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After last year’s fifth-place national finish, the wrestling community has taken notice of the Nebraska wrestling team. The Huskers open in the preseason top four in the three nationally-recognized polls. NU is third in both the Amateur Wrestling News and Intermat/National Wrestling Coaches Association polls, and fourth in the Wrestling International Newsmagazine poll.
Individually, eight Nebraska wrestlers are ranked in at least one of the polls. Of those, seven wrestlers were ranked among the top ten in each of the three polls.
Leading the way is 141-pound senior Matt Murray. The Colby, Kan. native is the consensus preseason no. 1 wrestler at 141 pounds after last year’s second-place national finish.
At 149 pounds, senior Travis Shufelt is ranked fourth in all three polls. His seventh-place finish earned the Oconto, Wis. native All-American honors last year.
A returning All-American at 165 pounds, Jacob Klein open the season ranked as high as fourth and no lower than fifth after a seventh-place national finish last year.
At 133 pounds, Matt Keller is ranked in the top eight in all three polls and as high as seventh. B.J. Wright will come into the season ranked sixth in all three polls at 157 pounds.
Meanwhile, at 184 pounds, Travis Pascoe enters the season in the top eight in all three polls and as high as sixth. At 197 pounds, B.J. Padden is eighth in all three polls. After missing much of last year with an injury, Mitch Manstedt is the nineteenth-ranked heavyweight in the NWCA/Intermat poll.
The Huskers return seven national qualifiers and three All-Americans from last year’s team. They open the season with a home dual against no. 12/t13/16 Hofstra on Nov. 19 at the NU Coliseum.
Rankings
AWN WIN NWCANebraska 3 4 3Matt Keller, 133 7 8 8Matt Murray, 141 1 1 1Travis Shufelt, 149 4 4 4B.J. Wright, 157 6 6 6Jacob Klein, 165 5 5 4Travis Pascoe, 184 7 8 6B.J. Padden, 197 8 8 8Mitch Manstedt, HWT NR NR 19
Key-AWN-Amateur Wrestling News; WIN-Wrestling International Newsmagazine; NWCA-Intermat/National Wrestling Coaches Association; NR-not ranked