Huskers Hold Off Cyclones, 22-21

The fifth-ranked <?xml:namespace prefix="st1" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"?>Nebraska wrestling team picked up wins in five of the first seven matches and never looked back en route to a 22-21 win over seventh-ranked IowaState Sunday at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa.  <?xml:namespace prefix="o" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"?>

 

The win was the Huskers’ 11th over IowaState in the last 18 duals between the two schools including three of the last four and is Nebraska’s first win over IowaState in Ames since the Huskers knocked off the then fifth-ranked Cyclones, 21-17, on Jan. 27, 1996.

 

Nebraska took an early 6-0 lead after Chris Oliver won by injury default at 157 pounds.  After a major decision loss at 165 pounds, the Huskers answered with a 2-0 victory by third-ranked Jacob Klein at 174 pounds.  IowaState’s Kurt Backes would respond with a technical fall victory to even the dual. 

 

Nebraska took a 13-9 lead in the fifth match of the dual with an 18-5 major decision victory by fifth-ranked B.J. Padden over Joe Curran at 197 pounds.  Padden scored the first seven points of the match and never looked back en route to his 20th win of the season. 

 

19th-ranked Jon May extended the Huskers’ lead to seven with a 4-0 win over Richard Schopf.  May took the lead with an escape in the second period, then added a two-point near fall in the third period after Schopf started the period down.  May ended the match with a 1:50 advantage in riding time.

 

Paul Donahoe earned Nebraska’s third straight win with a pin of Ben Hanisch with 20 seconds left in their 125-pound match.  Donahoe, the ninth-ranked 125-pound wrestler, held a 10-3 lead in the match after a takedown with 54 seconds to go of Hanisch before closing out the match 14 seconds later. 

 

Three straight wins by IowaState would draw the Cyclones within one of the Huskers, but the advantage gained by Nebraska in winning five of the first seven matches proved to be enough for the Huskers’ 12th dual win of the season.

 

Nebraska (12-5) will now prepare for the Big 12 Wrestling Championships, to be held at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa, on March 4.

 

#5 Nebraska 22, #7 Iowa State 21

Feb. 19, 2006

Hilton Coliseum, Ames, Iowa

Referee: Fred Ambrose

Attendance-3,141

 

157-#17 Chris Oliver (NU) by injury default over #2 Trent Paulson (ISU), :20

165-#9 Travis Paulson (ISU) by major dec. over David Ingalls (NU), 12-3

174-#3 Jacob Klein (NU) by dec. over David Bertolino (ISU), 2-0

184-#9 Kurt Backes (ISU) by tech. fall over #11 Vince Jones (NU), 19-3; 6:40

197-#5 B.J. Padden (NU) by major dec. over Joe Curran (ISU), 18-5

HWT-#19 Jon May (NU) by dec. over Richard Schopf (ISU), 4-0

125-#9 Paul Donahoe (NU) by fall over Ben Hanisch (ISU), 4:20

133-#18 Jesse Sundell (ISU) by fall over Patrick Aleksanyan (NU), 6:26

141-#1 Nate Gallick (ISU) by dec. over #20 Dominick Moyer (NU), 3-1

149-Aron Scott (ISU) by dec. over Ryan Davis (NU), 6-5