against Jacob Wasser by injury default before fifth-ranked Isaiah White (165) made his season debut. The returning All-American faced Matt Malcom, the top-ranked Division II wrestler in his weight class, and earned a hard-fought 6-4 decision. Following White's match (at the conclusion of which UNK was deducted one team point for unsportsmanlike conduct), the Huskers got pins from Labriola (174), fourth-ranked Taylor Venz (184) and David Jensen (HWT) in addition to Eric Shultz's second technical fall victory of the night. When all was said and done, the Huskers walked away with a resounding 47-(minus-1) win. 

Scouting Minnesota:
• 2019-20 Record: 9-7    
Wins (9): CSU Bakersfield (28-9); South Dakota State (22-10); Old Dominion (25-10); Duke (53-0); Cornell (31-12); Wisconsin (20-14); Michigan State (25-10); Purdue (27-12); Indiana (38-9);    
Losses (7): Rider (17-21); Oklahoma State (12-21); Lehigh (10-29); Michigan (15-22); Ohio State (13-22); Penn State (31-10); Iowa (6-35) 
 
• With a victory over No. 3 Tony Cassioppi last Saturday night, heavyweight Gable Steveson has now won 13 straight bouts dating back to last season.
The victory, Steveson's highest-ranked one of the year, gives him victories over the wrestlers currently ranked 3, 5, 7, 8, 16, 17, 18, 21, and 23. 
Out of 11 bouts this season, Steveson has nine bonus point victories. That includes three pins, five major decisions, and one technical fall. 
 
• In his first season as a starter, Ryan Thomas has already made an impact at 157-pounds. Thomas sits at 15-8 with two ranked victories across the season with a 4-3 record in conference play. Those three losses, though, came against stiff Big Ten competition. Those wrestlers, Will Lewan, Kendall Coleman, and Kaleb Young, are all in the top-ten of the nation but Thomas hung within one-score of them. Last weekend against Iowa Thomas went into the second part of sudden victory before falling to Young by one point. 

• Shakopee native Owen Webster is rolling in his best season as a Gopher since transferring from nearby Augsburg. Webster, coming off of a victory in Iowa City, has 20 victories including 11 in duals and five against Big Ten competition.
 
Minnesota's Projected Starters 
125: #11 Pat McKee RFr.. • St. Michael, Minn. (17-6) -OR- Jake Gliva RFr. • Inner Grove Heights, Minn. (6-8)
133: Boo Dryden Jr. • Haysville, Kan. (4-3) 
141: #6 Mitch McKee Sr. • St. Michael, Minn.  (22-5) 
149: #7 Brayton Lee RFr. • Brownburg, Ind. (21-4) 
157: Ryan Thomas So. • Saint Paris, Ohio (15-8) 
165: Bailee O'Reilly RSo. • Goodhue, Minn. (20-8) 
174: #8 Devin Skatzka RSr. • Richmond, Minn. (24-8)   
184: #20 Owen Webster Sr. • Shakopee, Minn. (20-8)  
197: Garrett Joles RFr. • Boyceville, Wis. (9-11) -OR- Hunter Ritter RSr. • Perryville, Md. (23-8) 
285: #1 Gable Steveson So. • Apple Valley, Minn. (11-0) 
*Individual rankings according to InterMat