NU Hosts Purdue To Begin Conference Competition

No. 18 Purdue (6-1, 0-0 Big Ten) at No. 8 Nebraska (3-0, 0-0 Big Ten)
Friday, January 7 • 7:00 p.m. (CT)
Devaney Center
Lincoln, Neb.
 
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The No. 8 Nebraska wrestling team (3-0, 0-0 Big Ten) is set to welcome No. 18 Purdue to the Devaney Center on Friday for the opening conference dual for both teams. Action is slated to begin at 7 p.m. (CT), with a live stream available on B1G+ (subscription required) and a radio broadcast on Huskers Radio Network.

Competition will be fierce as six of ten bouts potentially feature matchups between ranked wrestlers. Six Huskers enter the weekend ranked in the Top 25, including returning All-Americans No. 3 Mikey Labriola (174), No. 4 Eric Schultz (197), No. 6 Peyton Robb (157), No. 8 Ridge Lovett (149), No. 9 Chad Red Jr. (141) and No. 10 Taylor Venz (184). The All-American group boasts a collective 12-1 dual meet record and has scored 58 dual meet points for the Big Red this season.

Nebraska and Purdue meet for the 12th time in series history on Friday. The Huskers lead the all-time series 11-1 and have won the last eight matchups. In the last meeting between the two teams, Nebraska earned a 31-9 victory as NU won seven of 10 bouts.

Prior to NU's dual, two Nebraska high schools will square off on the Devaney Center floor. Central City and David City Aquinas will grapple beginning at 5 p.m. with doors opening at 4 p.m.

Last Time Out: No. 8 Nebraska had eight grapplers place and earned 125 points to win the Cliff Keen Invitational team title in Las Vegas, Neb. (Dec. 3-4).

Up Next: The Huskers travel to No. 13 Minnesota (1-1, 0-0 Big Ten) for an 8 p.m. dual on Jan. 14. The meet will be televised by BTN.

No. 8 Nebraska's Projected Lineup*:
125: #23 Liam Cronin Sr. • Orange, Calif. (3-3) -OR- Jeremiah Reno Fr. • Kansas City, Mo. (3-5)
133: Alex Thomsen So. • Neola, Iowa (2-3)  
141: #9 Chad Red Jr. Sr. • Indianapolis, Ind. (6-2) -OR- Tucker Sjomeling Jr. • Delano, Minn. (2-2)
149: #8 Ridge Lovett So. • Post Falls, Idaho. (10-3) 
157: #6 Peyton Robb So. • Owatonna, Minn. (7-3)
165: Bubba Wilson RFr. • Manhattan, Kan. (7-6) 
174: #3 Mikey Labriola So. • Easton, Pa. (10-0) 
184: #10 Taylor Venz Sr. • Farmington, Minn. (10-2)  
197: #4 Eric Schultz Sr. • Tinley Park, Ill. (6-1) 
HWT: #11 Christian Lance Sr. • Nixa, Mo. (10-1)
*InterMat rankings used 
 
No. 18 Purdue's Projected Lineup*: 
125:  #5 Devin Schroder RSr. • Grand Rapids, Mich. (11-1) -OR- Nate Cummings RJr. • Downers Grove, Ill. (5-3)
133:  Matt Ramos RFr. • Lockport, Ill. (10-3)
141:  #25 Parker Filius RSr. • Havre, Mont. (14-5) -OR- Michael Leveille RSo. • Chicago, Ill. (3-7)
149:  Trey Kruse So. • Stillwater, Minn. (2-8)
157:  #10 Kendall Coleman RJr. • South Holland, Ill. (9-3) -OR- Cooper Noehre So. • Greenfield, Ind. (9-3)
165:  Hayden Lohrey RSo. • Middletown, Ind. (6-2) 
174:  #21 Gerrit Nijenhuis So. • Canonsburg, Pa. (11-8)  
184:  #23 Max Lyon RSr. • Dyersville, Iowa -OR- Macartney Parkinson So. • Evansville, Ind. (8-5)
197:  #15 Thomas Penola RJr. • Zionsville, Ind. (13-2)
HWT: Michael Woulfe RSr. • Oak Park, Ill. (11-6)
*InterMat rankings used 
 
Scouting the Boilermakers:

• Purdue opened this season with five straight dual wins before falling to #14 Iowa State 23-13.
• Purdue's season-opening win at Drexel marks eight straight seasons that the Boilermakers have won their first dual of the year under Coach Ersland.
• Last season, the Boilermakers went 4-5, defeating two ranked opponents in Rutgers and Michigan State, and tied for a 26th place finish at the NCAA Tournament.
• Purdue's top-ranked wrestler, #10 Kendall Coleman (157), recently earned a spot on Purdue's career win-percentage record list and has a career of 50-15.
• Coached by Tony Ersland (eighth season at Purdue); Record at PU: 63-51

Back Points
Quick Notes

• Head Coach Mark Manning owns an 11-9 record in conference-opening dual meets during his time at Nebraska, including a 5-4 mark since Nebraska joined the Big Ten ahead of the 2011-12 season.
• Nebraska won its fourth Cliff Keen Invitational team title in program history on Dec. 4.
• Labriola was named the Big Ten Wrestler of the Week on Dec. 8 after winning his 14th-straight victory and claiming the Cliff Keen individual title. This was Labriola's second Big Ten weekly honor of his career and first for the Huskers since Venz garnered the award on Jan. 29, 2019.
• Nebraska has outscored its dual opponents by a combined score of 103-21.
• Team leaders by category among starters:
  • Dual Record: Ridge Lovett/Taylor Venz (3-0)
  • Dual Points: Taylor Venz (16)
  • Dual Takedowns: Christian Lance (11)
  • Pins: Taylor Venz (4)
  • Technical Falls: Taylor Venz (3)
  • Major Decisions: Christian Lance (5)
  • Quickest Pin: Mikey Labriola (1:31) 

Manning Begins 22nd Season as Head Coach

• The Huskers have a familiar face at the helm this season. The 2021-22 campaign is Coach Manning's 22nd season leading the NU wrestling program. Manning is the all-time winningest coach in program history with a mark of 267-97-3. 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.

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.