Two Husker Grapplers Take Big 12 Titles

Stillwater, Okla. -- Two members of the ninth-ranked Nebraska wrestling team took home Big 12 title Saturday at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, Okla. As a team, NU finished fourth with 50 team points. Second-ranked Oklahoma State took the team title with 85, while Oklahoma finished second with 68 and Iowa State rounded out the top three with 67.5 points. Missouri finished fifth with 10.5 points.

Sixth-ranked Jason Powell became just the fifth freshman in NU history to win a conference title with a dominating 5-1 decision over fifth-ranked Matt Ridings of Oklahoma. Powell used a takedown and two-point nearfall in the second period en route to the win. The Midwest City, Okla., native improves to 19-6 on the year.

At 157 pounds, junior Bryan Snyder took home his third Big 12 title in as many tries, to become only the second Husker to win three conference crowns (Tolly Thompson--1995, 1996, 1997), with a 9-5 win over seventh-ranked Cole Sanderson of Iowa State. Snyder, who needs just one more victory to reach the 100-win plateau, will take a 24-1 record into the NCAA Championships.

For the second year in a row, senior Todd Beckerman fell in the 133-pound Big 12 final, this time to Oklahoma State's Johnny Thompson. The two stood tied at one in the third period, but Thompson got in for a double-leg takedown to go up by two. Beckerman managed to escaped with four seconds left, but it wasn't enough as Thompson prevailed, 3-2.

At 197 pounds, senior Brad Vering was again defeated by his career-long nemesis, Mark Munoz, 5-3. Vering jumped out to an 2-0 lead with a takedown at the eight second mark in the first period, but Munoz escaped with one second left, to cut the lead to one. After both wrestlers exchanged escapes at the start of the second and thrid periods, Munoz scored a takedown after a frantic scramble with 1:19 left in the match. Munoz rode out Vering, to come away with the 5-3 win.

To start the day, a pair of Huskers earned automatic berths at nationals with third-place finishes. Junior Tony Denke qualified with an injury default victory over Oklahoma State's Chris Pendleton, while senior Ati Conner also earned his first NCAA Championship appearance with a 9-4 victory over Missouri's 10th-ranked John Kopnisky. After losing his pigtail match yesterday, Conner fought his way back through the consolation bracket with his first two conference wins of the season.

The NCAA Championships begin March 15 and conclude on March 17 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa.

Individual Match Results
Consolation Semifinals
141 pounds #10 Zach Roberson (Iowa State) maj. dec. Dusty Spaulding (NU), 12-3
149 pounds Kenny Burleson (Missouri) dec. Travis Baker (NU), 4-1
174 pounds #12 Ati Conner (NU) dec. #9 Michael Barger (Oklahoma), 7-3
184 pounds Josh Lambrecht (Oklahoma) by fall over Matt Fletcher (NU), 1:54
Heavyweight Mark Knauer (Iowa State) dec. Pat Miron (NU), 7-6
Consolation Finals
165 pounds Tony Denke (NU) by injury default over Chris Pendleton (OSU)
174 pounds #12 Ati Conner (NU) dec. #10 John Kopnisky (Missouri), 9-4
Championship Finals
125 pounds #6 Jason Powell (NU) dec. #5 Matt Ridings (Oklahoma), 5-1
133 pounds #2 Johnny Thompson (Oklahoma State) dec. #3 Todd Beckerman (NU), 3-2
157 pounds #2 Bryan Snyder (NU) dec. #7 Cole Sanderson (Iowa State), 9-5
197 pounds #3 Mark Munoz (Oklahoma State) dec. #1 Brad Vering (NU), 5-3