Padden Takes Third, Klein Earns Seventh at NCAA's

Oklahoma City - B.J. Padden finished third at 197 pounds and Jacob Klein claimed seventh at 174 pounds in the morning session of the 2006 NCAA Championships as the Nebraska wrestling team wrapped up the 2005-06 season. 

The Huskers finished in 16th place with 40.5 team points.  Oklahoma State has clinched its fourth straight national championship with 122.5 team points.

Padden claimed third place with a 5-1 win over Jerry Rinaldi of Cornell.  Padden dominated the match, building a riding time advantage of 4:42 after earning two takedowns and riding Rinaldi for the duration of the second period.  Earlier in the day, Padden defeated Chris Weidman of Hofstra by injury default.  Padden was leading the match, 6-5, when the match was stopped before the start of the third period. 

“I'm pleased with how my career has gone,” Padden said.  “I realized that this tournament is it for me, so I had to put my loss behind me (to Penn State's Phil Davis in the quarterfinals).”

Highlighted by a four-match winning streak after the quarterfinal loss, Padden finished his senior season with a 28-4 record.  Padden completes his career at Nebraska with a pair of Big 12 Championships at 197 pounds, two All-America honors and a career record of 98-42. 

“It's tough to come back like Padden did, especially in the way he lost,” Manning said.  “Hopefully, that makes him a better person.”

Klein took seventh at 174 pounds after a 2-0 win over James Yonushonis of Penn State.  Klein rode Yonushonis for the entire second period then earned an escape in the opening seconds of the third period to take an early 1-0 lead.  Klein earned his second point on the strength of a 2:00 riding time advantage.   

A two-time All-American, Klein finishes his career as a Husker with a record of 94-33 including a 24-6 senior season.  Klein finished his fourth career appearance at the NCAA Championships with a 4-2 mark. 

“It's an honor to be a two-time All-American,” Klein said.  “I never dreamed of having this much success when I first came here.”

With the finishes of Padden and Klein, Nebraska wrestlers have now earned 76 All-America honors in the program's history.  Klein and Padden become the 17th and 18th NU wrestlers to earn multiple All-America honors, and the fourth and fifth Huskers to earn at least two All-America citations under Manning.  This is the ninth straight year that Nebraska can claim multiple All-America wrestlers. 

Nebraska finishes the season ranked fifth with a 12-5 dual record, including a third-place finish at the National Duals.  The Huskers' nine national qualifiers were the most for NU since 1996.  While Nebraska loses both its All-Americans from this season, it also returns seven NCAA qualifiers and eight starters for the 2006-07 season.

2006 NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS, SESSION V
Ford Center, Oklahoma City, Okla.
March 18, 2006; Attendance-15,789
Seventh-Place Match
174-Jacob Klein (NU) by dec. over James Yonushonis (Penn State), 2-0
Consolation Bracket-Semifinals
197-B.J. Padden (NU) by inj. def. over Chris Weidman (Hofstra)
Third-Place Match
197-B.J. Padden (NU) by dec. over Jerry Rinaldi (Cornell), 5-1