NU Faces No. 15 North Carolina on BTN

No. 15 North Carolina (2-1, 0-0 ACC) at No. 9 Nebraska (2-0, 0-0 Big Ten)
Wednesday, November 17 • 8:00 p.m. (CT)
Devaney Center
Lincoln, Neb.
 
» Honor/Remembrance of Christian Miller
» Pepsi Pack the House: $1 tickets and $1 Pepsi products
» TV: BTN
» Radio: KRNU
» Live Stats: huskers.com
» Twitter Updates: @HuskerWrestling

The No. 9 Nebraska wrestling team looks to continue its early-season success this week when No. 15 North Carolina visits the Devaney Center on Wednesday. The dual, which will be live on BTN, marks the 15th time the teams have squared off against one another on the mat. This series dates back to the 1988-89 season, where the Huskers dropped the first matchup, but won the next 12.

November 5th marked the one-year anniversary of Christian Miller's passing. On Wednesday night, he will be honored with a moment of silence and a tribute video.

The matchup with the Tar Heels will feature Pepsi Pack the House Night. Fans will receive $1 admission and $1 Pepsi products.

Last Time Out: Fourteen Huskers traveled to Pleasant Hill, Iowa, last weekend to compete in the Grand View Open. NU had seven top-five finishers, including two individual champions in Boo Dryden (133) and Nathan Haas (184).

Up Next: This weekend, NU heads to Brookings, S.D. for the Daktronics Open.

No. 9 Nebraska's Projected Lineup*:
125: #17 Liam Cronin Sr. • Orange, Calif. (0-0) -OR- Jeremiah Reno Fr. • Kansas City, Mo. (1-1)
133: #30 Alex Thomsen So. • Neola, Iowa (1-0)  
141: #5 Chad Red Jr. Sr. • Indianapolis, Ind. (1-0) 
149: #14 Ridge Lovett So. • Post Falls, Idaho. (2-0) -OR- Jevon Parrish So. • Olathe, Kan. (1-0)
157: #16 Peyton Robb So. • Owatonna, Minn. (1-0)
165: Bubba Wilson RFr. • Manhattan, Kan. (1-1) 
174: Tahjae Jenkins-Harris Fr. • Las Vegas, Nev. -OR- #3 Mikey Labriola So. • Easton, Pa. (0-0) 
184: #10 Taylor Venz Sr. • Farmington, Minn. (2-0)  
197: #12 Eric Schultz Sr. • Tinley Park, Ill. (1-0) 
HWT: #13 Christian Lance Sr. • Nixa, Mo. (1-0)
*InterMat rankings used 
   
No. 15 North Carolina's Projected Lineup*: 
125:  Spencer Moore Fr. • Crittenden, Ky.  
133:  No. 10 Jaime Hernandez RSr. • Aurora, Ill.
141:  No. 13 Kizhan Clarke Gr. • Tampa, Fla.
149:  No. 6 Zach Sherman RSr. • Islamorada, Fla.  
157:  No. 2 Austin O'Connor RSr. • Lockport, Ill.
165:  Sonny Santiago RFr. • Downey, Calif. 
174:  No. 22 Gavin Kane RFr. • Milton, Ga. -OR- No. 22 Clay Lautt Gr. • Olathe, Kan.**
184:  Mark Chaid RJr. • San Jose, Calif. -OR- Hunter Queen RSr. • Cary, N.C.
197:  No. 27 Max Shaw RSo. • Pittsburgh, Pa.
HWT: Brandon Whitman Sr. • Dundee, Mich.
*InterMat rankings used 
**Denotes ranking at 184

Scouting the Tar Heels: 

• North Carolina opened up its 2021-22 dual season on Nov. 1, claiming a 29-6 victory over Life University in Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels won the first eight bouts and nine of 10 overall. Most recently, they lost to No. 10 Ohio State, 23-12, in Columbus.
• The Tar Heels are looking to build on their 2020-21 season, where they went 5-2, defeating two ranked opponents in Virginia and Pittsburgh, and placed 16th at the NCAA Tournament. They were ranked No. 14 in the final NWCA poll of the season.
• North Carolina's Austin O'Connor, the 2021 ACC Wrestler of the Year, won the ACC tournament title at 149 pounds for the second year in a row and led the team to a third-place finish at the 2021 ACC Wrestling Championship. At the NCAA tournament, O'Connor became UNC's sixth national champion as he took the title at 149.
• Coached by Coleman Scott (seventh season at North Carolina); Record at UNC: 61-34

Nebraska to Face Difficult Dual Schedule

• NU's 2021-22 slate features eight of the top-25 team finishers from last year's NCAA Championships, including three teams that finished inside the top five. The home schedule is highlighted by the Big Ten dual against 2021 national title winner and border-rival Iowa (Feb. 20). The Huskers will also play host to fifth-place finisher Michigan on Feb. 4.
• Nebraska faces a challenging road schedule with notable trips to Minnesota (Jan. 14), Northwestern (Jan. 23) and Penn State (Feb. 6). The Gophers are coming off a seventh-place finish at the 2021 NCAA Championships while the Wildcats placed 10th. The Nittany Lions were runner-up to the Hawkeyes.
• As for tournament action, NU opened the season with two wins at the Nebraska Duals on Nov. 11. The Big Red will also compete in the Daktronics Open on Sunday, Nov. 21, in Brookings, S.D. The Huskers will host their first-ever Big Ten Championships on March 5-6 in Lincoln, Neb., where the Huskers looks to improve on a third-place finish in 2021. The NCAA Championships are set for March 17-19 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Mich.

Manning Begins 22nd Season as Head Coach

• The Huskers will have a familiar face at the helm this season. The 2021-22 campaign will be Mark Manning's 22nd season leading the NU wrestling program. Manning is the all-time winningest coach in program history with a mark of 264-97-3. During his decorated coaching career, Manning has coached 61 of Nebraska's 116 All-Americans and five of Nebraska's 11 national champions. The Huskers have nine top-10 NCAA finishes overall during his tenure. Manning has also been instrumental in helping former Huskers Jordan Burroughs and James Green enjoy international success, as Burroughs won the Olympic Gold in 2012 and World Championship Gold five times, while Green earned World Championship Silver in 2017.

Veteran Group Returns to Lead NU

• The Huskers qualified nine roster spots for the 2021 NCAA Championships and all nine were in the top 30 of their weight class and eight will return for this year's campaign. At 174, Labriola returns after finishing third at the 2021 NCAA Championships, while Red Jr. (141) placed sixth after coming in as the No. 8 seed. Four-time NCAA qualifier and All-American Venz (184) returns after finishing second at the Big Ten Championships and tallying a 9-5 season record along with fellow senior All-American Schultz (197), who finished second at the Big Ten Championships and has 86 career wins. Rounding out the group of participating seniors at the NCAA Championships is Cronin (125) and Lance (285), who are looking to build upon their previous success.

Dual Experience an Asset for NU

• Nebraska returns 17 wrestlers with dual experience, including All-Americans Labriola, Lovett, Red Jr., Robb, Schultz and Venz. Cronin and Lance also return as two starters with significant dual experience and combined for a 12-4 record last season.
• Tucker Sjomeling (133), Thomsen (133), Brock Hardy (149), Parrish (149), Kevon Davenport (157), Nathan Haas (184), Colton Wolfe (184), Silas Allred (197) and Landon Brown (285) all return this season with dual experience. As a team, NU won seven of its eight duals overall.

Nebraska To Host Big Tens

• The Big Ten Championships will take place at the Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Neb., March 5-6. It will be the first time the Huskers host the Big Ten Championships since joining the conference in 2011-12. Seeding for the tournament is determined by pre-seeds and finalized at the coaches' meeting ahead of the tournament. A double-elimination tournament will be held at each weight, with the top team finisher being determined by tournament scoring. The first rounds, quarterfinals and consolation rounds will be held in Session I on March 5, while the quarterfinals, consolation second rounds and semifinals will be held in Session II on that same day. Session III will consist of the consolation semifinals and seventh-place matches on March 6, with the finals, third-place and fifth-place matches being contested in Session IV. The 2022 NCAA Championships will be held in Detroit, Mich. on March 17-19.

NU Welcomes Highly Touted Newcomers

• Eight wrestlers will don the Scarlet and Cream for the first time this season, including one transfer and seven freshmen.
• Redshirt junior Boo Dryden competed at Minnesota before transferring to NU, compiling 13 career victories and placing eighth at the 2021 Big Ten Championships and qualifying for the NCAA Championships.
• Nebraska natives Quinton Chavez, a two-time state champion, Blake Cushing, a state and district champion, and Joshua Licking, a state runner-up with a 31-1 record his senior year, look to make immediate impacts for the Huskers. After compiling a 141-26 high school record and capturing a Pennsylvania state title, Jagger Condomitti joins the Huskers for the 2021-22 campaign. Fellow Pennsylvania native Lenny Pinto also was a state champion and totaled a school record of 44 wins in the 2020 season. Jenkins-Harris and Adam Thebeau add to the impressive group of newcomers with Jenkins-Harris earning an undefeated season his senior year and Thebeau being named an all-state wrestler.