Koehnlein Earns At-Large Berth for 2010 NCAA Championships

Lincoln - Junior 141-pounder Mike Koehnlein was among the 50 at-large selections announced in the final brackets of the 2010 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships released Wednesday evening by the NCAA. Koehnlein's berth for the national tournament increases Nebraska's representation to five qualifiers who will be competing at Qwest Center Omaha next week.

In addition to Koehnlein, senior Craig Brester (197), senior Stephen Dwyer (174), sophomore Tucker Lane (Hwt) and redshirt freshman Josh Ihnen (184) had previously earned automatic-qualifying spots following Saturday's Big 12 Championship in Norman, Okla.

A junior college transfer from Westminster, Calif., Koehnlein finished the season with an 18-15 record, including an 11-9 mark in dual action. The 141-pounder cracked the national polls in late February when he earned a No. 20 national ranking from InterMat heading into postseason competition. It will be Koehnlein's first Division I national championship appearance, although he was a two-time junior college All-American at Cerritos College (Norwalk, Calif.) before transferring to Nebraska.

Ihnen will also be competing in his first national tournament, while Brester, Dwyer and Lane are each return qualifiers. Brester is a two-time All-American and the 2009 runner-up, while Dwyer was an All-America honoree in 2008.

Qualifying spots were based on Division I winning percentage, RPI and coaches ranking.

The 2010 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships take place next Thursday-Saturday, March 18-20 at the Qwest Center in Omaha, Neb.