Dudley Pins His Way to Third Place at NCAAs

St. Louis, Mo. – Senior TJ Dudley (184) led the Huskers in the medal round with a third-place finish during Session V of the NCAA Championships at the Scottrade Center on Saturday.

Nebraska finished ninth as a team with 59.5 points, marking the 21st top-10 finish in program history and third consecutive season with a top-10 NCAA team finish. The 59.5 team points are the most by a Husker team at the tournament since 2009. Penn State captured the team title with 146.5 points, while Ohio State (110) and Oklahoma State (103) round out the top three.

Dudley, a three-time All-American, pinned No. 3 seed Sammy Brooks (Iowa) in 2:38. The fall came after Dudley won a 15-8 decision over No. 4 seed Nolan Boyd (Oklahoma State) earlier in the session. Dudley, who went 6-1 at the tournament, finishes his senior season with a 33-5 record. He took runner-up honors at the 2016 NCAA Championships after finishing eighth in 2015.

Tyler Berger (157) and Aaron Studebaker (197) each finished fifth during Session V. Berger, a sophomore making his second career NCAA appearance, went 1-1 on Saturday. He fell to No. 2 seed Michael Kemerer (Iowa), 10-1, before downing seventh-seeded Dylan Palacio (Cornell) in the fifth-place bout, 6-3. Berger led the Huskers with 36 wins this season.

Studebaker, making his third NCAA appearance, earned a spot on the podium for the first time in his career and managed to split his matches on Saturday. He lost to No. 3 seed Kollin Moore (Ohio State), 8-4, but responded with a 9-0 major decision over sixth-seeded Preston Weigel (Oklahoma State) in his following match. Studebaker, a senior from Raymond, Neb., finishes the season with a 33-10 mark.

Senior Eric Montoya, a two-time All-American, took sixth place at 133 pounds. He dropped narrow decisions to No. 1 seed Nathan Tomasello (Ohio State) and No. 3 seed Kaid Brock (Oklahoma State) on Saturday. Montoya, who took fifth place at last year’s tournament, finishes this season with a 30-7 record.

NCAA Championships
March 16-18, 2017
Scottrade Center
St. Louis, Mo.

125 pounds
First Round: #5 Tim Lambert (NEB) dec. Brock Hudkins (NIU), 9-2
Second Round: #12 Sean Fausz (NCST) dec. #5 Tim Lambert (NEB), 3-1
Consolation Second Round: #5 Tim Lambert (NEB) dec. Jose Rodriguez (OHST), 6-1
Consolation Third Round: #5 Tim Lambert (NEB) pin #13 Shakur Laney (OHIO), 5:57
Consolation Fourth Round: #2 Joey Dance (VT) sudden victory-1 #5 Tim Lambert (NEB), 3-1
Finish: Round of 12 (3-2 record)

133 pounds
First Round: #7 Eric Montoya (NEB) dec. Mark Grey (CORN), 6-1
Second Round: #7 Eric Montoya (NEB) major dec. #10 John Erneste (MIZZ), 14-2
Quarterfinals: #2 Seth Gross (SDSU) major dec. #7 Eric Montoya (NEB), 11-1
Consolation Fourth Round: #7 Eric Montoya (NEB) dec. Scott Delvecchio (RUT), 8-5
Consolation Quarterfinals: #7 Eric Montoya (NEB) dec. #9 Scotty Parker (LEH), 7-1
Consolation Semifinals: #1 Nathan Tomasello (OHST) dec. #7 Eric Montoya (NEB), 4-1
Fifth-Place Match: #3 Kaid Brock (OKST) dec. #7 Eric Montoya (NEB), 5-3
Finish: 6th (4-3 record)

141 pounds
First Round: #9 Colton McCrystal (NEB) dec. Noah Forrider (OHIO), 7-1
Second Round: #8 Jaydin Eierman (MIZZ) dec. #9 Colton McCrystal (NEB), 9-6
Consolation Second Round: #9 Colton McCrystal (NEB) major dec. Mike Longo (OKLA), 12-4
Consolation Third Round: #9 Colton McCrystal (NEB) dec. #16 Jared Prince (NAVY), 8-5
Consolation Fourth Round: #14 Tommy Thorn (MINN) dec. #9 Colton McCrystal (NEB), 10-6
Finish: Round of 12 (3-2 record)

157 pounds
First Round: #4 Tyler Berger (NEB) dec. Ryan Mosley (GW), 9-2
Second Round: #4 Tyler Berger (NEB) dec. Kyle Langenderfer (ILL), 11-7
Quarterfinals: #4 Tyler Berger (NEB) sudden victory-1 #5 Joseph Smith (OKST), 3-1
Semifinals: #1 Jason Nolf (PSU) major dec. #4 Tyler Berger (NEB), 13-5
Consolation Semifinals: #2 Michael Kemerer (IOWA) major dec. #4 Tyler Berger (NEB), 10-1
Fifth-Place Match: #4 Tyler Berger (NEB) dec. #7 Dylan Palacio (CORN), 6-3
Finish: 5th (4-2 record)

184 pounds
First Round: #7 TJ Dudley (NEB) tech fall Michale Fagg-Daves (RID), 17-0
Second Round: #7 TJ Dudley (NEB) dec. #10 Michael Macchiavello (NCST), 6-1
Quarterfinals: #2 Bo Nickal (PSU) pin #7 TJ Dudley (NEB), 4:33
Consolation Fourth Round: #7 TJ Dudley (NEB) dec. Nicholas Gravina (RUT), 4-1
Consolation Quarterfinals: #7 TJ Dudley (NEB) dec. #9 Nathan Jackson (IND), 4-0
Consolation Semifinals: #7 TJ Dudley (NEB) dec. #4 Nolan Boyd (OKST), 15-8
Third-Place Match: #7 TJ Dudley (NEB) pin #3 Sammy Brooks (IOWA), 2:38
Finish: 3rd (6-1 record)

197 pounds
First Round: #7 Aaron Studebaker (NEB) pin Brett Harner (PRIN), 4:52
Second Round: #10 Kevin Beazley (ODU) pin #7 Aaron Studebaker (NEB), 6:11
Consolation Second Round: #7 Aaron Studebaker (NEB) dec. #9 Nate Rotert (SDSU), 2-0
Consolation Third Round: #7 Aaron Studebaker (NEB) dec. Brad Johnson (OKLA), 2-0
Consolation Fourth Round: #7 Aaron Studebaker (NEB) major dec. #5 Matt McCutcheon (PSU), 13-2
Consolation Quarterfinals: #7 Aaron Studebaker (NEB) major dec. #8 Ryan Wolfe (RID), 12-4
Consolation Semifinals: #3 Kollin Moore (OHST) dec. #7 Aaron Studebaker (NEB), 8-4
Fifth-Place Match: #7 Aaron Studebaker (NEB) major dec. #6 Preston Weigel (OKST), 9-0
Finish: 5th (6-2 record)

Heavyweight
First Round: Mike Kosoy (NCST) dec. #13 Collin Jensen (NEB), 5-2
Consolation First Round: #13 Collin Jensen (NEB) dec. Gage Hutchison (EMU), 5-4
Consolation Second Round: #14 Thomas Haines (LHU) pin #13 Collin Jensen (NEB), 4:51
Finish: DNP (1-2 record)