Three Huskers Automatically Qualify for 2010 NCAA Championships

Lincoln - The Nebraska wrestling team is a week away from beginning its postseason at the Big 12 Championships, but three Huskers have already learned they will be automatic qualifiers for the 2010 NCAA Championships this March 18-20 at Qwest Center Omaha.

The three qualifiers will be returning participants from the 2009 national meet, as senior Craig Brester (197), senior Stephen Dwyer (174) and sophomore Tucker Lane (HWT) are each among the Big 12's five automatic qualifiers in their respective weight classes.

Brester is the No. 2 ranked wrestler at 197 pounds with a 25-1 record. He finished runner-up at the 2009 NCAA Championships to Jake Varner (Iowa State), who edged Brester in a 6-4 overtime battle last Sunday in Ames. Dwyer is also looking for a return to All-America status after an eighth-place finish in 2008. He is 22-3 and ranked No. 4 at 174 pounds, while Lane is No. 13 at Heavyweight with a 20-9 record.

Junior Mike Koehnlein (141) will be among seven other Huskers vying for a spot at the NCAA Championships next week in Norman at the conference meet. A junior college transfer, Koehnlein is ranked No. 20 in InterMat's lastest poll following his 4-2 upset of No. 18 Dalton Jenson (Iowa State) last weekend. He is 18-13 in his first season with the Huskers.

Each weight class was awarded qualifying spots based on Division I winning percentage, RPI and coaches ranking. The criteria has made up 284 of the 330 championship qualifiers, with the remaining 46-at large qualifiers determined March 10 by the NCAA Division I Wrestling Committee. There will be 33 wrestlers in each of the 10 weight classes at the 2010 NCAA Championships.