Session 4: Brester Plans to 'Let it All Fly' as Underdog in National Championship Match

Qwest Center Omaha - Senior Craig Brester will wrestle for a national championship in his home state when the Howells, Neb., native faces top-seeded Jake Varner on Saturday night in the finals of the 2010 NCAA Championships at Qwest Center Omaha. Brester, the No. 2 seed at 197 pounds, advanced to the title round with a 1-0 victory over No. 3 Hudson Taylor (Maryland) in the semifinals on Friday night.

Fellow senior Stephen Dwyer (174) nearly joined Brester in the finals, but he suffered a 3-2 defeat to No. 1 Mack Lewness (Cornell), while redshirt freshman Josh Ihnen (184) had his run for All-American status come up one match short in a 9-6 decision to No. 3 Dustin Kilgore (Kent State).

Brester needed nearly all of seven minutes of the match for the victory, scoring the winning point on an ecape with 19 seconds remaining in the thrid period. In a highly defensive battle, the pair entered the third in a scoreless tie, but Brester held the riding time advantage after riding Hudson the entire two minutes of the second period. Hudson nearly matched Brester in the thrid by holding the riding time advantage for 1 minute, 41 seconds seconds before he was able to esacpe for the deciding point.

In what will be one of the most anticipated matches in the 2010 NCAA Championships, Brester will face off against the undefeated (30-0) and top-seeded Jake Varner of Iowa State for the third time this season. The two have a rich history in recent years with several closely contested battles. Brester's lone victory over the Cyclone came in the finals of the 2009 Big 12 Championship last March in Lincoln. This season, Varner has defeated Brester two times with both matches being decided in the final period or overtime.

"I'd like to say I know what he's going to do," Brester said of Varner. "I've wrestled him I don't know how many times, it seems like 10 times ... it comes down to who wrestles a perfect match out there. I'm going to have to wrestle a perfect match to beat him. That's my plan. That's what I plan on doing. I'm just going to come out, and I'm just going to let it all fly. It's the last match on the stage here in Nebraska. I'm just going to let everything out there."

Brester figures he has nothing to lose. "He's expected to win," Brester said of Varner. "He's been there. He's done this. He's made a name for himself, and I'm just me. I'm just going to go out there and take down the giant, and I'm just going to have a fun time trying to do it."

When asked to describe a perfect match, Brester had a simple answer."Get my hand raised," he said. "I don't care how it happens. I've dreamt. You see takedowns. You see back points and stuff like that, but any way it happens, if I get my hand raised, I'm going to be a happy man."

After earning his second All-America honor in his career, Dwyer's run for the national title came to an end Friday night, falling to the Lewnes by one point, 3-2. Like Brester, Dwyer's match did not run short of drama, as the pair found themselves tied at 1-1 after trading escape points in the second and third periods. With 15 seconds remaining, Dwyer was unable to hold off a late shot by Lewnes and gave up a takedown to fall behind 3-1. After escaping with 6 seconds remaining to pull within one point, Dwyer attempted a last-second takedown, but came up short agaisnt one of the nation's best defensive wrestlers.

Dwyer needs two victories on Saturday to finish in third place and will face off against No. 10 Jordon Blanton (Illinois) in the consolation round.

Redshirt freshman Josh Ihnen's bid for All-America status in his first year at the varsity level came up one match short, as he fell to No. 3 Duston Kilgore (Kent State) in the consolation bracket. Ihnen was aiming for his fourth straight win of the NCAA Championships and was off to a solid start with an early takedown, but could not hold off the talented Kilgore in a 9-6 defeat. Ihnen finishes the season with a 19-15 overall record at 184 pounds.

Saturday's session 5 begins at 10 a.m. with consolation matches. The finals will begin at 6:30 p.m., and can be seen on ESPN.

2010 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships
Nebraska Results
Session 4
Qwest Center Omaha
March 19, 2010

#4 Stephen Dwyer (174 Pounds)
Semifinals: #4 Stephen Dywer (Nebraska) vs. #1 Mack Lewnes (Cornell)
First Period...Second Period...Lewnes chooses down...1:55, Lewnes escape, 0-1...Third Period...Dwyer chooses down...1:55, Dwyer escape, 1-1...0:15, Lewnes takedown, 1-3...0:09, Dwyer, escape, 2-3...

#1 Mack Lewnes (Cornell) wins by decision over #4 Stephen Dwyer (Nebraska), 3-2...

#2 Craig Brester (197 Pounds)
Semifinals: #2 Craig Brester (Nebraska) vs. #3 Hudson Taylor (Maryland)
First Period...Second Period...Taylor chooses down...Third Period...Brester chooses down...0:19, Brester escape, 1-0...

#2 Craig Brester (Nebraska) wins by decision over #3 Hudson Taylor (Maryland), 1-0

Josh Ihnen (184 Pounds)
Consolation Fourth Round: Josh Ihnen (Nebraska) vs. #3 Dustin Kilgore (Kent State)
First Period...1:28, Ihnen takedown, 2-0...1:21, Kilgore escape, 2-1...0:56, Kilgore takedown, 2-3...Second Period...Ihnen chooses down...0:59, Ihnen escape, 3-3...0:31, Kilgore takedown, 3-5...Third Period...Kilgore chooses down...1:49, Kilgore escape, 3-6...0:54, Kilgore takedown, 3-8...0:30, Ihnen escape, 4-8...0:15, Ihnen takedown, 6-8...Kilgore riding time advantage, 2:13, 6-9

#3 Dustin Kilgore (Kent State) wins by decision over Josh Ihnen (Nebraska), 9-6