Big 12 Championships on Tap For NU Grapplers - Huskers.com - Nebraska Athletics Official Web Site

The Nebraska wrestling team will travel to Columbia, Mo., this weekend for the 2003 Big 12 Championships. Action gets underway at the Hearnes Center on Saturday, March 8, at 11 a.m. with first round matches. The semifinals begin at noon to close out the first session. Consolation and third-place matches start at 6 p.m., with the finals scheduled for 7 p.m.

NU finished the regular season with a 16-7 record and is ranked in the top-20 of all three wrestling polls. NU will bring seven ranked wrestlers to the conference tournament.

Headlining the Nebraska lineup is second-ranked Justin Ruiz, who brings a 10-1 record into the championships and will be looking for the first conference championship of his career. Despite missing two months with a hamstring injury, Ruiz went 4-0 in Big 12 action.

Junior Jason Powell enters the championships with a 27-4 record and has been victorious in 12 of his last 13 matches. The 2001 Big 12 Champion will be looking to become the tenth Husker in school history to win two or more conference championships.

At 149 pounds, Sophomore Travis Shufelt is looking for his second straight trip to the NCAA Championships. Shufelt enters the Big 12 Championships with a 26-10 record including 2-2 in the Big 12 conference.

At 165 pounds, redshirt freshman Jacob Klein is ranked ninth nationally and enters with a 20-9 overall record and a 2-2 mark against Big 12 foes. Klein has won seven of his last nine matches and the coaching staff feels that he is peaking at the right time.

Also eyeing a possible berth in the NCAA Championships are juniors Joey Malia (133) and Dusty Spaulding along with sophomores Travis Pascoe (174) and Mitch Manstedt (HWT).

In addition to the top-three finishers in each weight class, six wild cards will be selected by the Big 12 coaches to travel to nationals.

Last Time Out (No. 24 Hofstra/ Air Force)
The 11th-ranked Nebraska wrestling team improved to 16-7 on the season with wins over 24th-ranked Hofstra and Air Force at the Bob Devaney Sports Center on Feb. 22. NU defeated No. 24 Hofstra, 21-18 and took down Air Force, 35-10.

With the two wins, NU finished the regular season with 16 wins. The 16 wins are the most wins since NU recorded 17 in 1998-99 and marks only the 11th time in school history the Huskers have recorded 15 or more wins.

The Huskers were led on the day by strong performances from sixth-ranked junior Jason Powell, sophomore 197-pounder Justin Ruiz and redshirt freshman Jacob Klein. Powell, who improved to 27-4 on the season, won his first match of the day with a 1-0 decision over 17th-ranked Heath McKim. Powell scored an escape with 1:36 remaining in the second period to score the only point of the match. In the nightcap, Powell won via forfeit at the 125 pound weight class.

Ruiz recorded a 17-0 technical fall over Air Force's Ryan Kasier, while against the Pride, Ruiz squared off against Hofstra's fourth-ranked Chris Skretowicz. Ruiz scored a takedown with 37 seconds left in the second stanza to give him a 4-2 lead. Skretowicz scored an escape in the third period but wasn