NU Hosts Iowa For Regular Season FinaleNU Hosts Iowa For Regular Season Finale
Jordyn Senstock/Nebraska Communications
Wrestling

NU Hosts Iowa For Regular Season Finale

No. 2 Iowa (13-1, 6-1 Big Ten) at No. 10 Nebraska (6-4, 3-4 Big Ten)
Sunday, February 20 • 6:00 p.m. (CT)
Devaney Center
Lincoln, Neb.
 
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The No. 10 Nebraska wrestling team will take on the No. 2 Iowa Hawkeyes on Sunday at the Devaney Center. The dual begins at 6 p.m. and will be televised nationally on BTN. A celebration honoring the Huskers' 10 seniors, Landon Brown, Anthony Gaona, Jordan Kelber, Christian Lance, Jevon Parrish, Chad Red Jr., Eric Schultz, Tucker Sjomeling, Taylor Venz and Colton Wolfe, will take place at the conclusion of competition.
 
Iowa (13-1, 6-1 Big Ten) enters Sunday's dual with a recent win over Oklahoma State at the Bout at the Park in Texas. The Hawkeyes were victorious in seven of 10 bouts, recording bonus point victories in two matches. Iowa's lineup features seven wrestlers ranked inside the Top 10 of their weight class: No. 3 Austin DeSanto (133), No. 2 Jaydin Eierman (141), No. 10 Max Murin (149), No. 5 Alex Marinelli (165), No. 2 Michael Kemerer (174), No. 4 Jacob Warner (197) and No. 4 Tony Cassioppi (HWT).
 
Competition will be fierce as four of ten bouts potentially feature Top 10 matchups. Eight Huskers (6-4, 3-4 Big Ten) enter the weekend ranked in the Top 25, including returning All-Americans No. 3 Eric Schultz (197), No. 6 Mikey Labriola (174), No. 7 Ridge Lovett (149), No. 20 Taylor Venz (184), No. 10 Chad Red Jr. (141) and No. 10 Peyton Robb (141). The All-American group boasts a collective 40-12 dual meet record and has scored 151 dual meet points for the Big Red this season.

History: Nebraska and Iowa meet for the 33rd time in series history on Sunday dating back to 1928. The Hawkeyes lead the all-time series 24-7-1 and have won the last 12 meetings between the teams. In last year's dual, Iowa earned a 31-6 victory as the Hawkeyes won eight of 10 bouts.
 
Last Time Out: The Huskers return to action after defeating Illinois at home on February 13. Nebraska won 23-11, claiming victories in seven matches and tallying two bonus point wins.

Up Next: Nebraska will begin post-season competition as it hosts the Big Ten Championships at Pinnacle Bank Arena, March 5-6.

No. 10 Nebraska's Projected Lineup*:
125: Jeremiah Reno Fr. • Kansas City, Mo. (4-11)
133: Dominick Serrano Fr. • Windsor, Colo. (12-9) -OR- Alex Thomsen So. • Neola, Iowa (3-6) 
141: #10 Chad Red Jr. Sr. • Indianapolis, Ind. (11-3)
149: #7 Ridge Lovett So. • Post Falls, Idaho. (16-2) 
157: #10 Peyton Robb So. • Owatonna, Minn. (10-5)
165: #30 Bubba Wilson RFr. • Manhattan, Kan. (10-9) -OR- Tahjae Jenkins-Harris Fr. • North Las Vegas, Nev. (5-6) 
174: #6 Mikey Labriola Jr. • Easton, Pa. (15-2) 
184: #20 Taylor Venz Sr. • Farmington, Minn. (12-6)  
197: #3 Eric Schultz Sr. • Tinley Park, Ill. (13-1) 
HWT: #12 Christian Lance Sr. • Nixa, Mo. (13-5)
*InterMat rankings used 
 
No. 2 Iowa's Projected Lineup*: 
125: #12 Drake Ayala Fr. • Fort Dodge, Iowa. (13-4) -OR- Jesse Ybarra So. • Tucson, Ariz. (5-5)
133: #3 Austin DeSanto Sr. • Exeter, Penn. (13-2)
141: #2 Jaydin Eierman Sr. • Columbia, Mo. (14-1) 
149: #10 Max Murin Sr. • Ebensburg, Penn. (8-2) -OR- Vince Turk Sr. • Hampshire, Ill. (5-2)
157: #12 Kaleb Young Sr. • Punxsutawney, Penn. (13-5)
165: #5 Alex Marinelli Sr. • Miamisburg, Ohio (17-1)
174: #2 Michael Kemerer Sr. • Murraysville, Penn. (7-1) 
184: #16 Abe Assad So. • Carol Stream, Ill. (10-5)
197: #4 Jacob Warner Sr. • Tolono, Ill. (13-2)
HWT: #4 Tony Cassioppi Jr. • Roscoe, Ill. (12-2)
*InterMat rankings used
 
Scouting the Hawkeyes:

  • Iowa is 11-1 against ranked opponents this season and are 3-1 against Top 10 teams with its only lose coming against No. 1 Penn State.
  • Last season, the Hawkeyes claimed their 24th NCAA title and first since 2010 and their 37th Big Ten championship title.
  • Coached by Tom Brands (16th season at Iowa); Record at Iowa: 249-24-1

Top Matchups to Watch:

  • 141: #10 Chad Red Jr. (NEB) vs. #2 Jaydin Eierman (IOWA)
  • 149: #7 Ridge Lovett (NEB) vs. #10 Max Murin (IOWA); Last season Lovett defeated Murin 11-6 in the first round of the Big Ten Championships, but Murin was victorious at the NCAA Championships, 5-2.
  • 174: #6 Mikey Labriola (NEB) vs. #2 Michael Kemerer (IOWA)
  • 197: #3 Eric Schultz (NEB) vs. #4 Jacob Warner (IOWA); Schultz has won the last two meetings between the wrestlers.

Back Points
Quick Notes

  • Nebraska won its fourth Cliff Keen Invitational team title in program history on December 4.
  • Labriola was named the Big Ten Wrestler of the Week on Dec. 8 after winning his 14th-straight match 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 225-134.
  • NU has won 61/100 (61%) individual dual meet matches this season. 
  • With this season's win over North Carolina on Nov. 17, Coach Manning picked up his 290th career victory.
  • Team leaders by category among starters:

Huskers to Honor Ten Seniors Against Iowa

  • Ten Husker seniors will be honored in an on-mat ceremony at the Devaney Center on Sunday after the dual against Iowa. Landon Brown, Anthony Gaona, Jordan Kelber, Christian Lance, Jevon Parrish, Chad Red Jr., Eric Schultz, Tucker Sjomeling, Taylor Venz and Colton Wolfe will walk.

First RPI Rankings for NCAA Seeding Released

  • The first RPI rankings have been released and four Huskers are ranked in the Top 35. The RPI is a factor for seeding at the NCAA Championships.
  • Wilson (165) comes in at No. 26, Labriola (174) at No. 6, Venz (184) at No. 10 and Lance (HWT) at No. 5.

Eight Huskers Rated in Second NCAA Coaches' Panel Rankings

  • The NCAA released the second coaches' panel rankings for the 2021-22 wrestling season on February 11. The final rankings will be one of the criteria used as part of the selection process to determine qualifiers and seeding for the 2022 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships on March 17-19 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.
  • 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).
     

Schultz Shines for Huskers

  • Eric Schultz (9-0) is undefeated in dual meet competition this season.
  • Senior Schultz (197) is tied for the team-high with 33 dual points and leads the team with 26 dual takedowns. The Tinley Park, Ill., native has also recorded two pins, one technical fall and one major decision.

Huskers Getting Close to the 100-win Milestone

  • Mikey Labriola, a senior from Easton, Pa., is now 97-33 in his collegiate career, while Schultz is also bearing down on the milestone with a 96-39 career record.
  • Senior Chad Red Jr. owns a 94-41 record and a career dual record of 39-19.
  • Rounding out the group is Taylor Venz with a record of 94-37 and Christian Lance with a 95-35 career record.

Manning In 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 267-99-3. 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.