Huskers Host Indiana on Senior DayHuskers Host Indiana on Senior Day
Wrestling

Huskers Host Indiana on Senior Day

 Sunday, Jan. 28  2 p.m. (CT)  Lincoln, Neb. (Bob Devaney Sports Center)
 Indiana Hoosiers  6-6 (0-5 Big Ten)  Indiana Match Notes | @IndianaWR
 #16 Nebraska Cornhuskers  6-3 (4-1 Big Ten)  Nebraska Match Notes | @HuskerWrestling
 Senior Day  Tickets  BTN Plus | FloWrestling

No. 16 Nebraska closes its home schedule this Sunday, as the Huskers welcome Indiana to the Devaney Center for Senior Day.

Sunday’s matinee is set to begin at 2 p.m. (CT). Tickets are available and on sale now at Huskers.com/Tickets, or by calling 1-800-8-BIG-RED. The first 100 fans will receive a free red Nebraska sweater vest. A live stream will available on BTN Plus and FloWrestling (subscription required for both).

Nebraska’s four seniors - Justin Arthur, Eric Engler, Mitchell Maginnis and Colton McCrystal - will be honored on the mat prior to the match.

Nebraska enters Sunday with a 6-3 record and a 4-1 mark in the Big Ten, as the Huskers have won each of their last four duals. Indiana is 6-6 on the year, and 0-5 in Big Ten action after dropping a 24-19 decision against No. 21 Wisconsin on Friday.

Six Huskers are ranked in the latest InterMat poll coming into this weekend, including a pair of top-10 wrestlers in Taylor Venz (Seventh at 184) and Tyler Berger (Eighth at 157). Colton McCrystal is 101th at 149, while Chad Red Jr. (141) and Isaiah White (165) were ranked 12th at their respective weights. Freshman Jason Renteria made his debut in the rankings this week, as he came in at 18th at 133 after winning his first three career dual matches. Six Huskers were also ranked in the initial NCAA Coaches’ Panel Rankings which were released last Thursday.

Last Time Out

Nebraska completed a weekend sweep of top-20 opponents, as the Huskers defeated 16th-ranked Rutgers on Sunday by a 19-13 margin after winning the final four matches by decision. Nebraska also took down No. 20 Northwestern by criteria, 19-18, last Friday.

Up Next

Nebraska will close the dual season with four-consecutive road duals, beginning next Friday at No. 7 Michigan, before NU travels to Michigan State next Sunday.

Quick Notes

  • Nebraska has outscored its nine dual opponents by a combined score of 193-126
  • Nebraska has won 48 of 90 individual matches in dual competition
  • Five starters have surpassed the 15-win plateau, with Patrick Grayson (HWT) leading the way with 19 wins. Taylor Venz (184) and Isaiah White (165) each have 16 wins.
  • White (165) leads the Huskers with seven wins in dual competition. Colton McCrystal (149), Tyler Berger (157), Venz (184) and Eric Schultz (197) each have six dual wins
  • White (165) has scored the most dual points for Nebraska (28) this season
  • Venz (184) leads all starters in pins (7) this season
  • Grayson (HWT), Venz (184) and White (165) lead starters with three technical falls a piece this season
  • Grayson (HWT) leads starters in major decisions (5) this season

Six Huskers Ranked in First NCAA Coaches' Panel Rankings

Six Nebraska wrestlers were ranked in the initial NCAA Division I Coaches’ Panel Rankings, released last Thursday. Taylor Venz was the highest ranked Husker, coming in at sixth at 184 pounds. Tyler Berger joined him in the top 10, as he was rated eighth at 157.

Colton McCrystal was ranked 11th at 149 pounds, while Chad Red Jr. (141) and Isaiah White (165) were ranked 12th. Eric Schultz rounded out the list of Huskers in the rankings, as he came in at 25th at 197.

Wrestlers in each weight class will be measured by winning percentage, rating percentage index (RPI) and coaches’ rankings to earn spots in their qualifying tournaments for the 2018 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. The coaches’ rankings are compiled by a vote of coaches representing each qualifying tournament. For ranking purposes, coaches may only consider a wrestler that has been designated as a starter at a respective weight class. To be eligible for the rankings, wrestlers must have participated in at least five matches against Division I opponents in the weight class and have wrestled within the last 30 days.

White Shows Consistency in First Season as a Husker

Sophomore Isaiah White (165) is proving his place as one of the top wrestlers at his weight in the country in his first season in a Nebraska singlet. White is 7-1 in duals, a win total that leads Nebraska starters.

White also leads NU starters in dual points (28) and dual takedowns (28) and has been taken down just once in dual competition. He has outscored his six dual opponents by a combined score of 78-29, not including a pin in his match against Maryland.

White has seven wins by bonus points on the season, including a pin, three technical falls and three major decisions. He finished second at the Daktronics Open in November and defeated four ranked opponents to finish third at the Cliff Keen Invitational in December. His only losses are to top-12 opponents Nick Wanzek (Minnesota, Te’Shan Campbell (Ohio State) and Richie Lewis (Rutgers).

White won the NCAA Division II title at 165 pounds last season for Notre Dame College (Ohio) before transferring to Nebraska last summer. He went 28-2 overall as a freshman.

Venz Dominating During Redshirt Freshman Campaign

Taylor Venz (184) has a team leading seven pins this season along with three technical falls and one major decision on the year.

At the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, Venz burst on the scene with four pins on the first day of competition, including a pair in under 15 seconds and two more over top-eight opponents. Venz finished third at the tournament, as the previously unranked wrestler jumped to sixth in the next week’s InterMat rankings.

Three of Venz’s six wins in dual matches have come by bonus points, as he has a pin, a technical fall and a major decision. He defeated Mitch Sliga of Northwestern by a 3-1 decision last Friday.

In a 28-4 redshirt season last year, Venz pinned eight opponents, defeated seven by tech fall and won six major decisions.

Experienced Pair Back to Business

Tyler Berger (157) and Colton McCrystal (149) are Nebraska’s two returning NCAA qualifiers from last season, and the pair bounced back from a combined 0-3 weekend in mid-December with a combined record of 9-1 with four bonus-point wins in NU’s first five Big Ten duals.

Berger, an All-American at 157 pounds a season ago, is 15-4 this season with seven of his wins against ranked wrestlers. He won the Daktronics Open and finished fourth at the Cliff Keen Invitational.

McCrystal, who qualified for the NCAA Championships at 141 pounds last season, moved up to 149 this year and is 13-3 on the year with a pair of wins over ranked opponents. He is 6-2 in duals this season, with bonus points in three of his last four matches.

Redshirt Freshmen Stepping Up

Four redshirt freshmen, Chad Red Jr. (141), Beau Breske (174), Taylor Venz (184) and Eric Schultz (197) have become strong forces in Nebraska’s starting lineup this season.

Red, ranked 12th at 141, is 14-6 on the season. Three of his six losses have come to No. 1 Bryce Meredith of Wyoming and No. 2 Kevin Jack of NC State, all by decision.

Venz leads starters in pins (7) and has defeated four top-11 opponents.

Schultz is 11-6 on the year with four of his losses coming to top-10 opponents. He did not place at the Cliff Keen Invitational, but gained valuable experience as he took top-ranked Kollin Moore of Ohio State right to the end in a 3-2 loss.

Beau Breske has also been featured in the lineup since early December, as he is 9-6 on the year with a win over a ranked opponent at the Cliff Keen Invitational. He notched his first dual win over Adis Radoncic of North Carolina, and followed it up with a pair of wins against Illinois and Maryland.

Renteria a Force in Husker Lineup

True freshman Jason Renteria didn’t wrestle in a match in a Husker singlet until NU’s Jan. 7 contest against Maryland, but has racked up two bonus-point wins on the way to a 3-0 record since. The Huskers hadn’t won a match at 133 pounds through the first five duals of the year, but Renteria has scored 13 dual points in three appearances, all Husker wins.

Renteria scored a pin in 1:48 over Danny Bertoni of Maryland in his first varsity match on Jan. 7, before he took down his first ranked opponent in a 15-5 major decision over No. 19 Colin Valdiviez of Northwestern last Friday. He scored another win over a ranked opponent in a 14-11 decision over returning NCAA qualifier and 17th-ranked Scott DelVecchio of Rutgers last Sunday.

Renteria is now ranked 18th in this week’s InterMat rankings.

New Contributors Record First Dual Wins

With six starters, including three All-Americans, lost to graduation from a season ago, Nebraska’s starting lineup is dramatically different than it was a season ago.

Twelve Huskers saw their first dual action of their careers in a Nebraska singlet this season, as Kris Williams (125), Mitchell Maginnis (125), Zak Hensley (133), Brian Peska (133), Jason Renteria (133), Chad Red Jr. (141), Johnny Blankenship (165), Isaiah White (165), Beau Breske (174), Taylor Venz (184), Eric Schultz (197) and Patrick Grayson (HWT) have each been inserted into Nebraska’s dual lineup for the first time this season.

Ten Huskers picked up their first dual wins of their careers so far this season, as Williams, White and Schultz each won by decision against Wyoming, while Venz and David Jensen (HWT) both won by technical falls in the Wyoming dual. Breske won his first dual match against North Carolina, while Maginnis and Renteria both earned their first dual wins against Maryland. Grayson is the latest Husker to pick up his first varsity win, as he earned a win in the Rutgers dual.

Huskers Working Through Tough Schedule

Nebraska will face seven teams in dual action in 2017-18 that finished in the top 25 at the NCAA Championships last season: Michigan (10th), Illinois (11th), Wisconsin (13th), NC State (17th), Rutgers (19th), Wyoming (21st) and Stanford (24th).

In addition, NU has nine teams on the slate currently ranked in the USA Today/NWCA Coaches Poll: NC State (6th), Michigan (7th), Illinois (15th), Rutgers (18th), Northwestern (20th), Wisconsin (21st), Wyoming (22nd), Purdue (24th) and North Carolina (25th).

Scouting Indiana

2017-18 Dual Record: 6-6 (0-5 Big Ten)

  • Wins (6): Bloomsburg (19-18), Eastern Michigan (25-12), Indianapolis (34-8), Northern Illinois (33-6), SIU Edwardsville (40-6), Cleveland State (37-7)
  • Losses (6): Binghamton (29-6), #2 Ohio State (26-9), #1 Penn State (44-3), #8 Michigan (43-0), Michigan State (18-15), #23 Wisconsin (24-19)

Devin Skatzka (174) helped Indiana to a third-place finish at the Clarion Open with a second-place finish.

Bryce Martin (165) and Skatzka (174) placed second at the Navy Classic to help Indiana to a fourth-place finish.

Indiana placed 15th at the Midlands Championships with 34.5 team points, led by a runner-up finish from Cole Weaver (141).

Indiana is coached by Duane Goldman (26th season at Indiana/overall)

  • Record at Indiana/overall: 297-186-5

All-Time Against Indiana

Nebraska is 14-5 all-time against Indiana in a series that dates back to 1929. The Hoosiers won the first four matchups in the series, but the Huskers have won 14 of the last 15 meetings, including each of the last 10 and all four matchups as Big Ten foes.