Nebraska Returns to National Duals

Dual No. 9:<?xml:namespace prefix="o" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"?>

No.  15/14 <?xml:namespace prefix="st1" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"?>Nebraska (6-2) vs. No. 6/6 Iowa (3-1)

NWCA National Duals?UNI Dome?Cedar Falls, Iowa?Saturday, Jan. 14?9 a.m.

Last Meeting: Iowa won, 37-2, on Jan. 17, 1999, at the National Duals in Iowa City, Iowa

Series History: Iowa leads, 17-7-2

 

Nebraska Returns to National Duals

The 14th-ranked Nebraska wrestling team returns to the NWCA National Duals after a four-year absence.  The Huskers wrested in the first 13 National Duals, finishing in the top five eight times.  NU has finished as high as second on two occasions.  Nebraska made it to the finals in 1993, losing to PennState, 20-13, and in 1996, losing to Iowa, 20-15.  Nebraska hosted the event five straight years, from 1993 to 1997.

 

Last Week: # 14 NU 30, Bloomsburg 12/#14 NU 41, Virginia Tech 3

No. 14 Nebraska rode four straight bonus-point victories and five wins overall to build a 21-point lead en route to a 30-12 win over Bloomsburg on Jan. 2.  After a setback at 141 pounds, Ryan Davis picked up his first career dual win for Nebraska in dominant fashion, defeating George Hickman by technical fall, 17-1.  After building a commanding 12-1 lead in the first three minutes of the match, Davis started the second period down and scored a reversal 18 seconds into the second frame.  A near-fall 11 seconds later clinched the technical fall victory for Davis, who was awarded a bonus point for his 2:20 advantage in riding time.  Chris Oliver followed with a hard-fought win by fall over Aric Fuhrman at 157 pounds.  Oliver took control of the match in the third period, outscoring Fuhrman, 6-1, before earning the pin with 22 seconds to go in the final period.

 

At 165 pounds, Marc Harwood earned a major decision win over Frank Beasley, 16-5.  Harwood took the lead six seconds into the match with a takedown, and had an 8-2 lead 1:13 into the first period after three takedowns and a two-point near fall.  Nebraska saw its lead increase to 21-3 in the team race after sixth-ranked Jacob Klein turned a takedown 31 seconds into his match with Andrew Jordan into a win by fall.  Klein needed just a minute to earn his first pin of the season.  Brandon Browne followed at 184 pounds with a 6-5 triumph over Nate Shirk.  With the match tied at three at the start of the third period, Browne earned an escape one second into the period, then a takedown with 1:25 to go in the match to give him a 6-3 lead.  A win by fall by Jesse Hasseman at 197 pounds broke Nebraska’s five-match winning streak in the dual, but a 6-4 win by 14th-ranked Jon May at heavyweight over Mike Spaid clinched the dual for the Huskers.  In the last two matches, NU suffered a setback at 125 pounds before Patrick Aleksanyan scored four takedowns on his way to an 8-3 win over Rick Donald to wrap up the match.

 

In a dominant performance that saw nine of 10 NU wrestlers earn wins, the 14th-ranked Nebraska wrestling team defeated Virginia Tech, 41-3, in front of 547 fans at the Devaney Center Track on Jan. 7. The Huskers won the last eight matches of the dual, including four in bonus-point fashion.  Nebraska has now won its last 18 home duals against unranked competition.  The last time NU lost at home to an unranked opponent was Jan. 3, 2002, when Nebraska lost to Oregon.

 

Fifth-ranked 197-pound wrestler B.J. Padden returned to the lineup and gave the Huskers an early 6-0 lead after earning a win by fall over Matt Woods early in the second period of their match.  Padden had missed Nebraska’s last three duals with an injury.  After a 5-4 overtime win by 10th-ranked Mike Faust of Virginia Tech at heavyweight, the Huskers took control of the dual.  Paul Donahoe bounced back from his second career dual loss earlier in the week against Bloomsburg to win by major decision over Justin Staylor, 14-3.  Donahoe took an 8-1 lead in the first period and never looked back en route to the triumph.  At 133 pounds, Patrick Aleksanyan took a 5-1 lead with 33 seconds to go in the second period and held on to beat Sheridan Moran, 5-4. 

 

The upset of the night came at 141 pounds, as NU’s Dominick Moyer defeated 10th-ranked David Hoffman, 12-11.  Moyer took an early 6-2 lead after one period, but Hoffman responded with a strong second period.  With the match tied heading into the final stanza, Moyer took an 11-8 lead after scoring an escape and a takedown.  Hoffman earned a reversal with 35 seconds to go in the match, but Moyer escaped 11 seconds later to take the lead for good.  With four seconds to go, Hoffman would pick up a penalty point after Moyer was called for stalling for the second time in the match, but Moyer would hold on for the win.  Nebraska’s lead would balloon to 22-3 after Ryan Davis earned a win by fall at 149 pounds over Joe Thompson.  Davis had scored a takedown and five near falls before earning the pin 1:56 into the match.  At 157 pounds, Chris Oliver defeated Dave Kiley, 10-3.  Oliver scored four take downs in the match and earned one point for an escape and another for his 1:34 advantage in riding time.

 

No. 17 165-pound wrestler Marc Harwood owned the last two periods of his 13-4 major decision victory over Mark Czarny.  Harwood scored two takedowns, a reversal and an escape in the last five minutes of the match to earn the bonus-point victory.  At 174 pounds, fifth-ranked Jacob Klein earned his second straight win by fall as he pinned Steve Ratley with three seconds to go in the first period.  Klein entered this week without a pin, but pinned both Ratley and Bloomsburg’s Andrew Jordan in Nebraska’s two dual victories.  To close the dual, Brandon Browne was awarded a win by forfeit at 184 pounds.

 

The Last Time We Met: Jan. 17, 1999-Iowa 37, Nebraska 2

Iowa defeated Nebraska, 37-2, in the consolation semifinals of the 1999 NWCA National Duals in Iowa City, Iowa.  NU was without three starters in the dual, as Paul Gomez was out due to sore ribs at 125 pounds, 157-pound wrestler Joe Henson sat due to flu-like symptons, while a strained knee kept Brad Vering out of the lineup at 184 pounds.  Nebraska’s only victory came from freshman Bryan Snyder, who defeated 18th-ranked Jamie Heidt, 9-6, at 157 pounds.  

 

Series History: Iowa Leads 17-7-2

The first-round matchup between the Huskers and Hawkeyes will mark the sixth time the two schools have met in the NWCA National Duals, including five of Nebraska’s last eight appearances at National Duals.  From 1996 to 1999, Iowa met NU in the National Duals each season.  The Hawkeyes won all four matches, including the finals of the 1996 National Duals.  No. 1 Iowa defeated Nebraska, 20-15, in Lincoln, Neb.  Nebraska’s lone victory over the Hawkeyes in National Duals competition came in the semifinals of the 1993 National Duals in Lincoln, with the Huskers defeating top-ranked Iowa, 24-20 .

 

Scouting Iowa

Iowa enters the dual with a 3-1 record after an 18-14 loss at home No. 1 Oklahoma State on Jan. 7.  In the dual, however, Ty Eustice defeated then top-ranked Zack Esposito at 149 pounds to move to No. 1 in the national rankings.  Eustice is one of five Hawkeye wrestlers ranked in the top ten.  In its dual with Oklahoma State, Iowa jumped out to a 7-0 lead behind wins from Mark Perry (174) and Paul Bradley (184). 

 

National Duals History

Nebraska makes its return to the NWCA National Duals after a four-year absence.  Nebraska finished in the top five eight times, including four straight years, from 1993 to 1996.  That run coincided with the event’s five-year run in Lincoln, which saw Nebraska host the National Duals from 1993 to 1997.  Nebraska ran off 11 straight top-eight finishes from 1990 to 2000.  A pair of runners-up finishes, in 1993 and 1996 highlighted NU’s participation in the event.  In 1993, Nebraska clinched its bid to finals with a 24-20 upset of top-ranked Iowa.  The win was clinched by Rulon Gardner at heavyweight with his 12-5 win over John Ostendorp. 

 

Scouting the National Duals Field

The National Duals feature eight of the top nine teams in the nation, according to this week’s NWCA/Intermat rankings.  In all, 15 of the 16 teams in the Division I bracket are ranked, and KentState, the lone unranked team, received votes in this week’s poll.  The field is bolstered by the presence of all five Big 12 schools, along with Big Ten powers Michigan, Minnesota, Northwestern and Iowa.

 

Knocking on the Clubhouse Door

A pair of Husker wrestlers are within reach of Nebraska’s 100-Win club.  NU All-American wrestlers B.J. Padden and Jacob Klein both entered the 2005-06 with 70 career wins, just 30 away from joining the 100-Win Club at Nebraska.  Travis Pascoe was the last Husker to join the club, finishing his career with 101 wins after last year’s sixth-place finish at the 2005 NCAA Championship.

 

Padden closed the 2004-05 season with a fifth-place finish at 197 pounds and entered the 2005-06 season as one of the nation’s best at 197 pounds.  Padden became Nebraska’s first individual conference champion since Jason Powell in 2002 with his 6-2 victory over eventual national champion Jake Rosholt of OklahomaState at the Big 12 Championships.  Padden has started the 2005-06 season with a 13-1 record, putting him just 17 wins away from 100 in his career.  Padden missed three duals with an injury before returning to the Huskers’ lineup with a pin of Virginia Tech’s Matt Woods on Jan. 7.

 

Klein enters his senior season as NU’s starter at 174 pounds after qualifying for nationals three times at 165 pounds.  Klein was an All-American as a sophomore at 165 pounds, and reached greater heights as a junior with a 28-7 record with a 19-2 dual record.  Klein was tied with Pascoe for the team lead in dual wins and finished second on the team with 74 dual points, just one behind B.J. Wright. Klein has opened the season with an 12-1 record, putting him 18 wins away from 100 for his career.   

 

Starting Strong

Nebraska has been almost unbeatable in the months of November and December under head coach Mark Manning.  The Huskers have won 36 of 38 non-conference matches in the first two months of the season under Manning and are 36-3 overall.  During that time, Nebraska has beaten 11 ranked opponents, including an upset of second-ranked Michigan on Dec. 9.  Included in the 34 wins are four shutouts, including two at the 2004 Nebraska Duals. 

 

Youth Served for NU This Season

After losing five starters from last year’s lineup, Nebraska has had to rely on a talented redshirt freshmen class to fill those holes this season, and the class has been more than equal to the task.  Led by co-Redshirts of the Year Paul Donahoe at 125 pounds and Chris Oliver at 157 pounds, Nebraska’s redshirt freshmen have supported the more-experienced Huskers en route to a 6-2 record.

 

Against second-ranked Michigan on Dec. 9, a pair of redshirt freshmen combined to give Nebraska a lead they would not relinquish on the road against the Wolverines.  Donahoe picked up a win by technical fall over Jim Shutich, 15-0, to give the Huskers an 8-3 lead before Aleksanyan broke through for his first dual win of his career with a 14-4 major decision triumph over Brandon Elliott at 133 pounds.  Aleksanyan’s victory gave NU a 12-3 lead with six matches to go.  The lead built by the redshirt freshmen held up, as Nebraska beat Michigan, 18-16.

 

Five NU wrestlers made their varsity debuts against BoiseState on Nov. 19.  Of those, Donahoe and Oliver notched bonus-point wins for the Huskers.  Donahoe dominated in his 18-8 major decision win over Cory Fish.  Donahoe never trailed in his match with Fish, and finished by outscoring Fish 9-4 in the final two minutes of the match.  Oliver came back from a 2-1 deficit to pin Johnny Nunez in the second period at 157 pounds.  Oliver took the lead for good after starting the second period down, then escaping 16 seconds into the period.  Oliver then took Nunez down with 30 seconds to go in the match and pinned him nine seconds later. 

 

Along with Oliver and Donahoe, Patrick Aleksanyan, Robert Sanders and Matt Farrell made their dual debuts at 133, 149 and 184 pounds, respectively.  Against Michigan, 2005 Co-Redshirt of the Year Brandon Browne also made his varsity debut at 184 pounds.  The youth in Nebraska’s starting lineup reflects a talented, but young roster.  Of the 33 NU wrestlers on the roster, 23 are either redshirt freshmen or true freshmen.

 

Klein Competes in All-Star Classic

NU senior 174-pound wrestler Jacob Klein wrestled in the 2005 NWCA All-Star Classic in Stillwater, Okla., Monday, Nov. 28.  Klein was defeated 8-5 by third-ranked Jacob Herbert of Northwestern.  Klein nearly fought back from a 6-0 deficit.  After earning his first point with an escape with 41 seconds to go in the match, Klein registered two takedowns in the final 15 seconds of the match.  Klein’s rally fell just short, and with one point riding time, Herbert defeated Klein, 8-5.  Klein was one of nine Big 12 wrestlers to compete in the All-Star Classic.

 

NU Looks to Continue Success

Despite a young roster, expectations are still high for the Nebraska wrestling team as they look to continue a 20-year tradition of success.  Over the last 20 seasons, NU has won at least 10 duals in a season 18 times and at least 15 duals eight times, including the last three seasons.  With six wins in their first eight duals, the 2005-06 Huskers are on their way to continuing that success.

 

The 2004-05 season capped the best three-year stretch in school history.  The Huskers were 53-12-1 from the fall of 2002 to the end of the 2004-05 campaign, marking the first time Nebraska had won 50 duals in a three-year stretch since the wrestling program was started at Nebraska in 1910.  In fact, the last three years of Husker wrestling nearly equals Nebraska’s best four-year wrestling stretch.  The Huskers’ start this season within reach of the 63-21-2 record of the four seasons between 1979 and 1982 for the best four seasons in school history, and only 11 four-year runs have bettered Nebraska’s last three years in dual competition.

 

Nebraska has built its success over the last three years on dominance at home.  The Huskers have won 25 of their last 27 duals in Lincoln and are 29-3 at home since the fall of 2002.  Since Mark Manning’s arrival at Nebraska for the 2001-02 campaign, the Huskers are 35-10 at home. 

 

Huskers Sign Three in Early Period

The Nebraska wrestling team opened the early signing period with a flourish by receiving National Letters-of-Intent from three accomplished prep recruits, Husker Head Coach Mark Manning announced earlier this season.

 

“We got three really outstanding kids,” Manning said. “These guys all are good students, good wrestlers and have good character.”

 

NU’s class is led by in-state recruit Matt Vacanti.  The Papillion-LaVista product enters his senior year 103-0 in his high school career and is slated to wrestle at either 133 or 141 pounds for the Huskers. 

 

Vacanti was 35-0 with all wins by fall last season en route to his third career state championship.  Vacanti is also accomplished on the national stage, as a two-time cadet national champion.

 

“Matt has a great work ethic and is a tough, hard-nosed kid,” Manning said.  “His style of wrestling fits in well with the rest of our team.  He’s an exciting wrestler to watch and he gets after it.”

 

Joining Vacanti is Curtis Salazar of Greeley, Colo.  Salazar is a two-time Colorado state champion and a three-time state finalist.  Salazar, who is projected to wrestle at 149 pounds in college, is another valuable addition to the NU wrestling team, according to Manning.

 

“He’s a good wrestler who wants to get better, and he is a great student,” Manning said.  “He’s been dominating in-state and national competition and beat a lot of good, ranked opponents.  He’s come to our camp the last couple years and gets along well with our guys.  We’re happy to have him be part of our family now.”

 

Rounding out the signings is Alex Ward, from MountSaint JosephHigh School in Baltimore, Md.  Ward, projected to wrestle in the middle weights in college, is a two-time state champion at 145 pounds.  A fourth-place finisher the last two years in the national prep tournament, Ward is the son of three-time NCAA finalist and former NU assistant wrestling coach Kelly Ward.

 

“He’s an outstanding kid from a heralded program in MountSaint JosephHigh School,” Manning said.  “We expect him to improve and develop a lot in our program.  He’s an intelligent young man with great potential and upside.  He will help us out in the future.”

 

Non-Varsity Notes

Nebraska’s non-varsity wrestlers return to the mat on Saturday, Jan. 21 as they travel to Omaha, Neb., for the Glen Brand Open.  At the Dana College Open on Jan. 7, seven Huskers finished in the top three in their respective weight classes.  The highlight for NU was the 184-pound weight class, where NU swept the top three spots.  Vince Jones earned the championship with four pins, while Casey Roberts taking second and Craig Brester earning third.  David Ingalls earned the 165-pound championship, while Levi Wofford won the 197-pound championship.  James Pummel and Stefan Tighe finished third and 174 pounds and heavyweight, respectively.

 

Nebraska opened its non-varsity season Saturday, Nov. 12 at the Harold Nichols Open.  The Huskers were led by Brandon Browne, who opened his second year in the program with a 5-0 weekend and the 174-pound championship.  Browne headlined a list of five Husker medalists, including four NU true freshmen who made their debut in college wrestling with a top-four performance in the Harold Nichols Open.  Mike Rowe finished second at 133 pounds, while Jones and Wofford finished third at 184 pounds and 197 pounds, respectively.  Freshman heavyweight Tighe finished fourth.At the Kaufman-Brand Open on Nov. 19, seven of the 13 non-varsity wrestlers entered placed for the Huskers in the 20-and-under division,  led by Kenny Jordan, who won the 133-pound weight class in his first collegiate competition.   Jones and Wofford finished second at 184 and 197 pounds, respectively, while heavyweight Tighe finished third.  Brester earned fourth place at 174 pounds, while 197-pound wrestler Cody Millard and 184-pound wrestler Roberts each finished fifth.  On Nov. 26, Cash Coolidge finished third at 141 pounds and Brester placed second at 174 pounds for the Huskers at the Oklahoma Open in Norman, Okla.

 

On Sunday, Dec. 4, a pair of non-varsity wrestlers earned individual championships at the UNI Open.  At 133 pounds, Jordan won five matches, including a 1-0 decision over teammate Patrick Aleksanyan in the finals, to earn the championship.  At 184 pounds, Jones won four of his five matches by fall en route to the championship.  Jones has been dominant of late for NU, winning 11 of his last 12 matches including 10 victories by fall.  In addition to Jordan and Jones, 174-pound wrestler Browne finished runner-up to Jacob Klein. The Nebraska non-varsity wrestlers closed first semester competition at the UNK Loper Open on Saturday, Dec. 10 in Kearney, Neb.  Three Huskers earned individual championships including a pair of Huskers, 149-pound wrestler Ryan Davis and 165-pounder Ingalls, who were making their 2005-06 season debuts.  Brester also was a champion at 174 pounds, while Tighe was third in the heavyweight division. 

 

Next Up: Nebraska vs. American, Jan. 21, 2006, 7 p.m., NU Coliseum

After the National Duals, the Huskers return home to wrestle against American on Saturday, Jan. 21 at 7 p.m. at the NU Coliseum.  American is led by returning NCAA qualifier Muzaffar Abdurakmanov at 165 pounds.  American is coached by Missouri graduate Mark Cody, and will come to Lincoln after wrestling against Brown on Jan. 14.

 

Nebraska Fans Fill the Coliseum and Devaney for NU Wrestling

For the second straight year, the attendance for Nebraska wrestling went up in 2004-05.  For the first time in three years, the Huskers drew over 1,000 fans per dual.  NU averaged 1,209 fans per home wrestling dual in 2004-05, highlighted by the 3,442 fans that attended the Huskers’ dual against OklahomaState.  In 2003-04, Nebraska fell just shy of 1,000 fans per dual, averaging 927 fans per night.  That number was up from Nebraska’s average attendance of 2002-03 of 561.

Nebraska’s season-opening dual against BoiseState Nov. 18 drew 584 fans to the NU Coliseum.  On Dec. 17, the Nebraska Duals drew 286 fans, while the dual against Bloomsburg drew 315 fans to the Devaney Center Track on Jan. 2 and 547 fans saw Nebraska defeat Virginia Tech. 41-3, at the Devaney Center Track on Jan. 7.  Along with the American dual, Nebraska faces nationally-ranked conference foes Missouri and Oklahoma at home later this season. Those duals, along with Nebraska’s tussle with American on Jan. 21 at 7 p.m., will be held at the NU Coliseum.