Huskers Host Double Dual vs. No. 6 Central Michigan, UNK

No. 6 Central Michigan (5-0) vs. Nebraska-Kearney (0-0)
NU Coliseum (4,030) • Lincoln, Neb. • Saturday, Dec. 19, 2009 • 10 a.m.
Live Stats: Huskers.com

No. 6 Central Michigan (5-0) at No. 12 Nebraska (5-2)
NU Coliseum (4,030) • Lincoln, Neb. • Saturday, Dec. 19, 2009 • Approx. 11:15 a.m.
Series History: NU leads, 2-0-1
Last Meeting: Tied, 17-17, on Jan. 25, 2009 in Mount Pleasant, Mich.
Live Video: Huskers NSide (subscription required)
Live Stats: Huskers.com

Nebraska-Kearney (0-0) at No. 12 Nebraska (5-2)
NU Coliseum (4,030) • Lincoln, Neb. • Saturday, Dec. 19, 2009 • 10 minutes after NU vs. CMU
Series History: NU leads, 6-0-0
Last Meeting: NU won, 30-18, on Dec. 16, 2006 in Lincoln
Live Video: Huskers NSide (subscription required)
Live Stats: Huskers.com

The 12th-ranked Nebraska wrestling team returns home for the first time in a month as the Huskers host No. 6 Central Michigan (5-0) and in-state foe Nebraska-Kearney (0-0) this Saturday at the NU Coliseum. The Chippewas and Lopers will begin the double-dual at 10 a.m., followed by Husker duals vs. Central Michigan and Nebraska-Kearney with 10-minute breaks between each match. The estimated start time for Nebraska vs. Central Michigan is 11:15 a.m. CST.

Live video will be available via Huskers NSide (subscription required), while Huskers.com will provide free live stats.

Nebraska (5-2) is aiming for the 600th dual victory in program history this Saturday. The Huskers have not had a home competition since a season-opening win over then-No. 11 Wisconsin on Nov. 15. NU has traveled to five different states over the past month, most recently splitting duals at No. 5 Minnesota (28-14 loss) and South Dakota State (46-6 win) last weekend.

The Huskers lead the all-time time series vs. Central Michigan, 2-0-1, including a memorable 17-17 tie in Mount Pleasant, Mich., last January that broke the Chippewas' 11-dual winning streak. Central Michigan is one of 10 ranked opponents on Nebraska's 2009-10 schedule. The Huskers are 6-0-0 all-time vs. Nebraska-Kearney. The last Husker- Loper match-up saw NU defeat UNK, 30-18, on Dec. 16, 2006 in Lincoln.

Senior Craig Brester has paced the Huskers this season with a perfect 13-0 record. The reigning Big 12 Wrestler of the Week, Brester leads the team in victories (13) and pins (6). Nebraska's four returning national qualifiers of Brester, Jordan Burroughs (157), Stephen Dwyer (174) and Tucker Lane (HWT) have combined for a 44-4 record this season.

Nebraska Probable Starters
125-David Klingsheim (Brentwood, Calif., Fr., 9-5); 5-1 record at the Kaufman-Brand Open
133-C.J. Napier (Columbus, Kan., Fr., 12-5); Has won five of last seven matches
141-Mike Koehnlein (Westminster, Calif., Jr., 12-6); Holds a 9-4 record since Nov. 28 with all four losses to ranked opponents
149-Chris Hacker (RFr., El Reno, Okla., 12-4); Won Kaufman-Brand Open Elite Division title, Has seven bonus-point wins
157-No. 1 Jordan Burroughs (Sr., Sickerville, N.J., 7-0); Holds 44-match winning streak; 2009 national champion
165-Tyler Koehn (RFr., Pittsburg, Kan., 9-4); Finished 3rd at Fort Hays State Open with 6-1 record
165-James Nakashima (Jr., Dwight, Ill., 2-3); Two of three losses to top-five ranked opponents
174-Stephen Dwyer (Sr., Rockton, Ill., 11-1); One of three unbeatens in dual action; Has defeated four ranked opponents
184-Josh Ihnen (RFr., Sheldon, Iowa, 7-6); Defeated No. 17 Joe Budi of Old Dominion at Las Vegas Invite
197-Craig Brester (Sr., Howells, Neb., 13-0); Big 12 Wrestler of the Week (Dec. 14), Las Vegas Invite champion
285-Tucker Lane (So., Redvale, Colo., 13-3); Kaufman-Brand Open Most Outstanding Wrestler

Scouting the No. 6 Central Michigan Chippewas
Head coach Tom Borrelli is in his 19th year at the helm for the Chippewas, holding an impressive 226-90-7 dual record during his time in Mount Pleasant, Mich. He coached Central Michigan to a 14th-place finish at the 2009 NCAA Championships after a seventh-place showing in 2008. Last year's squad had a pair of All-Americans in Mike Miller (2nd, 174) and Scott Sentes (7th, 125). Both Miller and Sentes have returned in 2009-10, with each moving up one weight class.

The Chippewas began this season ranked No. 13, but have ran off a 5-0 record with notable wins over No. 6 Maryland and No. 18 Virginia to reach sixth in this week's InterMat Top 25. Central Michigan's victories over the Terrapins and Cavaliers came at the Northeast Duals on Nov. 28. Nebraska also competed at the event, but did not meet the Chippewas. CMU has also defeated Tennessa-Chatanooga, American and Bloomsburg in dual action.

Individually, Central Michigan has seven wrestlers ranked in the top 20 in the nation, led by the fifth-ranked 174-pound freshman, Ben Bennett. The Rockford, Mich., native redshirted the 2008-09 season and is off to a 4-1 start this year with his lone loss coming to No. 4 Chris Henrich of Virginia. Sentes is ranked No. 6 at 133 pounds with a 5-0 record. He was the first freshman to earn All-America honors in school history after his seventh-place finish at 125 pounds last year. Miller is also ranked in the top 10 as he is eighth at 184 pounds with a 4-0 record this season.

In addition to this trio, Central Michigan has ranked wrestlers at 125 pounds (No. 14 Matt Steintrager, Sr.), 149 pounds (No. 13 Tony D'Alie, Sr.), 157 pounds (No. 13 Steve Brown, Sr.), 165 pounds (No. 20 Tyler Grayson, Sr.) and Heavyweight (No. 15 Jarod Trice, So.).

Saturday's dual looks to have ranked matchups at 157 pounds (No. 1 Burroughs vs. No. 13 Brown), 174 pounds (No. 3 Dwyer vs. No. 5 Bennett) and Heavyweight (No. 12 Lane vs. No. 15 Trice).

Husker History vs. Central Michigan
The Chippewas are another storied program that Nebraska has met few times, with the Huskers leading the all-time series 2-0-1. NU earned a 26-7 victory over CMU on Feb. 9, 1997, in Michigan and posted a 21-10 win against the Chippewas in the consolation final of the 2006 National Duals.

In their last meeting, No. 4 Nebraska broke No. 6 Central Michigan's 11-dual winning streak with a 17-17 tie at the Rose Arena in Mount Pleasant, Mich., on Jan. 25, 2009. The Huskers and Chippewas both won five bouts with each team winning two major decisions. Jordan Burroughs and Craig Brester claimed the Huskers' bonus-point victories at 157 and 197, in addition to wins from Stephen Dwyer (165), Brandon Browne (174) and Tucker Lane (HWT).

Scouting the Nebraska-Kearney Lopers
The Nebraska-Kearney Lopers are one of the most successful Division II wrestling programs in the nation, recently claiming the 2008 national championship before finishing fourth in 2009.

Head coach Marc Bauer is in his 11th year with the Lopers and holds a 121-54 record at UNK. His squad returns seven starters off last year's team, including five national qualifiers. Three of those wrestlers are currently ranked nationally in Division II, led by fourth-ranked Joey Morrison (133, 8-3) and sixth-ranked Taylor May (165, 6-1). Senior Derek Ross is ranked No. 8 at 184 pounds with a 6-6 record after an All-American season at 197 pounds in 2008- 09. May and Morrison are seniors as well and also earned All-America honors last season, in addition to senior Marty Usman at 174 pounds, who is undefeated this season (12-0).

Saturday will be the first dual of the 2009-10 season for the Lopers after an 18-5 record a year ago.

Husker History vs. Nebraska-Kearney
Nebraska has never lost to Nebraska-Kearney, holding a 6-0 all-time advantage in the series. The Huskers most recently defeated the Lopers during the 2006-07 season, downing UNK 30-18 on Dec. 16, 2006. In that match, Nebraska pinned UNK three times, in addition to a technical fall by Craig Brester and a major decision from Stephen Dwyer.

Last Time Out: Huskers Dominate South Dakota State in Brookings, 46-6
The Huskers raced to a 22-0 lead and won all six competed matches, as the 12th-ranked Nebraska wrestling team returned to the win column with a 46-6 victory over South Dakota State at the Swiftel Center on Saturday, Dec. 12. The Huskers moved to 5-2 on the season and have now won seven straight over the Jackrabbits.

Nebraska did not allow a point until a forfeit at 157 pounds and was in control from the start after early bonus-point victories from freshman C.J. Napier (133) and junior Mike Koehnlein (141). Napier had one of two pins for Nebraska on the day, as the Huskers tallied five bonus-point victories.

Napier improved his record to 12-5 with his pin at 133 pounds over Tyler Johnson in 3 minutes, 40 seconds. Napier has won three of his last four matches, including two bonus-point victories. Koehnlein also earned his 12th win of the season with his 12-2 major decision over Dustin Walraven at 141 pounds.

No. 3 Stephen Dwyer remained undefeated in dual action (7-0), as he produced Nebraska's other fall at 174 pounds, pinning Joe Rasmussen in 2 minutes, 19 seconds. Dwyer has five pins this season, second on the team behind Craig Brester (6).

Brester was part of the only match-up of ranked wrestlers, as he defeated No. 9 Tyler Sorenson by decision (8-2) at 197 pounds. Brester moved to 13-0 and now has four wins over ranked opponents this season. No. 9 Tucker Lane tallied his first technical fall win of the season with a 19-4 victory over Jeremy Swier at Heavyweight.

Junior James Nakashima earned his first dual victory with an 11-3 major decision win over Weston Blasius at 165 pounds. The Dwight, Ill., native is a newcomer to the Husker lineup after starting three matches at last weekend's Las Vegas Invitational and dropping a hard-fought 8-3 decision to No. 4 Dustin Schlatter of Minnesota on Thursday night.

Nebraska won three matches by forfeit (125, 149, 184), as several South Dakota State wrestlers are fighting through a skin infection, while the Jackrabbits won the 157-pound bout with NU's Jordan Burroughs absent due to personal family reasons.

Nebraska Aims for Win No. 600
The Nebraska wrestling program is aiming for its 600th dual victory in school history this Saturday when the Huskers host No. 6 Central Michigan and Nebraska-Kearney. Nebraska has achieved a 599-513-29 all-time record since the university implemented the sport in 1910-11.

After enduring some tough times in the beginning of the century, the program picked up steam in the 1970s to establish the winning tradition Nebraska enjoys today. The Huskers have had just seven losing seasons over the past 38 years and won at least 10 duals 27 times.

All-time, Nebraska has 86 All-Americans, dating back to its first selection in 1942, Newt Copple. The Huskers have also crowned 10 individual national champions and finished in the top 10 at the NCAA Championships 18 times.

Brester Named Big 12 Wrestler of the Week
Senior Craig Brester has been awarded for his outstanding performance as he was named Big 12 Wrestler of the Week on Monday by the league office for matches Dec. 7-Dec. 13.

Brester is 13-0 this season and used a pair of impressive victories last week to solidify the second Big 12 weekly award of his career. The Howells, Neb., native pinned Minnesota's Joe Nord (1:10) last Thursday night in Minneapolis before defeating his fourth ranked opponent in the past two weeks with an 8-2 decision over No. 9 Tyler Sorenson of South Dakota State on Saturday.

Brester leads the Huskers in victories (13) and pins (6), winning six of his last nine matches by fall, including four pins in under 2 minutes. The 2009 Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational champion, Brester also has one technical fall and one major decision to total eight bonus-point victories this season.

Currently ranked No. 2 in the nation at 197 pounds, Brester is a two-time All-American and was named Most Outstanding Wrestler of the 2009 Big 12 Championships. His previous Big 12 Wrestler of the Week honor came on Feb. 18, 2008 following back-to-back wins over No. 12 T.J. Morrison (Rider) and No. 10 Joe Rovelli (Hofstra).

Burroughs Doesn't Miss a Beat
Nebraska's defending national champion at 157 pounds is on his way to another stellar season, as Jordan Burroughs is undefeated with a 7-0 record through the first month of competition.

The senior suffered a mouth injury during a first-round victory at the Las Vegas Invitational on Dec. 4, but returned to action at Minnesota on Dec. 10 and defeated Joe Grygelko be technical fall, 24-9.

A native of Sicklerville, N.J., Burroughs began his senior season in dominant fashion, pinning Wisconsin's Greg Burke in 25 seconds on Nov. 15 at the NU Coliseum. The fall is the quickest pin by a Husker in a varsity match during the Big 12 era (1996-present).

Burroughs won the 2009 national title at 157 pounds after a perfect 35-0 season. He is a two-time All-American after he finished third at 149 pounds in 2008. Burroughs is 92-19 overall at Nebraska, just nine victories shy of reaching the school's top-15 win chart.

Huskers Launch Twitter Page
The Nebraska Wrestling program has launched a home on Twitter at "http://twitter.com/HuskerWrestling".

Follow everything surrounding the Huskers throughout the season with more news, notes and quotes on one of the world's fastest-growing social networks.

Next Up: Huskers Host North Dakota State, North Carolina State
Nebraska returns from Christmas break Jan. 3 to take on North Dakota State and North Carolina State in a double-dual at the NU Coliseum at 2 p.m. It will be the first of four home competitions for the Huskers in the month of January.