Brad Vering Season 1996-97

Honors And Awards

2001

All-American (7th)

Big 12 Runner Up

NWCA All-Academic Honorable Mention

Academic All-Big 12 Second Team

 

2000

NCAA Champion

Big 12 Runner Up

NWCA All-Star Classic Participant

NWCA All-Academic First Team

Academic All-Big 12 Second Team

 

1999

All-American (4th)

Big 12 Runner Up

Outstanding Wrestler of the Congressional Cup (Feb. 7)

Midlands Tournament Champion

NWCA All-Academic First Team

Academic All-Big 12 Second Team

 

1998

Big 12 Champion

NWCA All-Academic Second Team

Academic All-Big 12 Second Team

 

NCAA Championships<?xml:namespace prefix="o" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"?>

2001-Looking to repeat as a national champion, Vering fell short, but did earn his third consecutive All-America honor with a seventh-place finish. Vering began his title defense on a strong note with an 11-4 decision over Deleware State's Leonard Bridgeforth. Vering added an 11-3 major decision against Ty Matthews of Indiana before suffering an 8-4 loss to seventh-seeded Pat Quirk of Illinois.

 

Vering rebounded with a tight 2-1 decision over third-seeded Zach Thompson of Iowa State, but unseeded David Shunamon of Edinboro upset him 4-3. Vering claimed a 14-8 decision against Michigan State's Nik Fekete to claim seventh place and finish his collegiate career with a win.

 

2000-Vering became Nebraska's seventh NCAA champion with a dramatic 2-1 win over Iowa State's Zach Thompson. Entering the championships with a No. 2 seed at 197 pounds, Vering began his run at the title with a 6-3 win over unseeded Mike Fickell of Pennsylvania. Vering cruised in the second round as well, defeating Dan Stine of Pittsburgh, 11-5.

 

In the quarterfinals, Vering survived the biggest scare of his tournament. Vering led seventh-seeded Nick Preston of Ohio State, 3-1, heading into the third period, but Preston cut the lead to one with an escape 10 seconds in after choosing down. Leading 3-2, Vering avoided all of Preston's shots, until Preston took down Vering with just 13 seconds remaining. Instead of trying to tie the match with an escape, Vering scrambled around Preston to earn the two-point reversal with only two seconds left, advancing to the semifinals with a 5-4 win.

 

In the semifinals, Vering controlled his match with Michigan State's third-seeded Nick Muzashvili, 5-2, to advance to the finals. Just seconds after Vering's win over Muzashvili, top-seeded Mark Munoz of Oklahoma State was upset by Thompson, 3-2. Munoz was the only wrestler to solve Vering in the the regular season.

 

In the title match, Vering and Thompson exchanged escapes in regulation, battling to a 1-1 tie. The match went to a two-minute, sudden-death overtime in which neither wrestler scored. With the national title hanging in the balance, it came down to a coin flip to see which wrestler would choose down in the 30-second finale. Vering won the toss and needed just one second to escape with the 2-1 victory and the 197-pound national title. Vering went a perfect 5-0 at the championships.

 

1999-Vering earned All-America status for the first time in his career with a fourth-place finish as the fifth seed. Vering put together three wins to begin the championships. He downed Wyoming's Steve Schenk, 11-5, before earning one-point victories over 12th-seeded Viktor Sveda of Indiana (5-4) and fourth-seeded John Van Doren of Lehigh (3-2).

 

In the semfinal match, Vering faced Big 12 foe Cael Sanderson of Iowa State. Sanderson got off to a strong start in the matchup, pinning Vering 58 seconds into the match before going on to an NCAA title. Vering bounced back with a second win over Indiana's Sveda, 7-5, to earn a shot at third place in the consolation final.

 

West Virginia's Vertus Jones defeated Vering, 14-2, as Vering finished fourth, one spot ahed of his seeded position. Vering ended the NCAA Championships with a 4-2 record.

 

1998-Seeded seventh entering the tournament after earning an automatic bid with a conference championship, Vering won a major decision over unseeded Steve Alf of Wisconsin, 11-3, in the first round to advance. In his second match, Vering lost a 5-2 decision to Rider's Leo Giel. Vering was edged by Oregon's Doug Lee, 9-8, in his final match of the year. Vering finished the championships with a 1-2 record.

 

Big 12 Championships

2001-Vering was seeded first coming into the Big 12 Championships, but ran into a common foe, Oklahoma State's Mark Munoz, in the finals. Vering topped Oklahoma's Waymon May, 4-2, in the semifinals to open the tournament. In the finals, Vering lost a 5-3 decision to Munoz to finish second for a third consecutive year.

 

2000-Vering entered the Big 12 Championships with the top national ranking at 197 pounds, but was only able to manage the No. 2 seed. Of the five 197-pounders in the Big 12, four were ranked in the top five in the nation. In the first round, Vering defeated third-seeded and fourth-ranked Zach Thompson, 2-1. Vering had defeated Thompson two weeks prior to the championships in Ames, 10-4.

 

Vering's opponent in the finals was Oklahoma State's top-seeded and second-ranked Mark Munoz. Munoz had defeated Vering in both of the previous matchups by a combined score of 9-7. In the finals, the two battled to a grueling 1-1 tie heading into the 30-second tiebreaker. Munoz won the coin toss and chose down, but was unable to escape the grasps of Vering until he reversed Vering's hold with two seconds remaining to come away with the 3-1 win to ensure the top seed at the NCAA Championships.

 

1999-Defending his Big 12 title, Vering entered the meet as the third seed behind Iowa State's Cael Sanderson and Oklahoma State's Mark Munoz. Vering beat Munoz in the first round, 5-4, and faced Sanderson in the final. Vering trailed Sanderson, 6-5, early in the third period, but Sanderson added a takedown and had the advantage in riding time to make the final, 9-5. Vering finished second with a 1-1 record.

 

1998-One of the favorites for a conference title entering the meet, the second-seeded Vering did not disappoint. After defeating third-seeded Jason Street of Oklahoma, 1-1, in a tiebreaker, Vering upset top-seeded Mark Munoz of Oklahoma State, 4-2, to claim his first career Big 12 title.

 

Career Notes

2001-Named the team most dedicated wrestler, Vering proved his national championships in 2000 was no fluke. Vering's 27-5 overall record was only good enough for third on the team, but he proved his worth when it counted. He tied for the team lead with an impressive 16-1 dual mark and led the Huskers with 70 dual points accumulated during the season. Vering's seven technical falls were also first on the NU squad. Vering's senior season propelled him to fourth on Nebraska's career victories list, as he finished with a 124-26-0 mark.

 

2000-After wrestling at 184 pounds in 1999, Vering made a smooth transition to the 197-pound ranks. Vering compiled a 38-3 record on his way to Nebraska's seventh national title. Vering began the year winning his first 11 matches before meeting then-third-ranked Mark Munoz of Oklahoma State in the finals of the Reno Challenge. Vering led the match 2-1 with 10 seconds remaining, but Munoz earned a two-point takedown to win the match, 3-2. After that match, Vering put together 15 consecutive wins including the Midlands Tournament title on Dec. 30, becoming the first Husker to win a Midlands title in 16 years. In a rematch with Munoz on Feb. 6, the OSU star outlasted Vering for a 6-5 victory.

 

Vering was one of two Huskers to be named Big 12 Wrestler of the Week in 2000 (Jan. 4). On Feb. 7, Vering, who was a late addition to the NWCA All-Star Classic roster after Munoz pulled out due to a minor knee injury, stunned the 5,100 fans cheering on Michigan State's own top-ranked Nick Muzashvili with a 17-4 major decision victory. After earning the top spot in the national rankings, Vering again was edged by Munoz, this time in the finals of the Big 12 Championships. Munoz scored a two-point reversal with two seconds remaining in the second overtime to take the 3-1 victory.

 

At the NCAA Championships, Vering went 5-0 and defeated Iowa State's Zach Thompson, 2-1, in the finals to give NU its first national champion since Tolly Thompson in 1995. Vering's only three losses came at the hands of Munoz, who was knocked out in the semifinals by Thompson. Vering was the team leader in dual points (82), pins (11) and technical falls (4).

 

1999-Vering earned All-America status with a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Championships, finished runner-up at the Big 12 Championships, recorded the third-most wins on the team (26-9, 15-4) and was ranked as high as fifth by InterMat and Amateur Wrestling News during the season. Vering, who was one of three Huskers to earn Big 12 Wrestler-of-the-Week honors, finished the season on a hot streak, winning 14 of his last 18 matches. He led the team in technical falls with two and tied for third on the team in total falls with four (two pins, two technical falls).

 

Vering's nine losses were to ranked wrestlers (seven who ranked among the nation's top six) and included two tiebreakers. Seventeen of Vering's matches (won or lost) were decided by two points or less and three required at least one overtime period to be decided. Vering finished the season with a 9-8 record against ranked opponents.

 

1998-Vering, who was named the nation's freshman of the year at 177 pounds by Amateur Wrestling News, was one of two Big 12 champions for the Huskers and finished the season ranked eighth by AWN. Vering defeated Mark Munoz of Oklahoma State, 4-2, for the conference title. Vering won 15 of his last 16 matches heading into the NCAA Championships and entered the tournament as the No. 7 seed. At the NCAA Championships, Vering went 1-2, including an 11-3 victory over Steve Alf of Wisconsin in the first round.

 

Vering compiled a 33-9 record, including a 14-2 mark in duals, five pins, two technical falls and 10 major decisions. Vering led the Huskers in almost every category, including wins, dual points, dual takedowns, major decisions and owned the team's quickest pin (31 seconds). Vering joined Corey Olson (35 in 1989-90), Tolly Thompson (38 in 1993-94), Brad Canoyer (32 in 1994-95) and J.R. Plienis (31 in 1997-98) as the only Husker freshman in history to record 30 or more victories in a season. Vering and Plienis became the first frosh Husker duo in history to each win 30 matches in the same season.

 

In addition, Vering won his first tournament title and outstanding wrestler award as a Husker at the Congressional Cup on Feb. 7. He added second-place finishes at the Great Plains Open, the Navy Classic and the Cowboy Open, along with a fourth-place showing at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Championships.

 

1997-A contender for the Husker lineup as a true freshman, Vering redshirted after suffering a severe ankle injury early in the season. He came back from the injury to post a perfect 11-0 record in open tournaments. He recorded one technical fall and one major decision. He finished first in the Cornhusker Challenge Division of the Great Plains Invitational and added a first-place finish in the Glen Brand Open. Vering also won a championship at the Iowa Central Open.

 

Other-Vering competed at the Espoir Junior World Greco-Roman Championships in Helsinki, Finland, in August 1997. Vering qualified for the Espoir World Championships by winning his weight division at the Espoir Greco-Roman National Championships in West Lafayette, Ind., in May 1997. Vering overpowered his opponents throughout the tournament and claimed outstanding wrestler honors. He also won the freestyle division of the Espoir National Championships.

 

High School-Vering was one of the best high school wrestlers the state of Nebraska has ever produced. He won Junior National Greco-Roman titles in 1995 and 1996, and was named the tournament's outstanding wrestler in 1996. Vering also won the 1996 Junior National freestyle championship and finished third in 1995. He was an eight-time Junior Regional champion, a four-time Junior Regional runner-up and a two-time Cadet All-American.

 

Vering finished his career at Howells High School with three state titles and an 148-2 record for Coach Lee Schroeder. Vering was also an all-state football player, earning four football letters. He was a standout in the classroom as well, earning academic all-state honors.

 

Personal-The son of Reynold and Rose Vering, Brad has three sisters, Rhonda, Lori and Kristy, and one brother, Russ. Russ also wrestled for Nebraska, lettering for the Huskers in 1994. Brad was a diversified agricultural studies major at Nebraska.

 

Career Totals

Year Overall Dual Pins TF MD96-97* 11-0 0-0 0 1 197-98 33-9 14-2 5 2 1098-99 26-9 15-4 2 2 399-00 38-3 17-1 11 4 800-01 27-5 16-1 3 7 4Career 124-26 62-8 21 15 25

*-Redshirt season does not count in career totals.