Season Recap: NU Reaches New Heights in 2008-09

Lincoln - After recording one of its best campaigns a year earlier, the Nebraska wrestling team exceeded expectations again during 2008-09 by battling to a 17-3-1 dual record, winning its first Big 12 wrestling title ever and posting a second consecutive fourth-place finish at the NCAA Championships behind a national title from Jordan Burroughs.

 

Nebraska’s 2007-08 season looked to be hard to top, as the Huskers recorded one of their best years ever as a team. NU defeated Oklahoma State for just the third time in school history, claimed second at the Big 12 Championship with its most points ever scored and wrestled to a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Championships behind five All-America performances.

 

However, Nebraska lost five starters during the offseason, including one national champion and three NCAA qualifiers. The Huskers entered last fall as a vastly redesigned team, with five wrestlers in their first year as a full-time starter, but the team showed true grit and determination en route to another standout season in 2008-09.

 

Early Season Dominance

Nebraska picked up right where it left off at the start of its 2008-09 campaign. The Huskers won four duals by an average of 20 points and collected dominating performances at two prestigious tournaments.

 

NU opened the dual season with a 29-15 win over Chattanooga in the NU Coliseum on Nov. 20. The Huskers tapped victories in their first six bouts to win their season-opening dual for the 14th consecutive season.

 

The Huskers made their annual trek up I-80 to Nebraska-Omaha’s Kaufman-Brand Open two days later, and recorded one of their best performances ever. The Huskers dominated the elite division, sweeping first place from 157 pounds to heavyweight, and placing 11 wrestlers in the top six. The amateur division was no different, as five Huskers placed and two earned titles. Overall, NU wrestlers posted a 69-26 record at the event, including 29 bonus-point wins and 13 pins.

 

Nebraska continued to feast on opponents the day after Thanksgiving at NU coliseum, racking up six pins to easily handle duals against Augustana (S.D.) and Oregon State by a combined score of 84-8. NU claimed a 34-8 victory over OSU by winning eight of the 10 matches, including a pin of Kyle Bressler by Vince Jones in 2:42. It was Jones’ second consecutive fall against Bressler.

Earlier in the day, the Huskers sweep all 10 weight classes against the Vikings for a 50-0 dismantling of Augustana. The margin was NU’s largest win since posting a 55-0 drubbing of the Colorado School of Mines on Jan. 22, 1983.

 

Victory in Vegas

Lady Luck continued to smile on the Huskers when Nebraska competed at the Las Vegas Invitational on Dec. 5-6. Burroughs and Craig Brester won individual titles to easily lead NU to a team title with 124.5 points. Burroughs earned Outstanding-Wrestler-of-the-Tournament honors after defeating All-American J.P. O’Conner of Harvard in the semifinals with a 3-2 decision and topping defending NCAA champion Jordan Leen of Cornell in the final, 10-8. Brester had an equally impressive weekend, racking up a pin, technical fall and major decision on the first day, before ending the tournament with two major decisions to place first. Four other Huskers placed, including three in the top four of their respective weight class.

 

Nebraska squared off with its first ranked opponent of the season on Dec. 21, when seventh-ranked Minnesota visited the NU Coliseum. In their closest dual of the semester, the Huskers won six of the first seven matches to hold off the Golden Gophers, 21-18. Stephen Dwyer, Brandon Browne and Brester notched major decisions to hand Minnesota its first loss of the season.

 

The Huskers continued their winning ways into the New Year with two dual wins on Jan. 4. Burroughs, Dwyer and Brester collected four major decisions and two technical falls between them to move Nebraska to a perfect 6-0 in duals with victories over No. 15 Michigan (22-13) and Northern Colorado (39-3).

 

Dialing Up National Duals

The Huskers finished in the top three at the NWCA National Duals for the second consecutive year with a third-place finish on Jan. 11. In the opening round, Brester and redshirt freshman Tucker Lane won the final two matches of Nebraska’s dual with No. 20 Northwestern to propel the Huskers past the Wildcats, 19-18. NU spotted Northwestern an 18-12 lead through 184 pounds, but a major decision by Brester and decision by Lane gave the Huskers the win. Nebraska’s second-round dual with No. 14 Penn State was just as exciting, as the Huskers gave the Nittany Lions a 16-0 lead before NU stormed back for a 20-16 victory. Nebraska won the final six matches, including another dual-clinching decision by Lane.

 

A 22-11 loss to top-ranked Iowa the following morning ended the Huskers’ perfect (8-0) start to the season, which was NU’s best start since the 2004-05 season. In the consolation final, Nebraska nearly pulled out another come-from-behind victory, before losing 20-19 to second-ranked Iowa State. NU once again spotted its opponents a lead, as the Cyclones earned 17 points through the first four matches. The Huskers rebounded to pull within one point after a pin by Jones at 184 pounds, but Brester was upset and Lane was unable to score the major decision needed to tie the dual.

 

Nebraska returned home for a doubleheader on Jan. 18, posting wins over South Dakota State (43-3) and Maryland (26-13) in the NU Coliseum. Browne posted two pins to lead the Huskers, while Jones, Brester, Matt Vacanti and Robert Sanders notched 2-0 records on the day. Against the Jackrabbits, Nebraska sprinted to a 22-0 lead with four bonus-point wins to start the dual, including three pins, and picked up another fall at 149 before SDSU earned their first points of the dual. Later in the day, the Huskers picked up wins in their first four matches against the Terrapins to roll to their 10th dual win of the season.

 

The Huskers finished preparation for the conference season with a trip to Mount Pleasant, Mich., to face Virginia Tech and sixth-ranked Central Michigan. NU handed the Hokies their first loss of the season, 26-11, and broke the Chippewa’s 11-dual winning streak with a 17-17 tie. In a matchup of two of the top teams in the nation, Nebraska and Central Michigan both won five bouts, with each team winning two major decisions. Burroughs and Brester claimed the Huskers’ bonus-point victories at 157 and 197, respectively. In their first contest of the day, the Huskers captured their 22nd straight win against a team from the Atlantic Coast Conference by winning seven bouts against the Hokies, including bonus-point victories in four of the final six matches. Brester posted the most impressive victory, using four two-point nearfalls in a 17-2 technical fall of D.J. Bruce.

 

Big 12 Battles

Nebraska went 3-1 in the Big 12 for the second consecutive year, but this season the conference proved its depth. The Huskers’ three wins came by a combined five points.

 

A visit to Columbia to face sixth-ranked Missouri started Nebraska’s Big 12 schedule on Jan. 31. Brester posted a 6-4 decision over Max Askren in the final match of the night to give NU a come-from-behind 16-15 victory. Brester’s heroics and the Huskers’ win were made possible by Vacanti at 133 pounds. With each team winning five bouts, he collected the only bonus-point victory of the night with a 20-7 major decision.

 

It was the same situation when Nebraska hosted No. 15 Oklahoma State at the Bob Devaney Sports Center on Feb. 5. More than 2,800 Husker fans saw each team win five bouts, but major decisions by Burroughs and Jones gave Nebraska the 17-16 victory. The triumph gave NU back-to-back dual wins over the Cowboys for the first time ever, and its first home victory over OSU since the 1921-22 season.

 

Nebraska’s dual at No. 14 Oklahoma also came down to the last match. The Huskers allowed Oklahoma a 15-3 lead headed into intermission, but NU claimed the final five matches of the night to earn the 18-15 win. Every Husker above 157 pounds claimed a victory, including Brester in the final match of the night with the dual tied, to secure the team win.

 

The Huskers made a quick trip to Chapel Hill, N.C., to collect dual wins over UNC Greensboro (43- -1) and North Carolina (24-15) on Valentine’s Day. The highlight of the night went to Burroughs, as he broke NU’s single-season dual takedown record in impressive fashion. He claimed two technical falls with 21 takedowns during the two matches, and finished the year with 117 total dual takedowns to break the record (98) he set last season.

 

For the second year in a row, Nebraska ended the dual season with a loss to Iowa State. This year the fourth-ranked Cyclones topped the Huskers 30-10 in Lincoln. However, NU entered the dual without two of their regular starters, including Browne who missed the contest because of a family death. Burroughs and Jones once again earned bonus-point victories, but ISU posted close wins at 165, 197 and heavyweight, claiming each bout by less than three points, to pull away. The Huskers’ 17-3-1 dual record was NU’s most wins since recording 19 in 2004-05.

 

Conference Crown

Nebraska rebounded with its best Big 12 tournament ever, as four Huskers captured individual titles to help NU earn a co-championship with Iowa State in the NU Coliseum on March 7. The crown was the first Big 12 championship for Nebraska and the first conference wrestling title for the Huskers since winning the 1995 Big Eight title.

 

Nebraska entered the finals six points behind Iowa State, but went 4-1 in the championship round, while ISU won just two of seven championship bouts, resulting in the team tie. Burroughs, Brester, Browne and Jones each captured individual titles for Nebraska in exciting matches. The titles for Burroughs and Browne marked the second straight Big 12 crowns for each. The four conference champions tied for the most in school history, as NU also had four champions in 1949 and 1995.

Brester supplied the crucial team points for Nebraska with a 4-3 decision over top-ranked Jake Varner of Iowa State in the final. The win gave the Huskers the outright lead in the tournament and forced the Cyclone’s Dave Zabriskie to win at heavyweight to earn the tie. Brester’s performance was recognized as he was named Outstanding Wrestler at the meet. Overall, the four Nebraska titlists scored five takedowns in the final 10 seconds of periods, including two by Burroughs and one each by Browne, Jones and Brester.

The Huskers had a total of five Huskers in the finals, as Dwyer placed second after falling to Missouri’s Nick Marable in the final. A pair of NU wrestlers also finished third. Sanders fought back after a semifinal loss for a pair of victories in the consolation bracket to place third with a 4-3 decision over Oklahoma State’s Luke Silver. Likewise, Lane lost a semifinal match, but rebounded with a 3-2 decision over No. 3 Jared Rosholt of Oklahoma State for third.

Two Straight Trophies
Four Huskers earned All-America honors at the 2009 NCAA Championships, including a national championship by Burroughs, to lead Nebraska to a fourth-place finish for the second year in a row. Wrestling at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, NU captured its second straight NCAA team trophy and claimed top-five finishes in consecutive years for the first time ever.

The Huskers’ 78.5 points in 2009 were the second most it has ever scored at the NCAA Championships. Nebraska’s four All-Americans in 2009 and five in 2008 are NU’s most honors in back-to-back years since the 1995 and 1996 seasons.

Burroughs posted a 5-0 record at the tournament, racking up a technical fall, pin and two major decisions, en route to becoming Nebraska’s 10th national champion and recording the best season ever by an NU wrestler. The Sicklerville, N.J., topped second-seeded Michael Poeta of Illinois in the final, 5-1, to cap a perfect 35-0 season and become Nebraska’s first wrestler to complete a season undefeated. Burroughs went 17-0 against ranked foes during the year, including 13 wins against top-10 opponents. He posted 22 bonus-point wins, including 15 major decisions, to lead the team in every statistical category except pins.

Nebraska’s Craig Brester also advanced to the finals, but lost to ISU’s Varner, 2-1, in a defensive battle. Brester, seeded first in the tournament, went 5-1 while posting two major decisions. He defeated three ranked foes, including third-ranked Tyrel Todd of Michigan in the semifinals, to earn his second top-four finish at the NCAA Championships. He finished 34-4 on the year, with 23 of his 34 wins coming by bonus points. Three of his four losses on the season came at the hands of Varner.

Browne earned fourth and Jones claimed sixth place to round out NU’s four All-Americans. Browne advanced to the semifinals before falling to Central Michigan’s Mike Miller. Browne rebounded with a pin of Cornell’s Steve Anceravage in the wrestleback bracket to pick up crucial points in the team race. Missouri’s Raymond Jordan topped Browne, 4-0, in the consolation final, as Browne ended his Husker career as a two-time All-American.

Jones earned his first career All-America honor by starting the tournament with three wins, including an upset of fourth-seeded Kirk Smith of Boise State to advance to the semifinals. Jones dropped bouts to the top two seeds in the wrestlebacks, before ending his time at NU with a 9-2 loss to ninth-seeded Joe LeBlanc of Wyoming.

Dwyer and Lane went 2-2 during the tournament, while Sanders went 0-2 at 149 pounds.

Racking up the Records

With their performances on the mat and in the classroom, several Nebraska wrestlers etched their name into the Husker record books.

 

Burroughs’ undefeated season earned him first place on NU’s top-10 season winning percentage list, while his 19-0 dual mark also was first on the season dual winning percentage chart. His 35-0 record was good for 15th on Nebraska’s top-20 season victories list, and sixth on the top 10 season wins by a junior list.  Brester earned ninth on the junior list with 34 wins, while the same amount earned Jones the eighth spot on the senior list. Lane’s 28 victories put him seventh on the freshman list.

 

Browne’s 30-5 record during the 2008-09 season put his career mark at 79-15, good for seventh on NU’s top-10 career win-loss percentage chart with an .840 mark. Jones, known for his pinning abilities, finished nine falls short of NU’s top-five career falls chart. He led the team in pins with more than 10 in each of his three years of competition.

 

In the classroom, five Huskers earned academic all-big 12 honors. Brester claimed a first-team selection for the third consecutive season, while Dwyer was named to the first team after being named to the second team a year earlier. Lane and Andy Pokorny collected first-team accolades for the first time in their careers. Sanders posted second-team honors.

 

At its annual postseason banquet, the Husker coaching staff named Burroughs the Most Valuable Wrestler, while Burroughs and Brester shared recognition as Lifter of the Year. Jones claimed Most Improved honors, Browne received the Granite Award and Ross Grande and Josh Ihnen were NU’s Redshirts of the Year. Dwyer claimed the Spirit of Excellence Award.