Huskers Set to Battle Cowboys in Home Opener

No. 21 Nebraska (4-0) vs. No. 14 Wyoming (0-0)

NU Coliseum (4,030)  I  Lincoln, Neb.  I  Saturday, Dec. 10  I  7 p.m.

Series History: NU leads, 30-14-0

Last Meeting: NU won, 20-12, in Laramie, Wyo., on Dec. 4, 2010

Live Stats: www.trackwrestling.com

Video (subscription required): www.btn.com

*Student Appreciation Night: The first 100 students will receive free Valentino’s pizza at the door. Must show valid N-Card upon entry to receive the free pizza.

Huskers Set to Battle Cowboys in Home Opener
After starting its season on the road for almost a month, the No. 21 Nebraska wrestling team will open the home portion of its schedule on Saturday, Dec. 10 against the No. 14 Wyoming Cowboys at the NU Coliseum at 7 p.m. The Huskers own a 4-0 dual record going into Saturday's match, while Wyoming will be participating in its first dual of the season.

Saturday's dual will be shown on BTN.com (subscription required), while a live stat tracker will be available at www.trackwrestling.com. The dual also marks Student Appreciation Night at the NU Coliseum, where the first 100 students in attendance will receive free Valentino's pizza. Students must show their N-Card at the door in order to receive the free pizza.

Nebraska is coming off a fourth-place finish at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational last weekend where they collected three fourth-place finishes and had six medal winners overall. The Huskers were led by a trio of freshmen who helped NU rack up 106 team points. True freshman James Green (157) advanced to the semifinals of the tournament before dropping a tough 3-1 decision to the top-ranked wrestler at the Division II level, T.J. Hepburn (Nebraska-Kearney). Green responded with two victories in the consolation bracket, including a 7-6 victory over No. 17 Steven Monk (North Dakota State) to capture third place. Redshirt freshman Robert Kokesh (165) also finished in third, while earning the honor of most pins in the least about of time out of all 34 teams competing in the event. Junior Josh Ihnen (184) and senior Tucker Lane (Hwt) also took home third-place honors, while true freshman Jake Sueflohn (141) fell to the No.1-ranked wrestler in the country, Kellen Russell (Michigan), in the consolation final to finish in fourth. Ridge Kiley (133) took sixth place for NU.

The Huskers began their dual season with four straight competitions on the East Coast, including three duals at the Wrestle for a Cure Duals in Harrisburg, Pa. After defeating Bucknell its season opener, NU took down No. 24 Kent State, Navy and North Carolina on Nov. 12 to improve their record to 4-0. The Huskers have been extremely productive at their heavier weight classes, combining for an 18-2 dual record between the 165 pound and heavyweight spots.

Saturday's dual will feature some premiere matches at several weight class. At 165 pounds, No. 10 Kokesh (165) will take on No. 3 Shane Onufer (WYO), while No. 10 Ihnen will also battle a top-five opponent in No. 3 Joe LeBlanc (WYO). No. 18 Kiley will take on No. 16 Zach Zehner (WYO) after falling to the Cowboy wrestler twice in Las Vegas.

Scouting the Wyoming Cowboys
The Wyoming Cowboys will bring a No. 14 team ranking to Lincoln after several impressive showings at open tournaments so far this season. At the Cliff Keen Invitational, seniors Joe LeBlanc (184) and Shane Onufer (165) both captured titles at their respective weight classes to propel the Cowboys to a third-place finish. LeBlanc is ranked at No. 3 in the country at 184 pounds and owns a 11-0 record on the season, while Onufer is rated No. 2 at 165 pounds and also has an 11-0 mark.

At 197 pounds, No. 12 Alfonso Hernandez is tied for the team lead in wins with No. 18 Pat Martinez. Both wrestlers have won 17 matches so far this season. Wyoming also features ranked wrestlers at 125 pounds in No. 16 Michael Martinez and Zach Zehner at 133 pounds, who is at No. 16.

Wyoming is coached by Mark Branch, who is in his fourth season as head coach of the Cowboys. Branch has led the Cowboys to two straight conference titles.

Huskers in the Rankings
After helping NU to a fourth-place finish at the Cliff Keen Invitational, true freshmen Jake Sueflohn (141) and James Green (157) both moved into the InterMat individual rankings. Sueflohn moved all the way up to No. 12 after defeating three ranked opponents over the weekend, while James Green cracked the rankings at No. 16.

Other ranked wrestlers for NU include No. 18 Ridge Kiley (133), No. 10 Robert Kokesh (165), No. 10 Josh Ihnen (184) and No. 10 Tucker Lane (Hwt).

As a team, the Huskers are ranked at No. 21 in the latest NWCA Coaches Poll.

Manning Wins No. 150 at Nebraska
Head Coach Mark Manning became only the second coach in school history to record 150 dual victories at Nebraska when the Huskers defeated Kent State on Nov. 12. Manning joins former coach Tim Neumann as the only other coach to reach the mark, with each coach doing so in their 12th season.

Manning has averaged over 13 dual victories per season at Nebraska en route to his 153-61-3 record, which is the best clip in school history. For his career, Manning owns a 176-85-5 record after spending three seasons at Northern Iowa.

Six Huskers Place at Las Vegas Invitational
A total of six Husker wrestlers, including four third-place finishers, found the awards stand on Saturday, Dec. 3, at the 30th Annual Cliff Keen Invitational in Las Vegas, Nev. As a team, the Huskers finished in fourth place with a total of 106 points. Ohio State took the title with 129 points, followed by Michigan and Wyoming.

James Green (141), Robert Kokesh (165), Josh Ihnen (184) and Tucker Lane (Hwt) all won their consolation finals matches to capture third place finishes, while Jake Sueflohn (141) finished in fourth place and Ridge Kiley (133) finished in sixth.

After dropping a tough 3-1 match in the quarterfinals, Green responded with two impressive victories to propel him to a third-place finish. Green began the day by beating Roger Pena (Oregon State), 10-5, and upset No. 17 Steven Monk (North Dakota State) in a back-and-forth match which Green ended up on top, 7-6. Green finished the tournament with a 5-1 record.

Kokesh (165) avenged an earlier loss to No. 12 Stephen Burak (Northern Colorado) in the quarterfinals to capture third place. Burak pinned Kokesh in the last five seconds of their first match, but Kokesh was able to respond with four straight victories, including two by pin in his remaining matches. The redshirt freshman recorded a total of four pins to go along with a major decision. Kokesh had the most pins of any wrestler at the tournament in the least amount of time.

Ihnen dropped his semifinal match to No.4 Joe Leblanc (Wyoming), 7-5, but responded with two victories over ranked opponents to capture third place. Ihnen defeated No. 13 Luke Rebertus (Kent State) for the second time this season by decision, 7-1, before No. 12 Jacob Swartz (Boise State) was forced to medical forfeit in the consolation final.

In the heavyweight bracket, Lane won four matches to become the fourth Husker to earn third place honors. The Redvale, Colo., native defeated Brandon Williamson (WVU) in his first consolation match, before defeating No. 20 J.T. Felix (Boise State), 6-0. In his next match, Lane pinned No. 6 Levi Cooper (Arizona State) in 1:35 and took down No. 16 Brendan Barlow (Kent State), 1-0, in the tiebreaker period.

Sueflohn continued his impressive freshman season by winning three matches over nationally ranked opponents to advance to the consolation final at 141 pounds. The Watertown, Wis., native defeated No. 14 Evan Henderson (North Carolina), 8-7, and No. 10 Tyler Small (Kent State), 5-3, in the consolation bracket to set up a match with defending national champion and No. 1 Kellen Russell (Michigan). After only trailing by two points late in the second period, Sueflohn couldn't hold off Russell and fell by major decision, 16-8.

Sueflohn finished the tournament with a 5-2 record recorded three victories over nationally ranked opponents, including a technical fall over No. 12 Michael Nevinger (Cornell) in the second round.

No. 17 Kiley (133) opened day two of competition for NU with a victory over Brandon Rocha (Cal Poly) and followed that with a decision over No. 16 Aaron Kalil (Navy) in the second tiebreaker period. No. 11 Zachery Stevens knocked Kiley into the fifth-place match where he fell for the second time of the tournament to Zach Zehner (Wyoming) to end his tournament.

Huskers Sign Five Wrestlers
Head Coach Mark Manning and the Husker wrestling program announced the signings of four high school seniors and one junior college athlete who plan to enroll and compete at Nebraska beginning with the 2012-13 season.

This year's class includes four wrestlers that have won state championships, and one wrestler that qualified for the NCAA tournament as a true freshman in 2010-11. The signees also include Howells, Neb., native and three-time Nebraska state champion Eric Coufal. Two of the recruits are ranked inside the top 85 nationally, according to InterMat.

2011-12 Nebraska Wrestling Signees (bold weights indicate projected college division)

Eric Coufal, Howells, Neb. (Howells) - 125/133
Coufal is the next wrestler to sign a letter-of-intent with the Huskers, continuing a strong connection between the Nebraska wrestling program and Howells High School. Coufal will begin his senior season with hopes of becoming only the state's 17th four-time state champion. A member of the NWCA Class D Academic All-State team as a junior, Coufal won his third state championship in as many years by pinning Garrett Bowder in 5:20 in the state final to finish his season 49-0. As a freshman he won the 103-pound state championship, before winning the 112-pound Class D title his sophomore year to help him rack up 124 career wins to go with no losses. Coufal will project as a 125 or 133 pounder.

Frank Cagnina, Hillsdale, N.J. (Iowa Central CC/Lehigh/Queen of Peace) - 133
Cagnina will come to Nebraska from Iowa Central Community College after transferring from Lehigh following his true freshman season. Cagnina will bring a wealth of experience to the Huskers as he qualified for the NCAA tournament at 133 pounds in his only season with the Mountain Hawks in 2011. The Hillsdale, N.J., native finished his season with a 20-6 overall record and nine major decision victories.

Cagnina was a highly rated recruit coming out of Queen of Peace High School where he was a three-time state champion and owned a 162-4 career record. Cagnina won the 103-pound state title as a freshman, before winning state titles his junior and senior seasons at 125 and 130 pounds, respectively. Cagnina went 82-0 during his last two seasons in high school. Ranked second nationally in his weight class and No. 20 overall, Cagnina was a Super 32 finalist two times and captured the title in 2009.

Ben Morgan, Forest Lake, Minn. (Forest Lake) - 133
Morgan is a five-time state qualifier for Forest Lake High School and won the 2008 112-pound Class AAA state championship as an eighth grader to finish his year with a 44-3 record. The No. 84 overall recruit in the country according to InterMat, Morgan has racked up 196 career victories during his five year career, which included varsity seasons in seventh and eighth grade. In 2009, Morgan took third at the state meet at 119 pounds and has placed third in both 2010 and 2011 at 130 pounds to help him become the school's all-time wins leader. Morgan is the son of 1996 U.S. Olympic wrestler Gordy Morgan.

Tim Lambert, Forest Hills Mich. (Forest Hills Eastern) - 125
The No. 2 ranked wrestler at 120 pounds and No. 35 recruit nationally, Lambert has finished in the top five at the Michigan state wrestling tournament for three consecutive seasons. Lambert took home third place as a junior by going 61-1, after recording a second place finish as a sophomore. Lambert finished in fifth place as a freshman. This summer, Lambert made a strong showing at the Junior Nationals in Fargo, N.D., pinning Cory Clark from Iowa to take third place honors. Lambert owns the Michigan state high school record for most three-point near falls in a season with 125 in 2010-11, breaking his own record of 109 which he did in 2009-10. Lambert has a 178-5 overall record entering his senior season.

McCoy Newberg, Franklin, Tenn. (Independence) - 174/184
The first recruit to join the Husker program from the state of Tennessee since Matt Keller in 2002-03, Newberg is a two-time state placer at the DI Tennessee state wrestling championships, including a first-place finish his junior season at 160 pounds. Newberg finished his junior year with a 51-2 record and won the Most Outstanding Wrestler award in his division for his efforts on the mat. Newberg was dominant during his state championships season, recording 157 takedowns, 23 pins and 11 technical falls. As a sophomore, Newberg finished third at the state championships which helped him reach his 129 career win total. Newberg is a two-time NHSCA All-American, including a second place finish in 2009 as a freshman.

Manning Named FILA Freestyle Coach of the Year
After helping former Husker Jordan Burroughs become the first American to claim a World Championship since 2006, Nebraska Head Coach Marking Manning was named the international freestyle coach of the year for 2011, announced by FILA, the international wrestling federation, on Nov. 1. Manning was Burroughs' personal coach, as he made a meteoric rise through the international wrestling ranks and won his first World Championship in September.

Manning helped Burroughs capture the gold medal at 163 lbs./74 kg at this year's World Championships in Istanbul, Turkey, after already winning the U.S. Open and U.S. Team Trials titles earlier this year. Before his success at the international level, Burroughs became the school's only two-time national champion after capturing the 165-pound national title in 2011 and earning the prestigious Hodge Trophy, given to the nation's most outstanding wrestler, under Manning's tutelage.

Manning has an impressive track record on the international level having been a part of numerous World Team coaching staffs. Along with being a member of the 2011 staff, Manning also helped coach the 2009 team that competed in Denmark and placed seventh and was also part of the staff in 2010. In 2001, Manning was named the Head Coach of the freestyle team, but could not travel with the team after the tournament was moved from New York to Bulgaria following the September 11th attacks because of his collegiate coaching responsibilities. Manning was an assistant coach on the U.S. Olympic Team staff in 1996 and 2000.

Big Ten Network, BTN.com to Feature NU
With its move to the Big Ten, the Nebraska wrestling program will get added exposure from the Big Ten Network this season. Including their match against Wyoming, the Huskers will be featured seven times on BTN.com, while their home dual against Iowa on Jan. 13 will air on the Big Ten Network on tape delay at 9 p.m. BTN.com will stream NU's duals against Wyoming, Ohio State, Indiana, Purdue, Wisconsin, Penn State and Northern Iowa (if needed). BTN.com is a subscription-based offering, and can be purchased by visiting BTN.com

Huskers Move into Hendricks Training Complex
The Nebraska wrestling program experienced some major changes over the offseason when it moved into the new Hendricks Training Complex, which was opened in October. The new home for the wrestling and the men's and women's basketball programs, the Hendricks Training Complex is home to the Huskers' new wrestling room, which features four full-sized mats, more than doubling the size of the previous wrestling room at the Devaney Center. The $18.7 million complex also features a new 5,000-square foot weight room and is home to the Nebraska wrestling offices.