Nebraska Opens Nationals with 6-2 Performance

Lincoln ? The Nebraska wrestling team posted a 6-2 record in Session I to open the 2009 NCAA Championships in a tie for fourth place in the team race on Thursday morning in St. Louis. Four Huskers earned bonus-point wins to help NU rack up 15 team points, trailing only Ohio State (17.5), Iowa (22) and Iowa State (25).

 

Jordan Burroughs and Vince Jones, NU’s two natives of Sicklerville, N.J., led the way for the Huskers in the first round. Wrestling at 184 pounds, Jones chose down in the second period against Cal. State-Bakerfield’s Riley Orozco and earned a reversal with 55 seconds remaining before pinning Orozco at the 4:15 mark. The top seed at 157 pounds, Burroughs was just as impressive, collecting nine takedowns and a reversal en route to a 23-7 technical fall of Clarion’s Hadley Harrison. Burroughs faces Purdue’s Colton Salazar in the second round, while Jones also squares off against a Boilermaker opponent in A.J. Kissel.

Brandon Browne and Craig Brester picked up major decisions at 174 and 197 pounds, respectively. Third-seeded Browne used five takedowns in the final two periods for a 12-4 win over Old Dominion’s Erick Decker, and top-seeded Brester earned five points in the final 40 seconds for a 16-3 victory over American’s Charles Silber in the pigtail round.

Stephen Dwyer, the seven seed at 165 pounds, claimed a 6-1 decision over Lehigh’s Mike Galante courtesy of two takedowns, an escape and 1:18 in riding time. Brester notched a 10-3 decision against Hofstra’s Joe Fagiano in the first round, utilizing an eight-point third period to complete NU’s victories.

Tucker Lane nearly upset eighth-seeded Kyle Massey of Wisconsin at heavyweight, before falling 4-3 in the second tiebreaker. Lane reversed Massey in the third period, but the Badger earned an escape to tie the match at two. Neither wrestler could manage points in the first overtime, with each earning an escape in the first tiebreaker. The second overtime passed with no points, but Massey escaped in the second tiebreaker to take the 4-3 lead. Lane almost got another reversal with 10 seconds left, but was unable to pull the upset.

Robert Sanders lost an 11-3 major decision to Oregon State’s Heinrich Barnes at 149 pounds. Sanders faces Bucknell’s Kevin LaValley in the consolation bracket.

Wrestling resumes at 6:30 p.m. tonight with second-round action, followed by the first round in consolation bracket.

2009 NCAA Championships

Scottrade Center - St. Louis, Mo.

Session I Results

Attendance: 15,226

 

Team Points:

1. Iowa State ? 25

2. Iowa ? 22

3. Ohio State ? 17.5

T4. Nebraska ? 15

T4. Boise State ? 15

 

Nebraska Results:
149 Pounds 
First Round: Robert Sanders (NU) vs. Heinrich Barnes (Oregon State)
First Period....2:43, Barnes takedown, 0-2......2:11, Sanders escape, 1-2.....:55, Barnes takedown, 1-4.....:45, Barnes nearfall, 1-6....:35, Sanders escape, 2-6.....Second Period.....Sanders chooses down.....:26, Sanders escape, 3-6.....:20, Barnes takedown, 3-8....Third Period.....Sanders chooses neutral.....1:05, Barnes takedown, 3-10.....Barnes riding time advantage, 3:35, 3-11....

Barnes (OSU) wins by major decision, 11-3.

157 Pounds 
First Round: No. 1 Jordan Burroughs (NU) vs. Hadley Harrison (Clarion)
First Period.....:38, Burroughs takedown, 2-0.....:37, Harrison escape, 2-1.....:24, Burroughs takedown, 4-1.....:20, Harrison escape, 4-2.....:10, Burroughs takedown, 6-2......Second Period.....Burroughs chooses neutral......1:18, Burroughs takedown, 8-2....:58, Harrison escape, 8-3.....:45, Burroughs takedown, 10-3.....:40, Harrison escape, 10-4......:25, Harrison stalling, 11-4......:17, Burroughs takedown, 13-4....Third Period.....Harrison chooses top.....1:51, Burroughs reversal, 15-4......1:49, Harrison escape, 15-5.....1:01, Burroughs takedown, 17-5.....:28, Harrsion escape, 17-6.....:26, Burroughs takedown, 19-6.....:19, Harrison escape, 19-7....:10, Harrison stalling, 20-7......:01, Burroughs takedown, 22-7.....Burroughs riding time advantage, 1:44, 23-7...

Burroughs (NU) wins by technical fall, 23-7.

165 Pounds
First Round: No. 7 Stephen Dwyer (NU) vs. Mike Galante (Lehigh)
First Period.....Second Period.....Dwyer chooses down.....1:55, Dwyer escape, 1-0.....:16, Dwyer takedown, 3-0.....Third Period......Galante chooses down.....:58, Galante escape, 3-1.....:05, Dwyer takedown, 5-1.....Dwyer riding time advantage, 1:18, 6-1.....

Dwyer (NU) wins by decision, 6-1.

174 Pounds
First Round: No. 3 Brandon Browne (NU) vs. Erick Decker (Old Dominion)
First Period.....Second Period.....Browne chooses down....1:56, Browne escape, 1-0.....1:40, Browne takedown, 3-0.... :53, Decker escape, 3-1.....:47, Browne takedown, 5-1.....:46, Decker escape, 5-2.....:30, Browne takedown, 7-2.....Third Period.....Decker chooses down....1:59, Decker escape, 7-3.....1:30, Browne takedown, 9-3.....1:25, Decker escape, 9-4.....:32, Browne takedown, 11-4.....Browne riding time advantage, 1:41, 12-4....

Browne (NU) wins by major decision, 12-4.

184 Pounds
First Round: No. 12 Vince Jones (NU) vs. Riley Orozco (Cal. St.-Bakersfield)
First Period.....Second Period....Jones chooses down.....:55, Jones reversal, 2-0......

Jones (NU) wins by fall, 4:15.

197 Pounds
Pigtail Round: No. 1 Craig Brester (NU) vs. Charles Silber (American)
First Period....2:33, Brester takedown, 2-0......:56, Silber escape, 2-1......:45, Brester takedown, 4-1.....Second Period.....Brester chooses down....1:55, Brester escape, 5-1.....1:30, Brester takedown, 7-1.....:37, Silber stalling, 8-1.....Third Period....Silber chooses top......1:45, Brester escape, 9-1.....1:03, Silber takedown, 9-3.....:48, Brester escape, 10-3......:40, Brester takedown, 12-3.....:01, Brester nearfall, 15-3....Brester riding time advantage, 3:52, 16-3.....

Brester (NU) wins by major decision, 16-3.

First Round: No. 1 Craig Brester (NU) vs. Joe Fagiano (Hofstra)
First Period....1:21, Brester takedown, 2-0.....:29, Fagiano escape, 2-1.....Second Period.....Fagiano chooses down....Third Period.....Brester chooses down....1:58, Brester escape, 3-1.....1:05, Brester takedown, 5-1......1:00, Fagiano escape, 5-2.....:25, Brester takedown, 7-2....:22, Fagiano escape, 7-3......:13, Brester takedown, 9-3.....Brester riding time advantage, 3:09, 10-3.....

Brester (NU) wins by decision, 10-3.

285 Pounds
First Round: Tucker Lane (NU) vs. No. 8 Kyle Massey (Wisconsin)
First Period.....Second Period.....Massey chooses down......1:52, Massey escape, 0-1.....Third Period.....Lane chooses down....1:23, Lane reversal, 2-1.....1:12, Massey escape, 2-2.....Overtime.....Tiebreaker One....Lane chooses down.....:26, Lane escape, 3-2......Tiebreaker Two....Massey chooses down.....:10, Massey escape, 3-3.....Overtime Two......Tiebreaker Three....Massey chooses down....:28, Massey escape, 4-3......Tiebreaker Four.....Lane chooses down.....

Massey (UW) wins by decision, 4-3 TB2