Huskers Head to Hoosier State for Pair of B1G Meets

The fourth-ranked Nebraska wrestling team will hit the road for the first time in three weeks as they visit Purdue on Friday and Indiana on Sunday. The battle with the Boilermakers is slated for 6 p.m. on Feb. 7 while the Huskers and Hoosiers will wrestle beginning at Noon on Feb. 9. Both duals will be streamed online via BTN + (subscription required). 

No. 14 Purdue (11-4, 4-3 Big Ten) is coming off losses to ranked conference foes No. 13 Minnesota (Jan. 31) and No. 9 Wisconsin (Feb. 2). The Boilermakers' lineup features four wrestlers ranked inside the Top 10 of their weight class, led by No. 4 Dylan Lydy, a two-time NCAA qualifier at 174 pounds. 

Indiana (1-8, 1-7 Big Ten) is also coming off back-to-back losses to the Badgers (Jan. 31) and the Gophers (Feb. 2). The Hoosiers are led by No. 14 Graham Rooks (149), who owns four wins over Top 15-rated opponents on the season.

The Huskers (7-3, 2-3 Big Ten) return to action following their first victory over a top three-rated opponent since 2008. NU used a last-second, match-clinching pin from a hobbled No. 4 Isaiah White (165) to defeat third-rated Ohio State 19-14 on Feb. 2. The Big Red won six of ten bouts overall, including last-second victories from No. 6 Mikey Labriola (174) and No. 13 Ridge Lovett (133). Alex Thomsen (125) won his third straight bout following a four-match dual meet losing streak and No. 18 Peyton Robb (157) scored a takedown and four near-fall points in the first period against Ohio State's Quinn Kinner en route to victory.    

Last Time Out: No. 6 Nebraska won six of ten bouts, including a pin by Isaiah White in the meet's final match, to score a 19-14 upset victory over No. 3 Ohio State on Feb. 2 

Up Next: The Huskers will host their final home dual of the season when No. 22 Michigan (6-3, 5-1 Big Ten) comes to Lincoln on Friday, Feb. 14. The meet will begin at 8 p.m. and be televised by BTN, with Senior Night festivities taking place prior to the start of the dual. 

Nebraska Projected Starters*
125: Alex Thomsen RFr. • Neola, Iowa (9-9)  
133: #14 Ridge Lovett Fr. • Post Falls, Idaho (10-6) -OR- Zak Hensley RSr. • Olathe, Kan. (4-2)  
141: #8 Chad Red Jr. Jr. • Indianapolis, Ind. (12-6) 
149: #16 Collin Purinton Sr. • Banks, Ore. (12-6) -OR- Caleb Licking Jr. • Norfolk, Neb. (16-5)
157: #18 Peyton Robb RFr. • Owatonna, Minn. (14-4)
165: #5 Isaiah White Sr. • Chicago, Ill. (13-3) -OR- Jake Silverstein RFr. • Smithtown, N.Y. (8-7) 
174: #6 Mikey Labriola So. • Easton, Pa. (15-5) 
184: #11 Taylor Venz Jr. • Farmington, Minn. (12-7)  
197: #5 Eric Schultz Jr. • Tinley Park, Ill. (17-3) -OR- Cade Svoboda Jr. • Ord, Neb. (5-5)  
285: #16 Christian Lance Sr. • Nixa, Mo. (9-6) -OR- David Jensen Sr. • Mobridge, S.D. (12-3)
*Individual rankings according to InterMat 

Quick Notes 
• Nebraska has outscored its nine dual opponents by a combined score of 253-128
• NU has won 64 of 100 (64%) 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 (9-1)
Dual Points: Eric Schultz (37 pts) 
Dual Takedowns: Eric Schultz (55) 
Pins: Taylor Venz (5) 
Technical Falls: Eric Schultz (5) 
Major Decisions: Mikey Labriola (5) 
Quickest Pin: Mikey Labriola (0:13)   

Nine Huskers Rated in Initial NCAA Coaches Panel Rankings
The NCAA released the first of four coaches' panel rankings for the 2019-20 wrestling season on Jan. 24. 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 13th
141: Chad Red Jr. 9th
149: Collin Purinton 14th
157: Peyton Robb 17th
165: Isaiah White 5th
174: Mikey Labriola 6th
184: Taylor Venz 6th
197: Eric Schultz 8th
HWT: Christian Lance 16th

Robb, Schultz Shine for Huskers
Peyton Robb (7-2) and Eric Schultz (9-1) have dominated dual meet competition this season.
Robb (157), a redshirt freshman from Owatonna, Minn., has scored 33 dual points for the Huskers and has recorded three pins and three technical fall victories, both of which rank second among NU's starters. 
Schultz (197), a junior, leads the team with five technical fall victories and has amassed 55 dual takedowns while yielding only five. The Tinley Park, Ill., native has also scored a team-high 37 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.    

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 a 6-3 mark in dual meets this season. Isaiah White (165) is 13-3 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 31 dual points over the course of the season. Lastly, Taylor Venz (184) has registered the most pins among the starters and scored an upset victory over Penn State's No. 6 Aaron Brooks on Jan. 24.  

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.
#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. #5 Taylor Venz (184) picked up right where Labriola left off, picking up a 9-0 major decision over Colt Doyle. #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. #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 #10 Ridge Lovett (133), 6-2. Returning All-American #6 Chad Red Jr. (141) earned a 6-2 decision of his own, topping Beaver grappler Grant Willits. #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. #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 #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-#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-#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-#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-#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. #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-#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-#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 #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. #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 #6 Chad Red Jr. (141), #3 Mikey Labriola (174) and #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.

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.

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.

SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
Scouting Purdue:
• 2019-20 Record: 11-4   
Wins (11): Buffalo (32-8); Utah Valley (30-12); North Dakota State (22-12); Indianapolis (45-0); Clarion (34-6); Northern Illinois (31-8); SIUE (35-9); #13 Northwestern (21-13); Indiana (23-9); Maryland (37-4); Rutgers (20-18)       
Losses (4): Arizona State (19-22); Iowa (0-41); #14 Minnesota (12-27); #9 Wisconsin (14-27)        

• Tony Ersland was named the Midseason Coach of the Year by FloWrestling, and was tabbed as one of the top midseason coaching performances by InterMat.
• The Boilermakers have won 97 of a possible 150 matches in dual competition this season.
• Purdue wrestlers have been to overtime 27 times in 2019-20, winning 19 times, including a 6-0 mark from Lydy and 4-1 records from Coleman and Penola.
• The Boilermakers are 25-19 overall in ranked matchups, and 83-9 when a ranked Purdue wrestler faces an unranked opponent.
• Penola and Lydy are tied for the best dual record in conference action at 6-2.
• Schroder leads the Boilermakers with 13 bonus-point victories on the season, including a team-best seven technical falls, and five bonus-point wins over ranked opponents.
• Lydy has a team-best 10 major decisions, including one over No. 8 Devin Skatzka of Minnesota on Jan. 31
• At 26-1 overall, Lydy is off to the best start by a Boilermaker in 17 seasons.
• Lydy's 106 wins are tied for 12th in program history, 1-of-17 wrestlers in program history with at least 100 wins
• The Boilermakers will be without 165-pound freshman Emil Soehnlen for the rest of the year after suffering a leg injury in December which required season-ending surgery.
 
Purdue's Projected Starters*
125: #6 Devin Schroder RJr. • Grand Rapids, Mich. (22-4) -OR- Nate Cummings RFr. • Downers Grove, Ill. (4-8)  
133: Travis Ford-Melton Fr. • Monee, Ill. (13-10)  
141: Parker Filius RSo. • Havre, Mont. (15-7) 
149: Nate Limmex RSr. • Grand Rapids, Mich. (10-6) -OR- #18 Griffin Parriott RJr. • New Prague, Minn. (13-7) 
157: #7 Kendall Coleman RFr. • South Holland, Ill. (26-6)       
165: Tanner Webster RSo. • Crawfordsville, Ind. (3-10)  
174: #4 Dylan Lydy RSr. • Indianapolis, Ind. (26-1)   
184: Max Lyon Jr. • Dyersville, Iowa (15-11)   
197: #9 Christian Brunner Sr. • East Dundee, Ill. (22-5) -OR- Jared Florell RSo. • Ham Lake, Minn. (3-4)    
285: David Eli RSo. • Elkhart, Ind. (7-9) -OR- Thomas Penola RFr. • Zionsville, Ind. (18-11)  
*Individual rankings according to InterMat  

Scouting Indiana:
•   2019-20 Record: 1-8   
    Wins (1): Maryland (19-16)   
    Losses (8): North Dakota State (12-26); #1 Iowa (0-41); #18 Illinois (3-32); #15 Northwestern (15-21); #14 Purdue (9-23); Rutgers (7-29); #4 Wisconsin (12-27); #5 Minnesota (9-38)
 
• Liam Cronin (125) has won five consecutive Big Ten bouts, including two wins over ranked opponents: No. 5 Devin Schroder of Purdue (3-1 decision) on Jan. 20 and No. 15 Nico Aguilar of Rutgers (4-2 decision) on Jan. 24.  
• Graham Rooks (149) has won five of his past seven matches, highlighted by a 9-3 decision over No. 6 Griffin Pariott of Purdue on Jan. 20. Rooks owns four victories against Top 15-rated opponents on the season.   
• Cronin, Rooks and Eddie Bolivar (141) have combined to win 11 of their last 15 matches, with five of those victories coming against ranked competition.

Indiana's Projected Starters*
125: Liam Cronin RJr. • Orange, Calif. (11-11)
133: Cayden Rooks Fr. • Columbus, Ind. (19-10) -OR- Jonathan Moran So. • Portage, Ind. (5-13)
141: Eddie Bolivar Fr. • Oak Park, Ill. (6-10)
149: #14 Graham Rooks RFr. • Columbus, Ind. (11-6)
157: Fernie Silva Sr. • Rockton, Ill. (8-16) -OR- Joey Sanchez So. • Saint Paris, Ohio (14-10)
165: Dillon Hoey Jr. • Chicago, Ill. (4-10) -OR- Davey Tunon RJr. • Clarksville, Ohio (6-14)
174: Jacob Covaciu RJr. • Marrillville, Ind. (14-9) -OR- Diego Lemley So. • Chesterton, Ind. (0-3) 
184: Jacob Hinz RSr. • Westerville, Ohio (6-17)
197: Nick Willham Fr. • Greenwood, Ind. (15-16) 
285: Rudy Streck So. • Merrillville, Ind. (3-15) -OR- Jake Kliemola RJr. • Schererville, Ind. (10-12)
*Individual rankings according to InterMat