Huskers Host North Carolina, Oklahoma State This Weekend

The No. 6 Nebraska wrestling team (5-2, 0-0 Big Ten) opens a four-dual homestand Friday against No. 16 North Carolina and Sunday against No. 5 Oklahoma State at the Devaney Center. NU’s dual with North Carolina on Friday, Dec. 19, begins at 7 p.m. (CT) and will be streamed on B1G+, while the matchup Sunday, Dec. 21, against Oklahoma State is set for 1 p.m. (CT) on BTN. 

NU’s dual against North Carolina could feature up to seven ranked matchups while Sunday’s contest against Oklahoma State may include as many as nine. All six returning All-Americans have made a significant impact on the Husker lineup. Jacob Van Dee, Brock Hardy, Antrell Taylor, Christopher Minto, Silas Allred and Camden McDanel combine for a 27-11 dual record and have scored 114 dual points for the Big Red this season. 

Top Bouts to Watch
Nebraska vs. North Carolina:
133: No. 8 Jacob Van Dee is projected to face No. 15 Ethan Oakley. Both wrestlers enter the dual with a 4-0 dual record and multiple ranked wins. The two met last season, with Van Dee defeating Oakley in a 10-9 decision. 

Nebraska vs. Oklahoma State:
141: No. 3 Brock Hardy is projected to take on No. 2 Sergio Vega. The pair met just a month ago when Vega earned a 13-2 win over Hardy and later claimed Big 12 Wrestler of the Week honors. Both wrestlers have produced similar results against common opponents. The true freshman Vega is 7-0 in duals this season with four top 25 victories.  

165: No. 10 LJ Araujo is projected to face No. 2 LaDarion Lockett. Araujo has put together an impressive redshirt freshman campaign, holding a 4-1 dual record with three top 20 wins. Araujo and Lockett were set to compete on Nov. 16 at the National Duals, but the bout did not take place due to injury. Lockett, a true freshman, is currently 7-0 on the season.  

Last Time Out
NU used 10 bonus-point victories to sweep the day and claim two dual wins, defeating Brown (44-3) and Missouri (27-10) on Friday, Dec. 5. The Huskers improved to 5-2 on the season, tallying three pins and seven technical falls at Hustle in the Heartland.  

History
North Carolina
Series: Nebraska leads, 15-2-0
Last Meeting: Nov. 15, 2024 in Chapel Hill, N.C. (Nebraska won 34-3)

Oklahoma State
Series: Oklahoma State leads, 51-4-1
Last Meeting: Nov. 16, 2025 in Tulsa, Okla. (Nebraska lost 33-6)

Up Next
Nebraska will remain at home to host No. 12 Northern Iowa on Saturday, Jan. 3. Dual action begins at 6 p.m. (CT) and will be streamed on B1G+. 

No. 6 Nebraska’s Projected Lineup
125- Alan Koehler or Kael Lauridsen
133- No. 8 Jacob Van Dee
141- No. 3 Brock Hardy 
149- Scott Robertson or Nikade Zinkin or No. 5 Chance Lamer (Sunday only)
157- No. 6 Antrell Taylor
165- No. 10 LJ Araujo or Jagger Condomitti
174- No. 6 Christopher Minto 
184- No. 9 Silas Allred or Tyler Eise
197- No. 12 Camden McDanel
HWT- No. 4 AJ Ferrari or Cade Ziola

No. 16 North Carolina’s Projected Lineup
125- No. 16 Kysen Terukina or Cameron Stinson
133- No. 15 Ethan Oakley
141- No. 19 Luke Simcox or Nick O’Neill
149- Nate Askew
157- No. 33 Laird Root or Joey Showalter
165- No. 18 Bryce Hepner
174- Collin Carrigan or Cade Tenold
184- No. 24 Jake Dailey
197- No. 33 Robert Platt or Mikey Calcagno
HWT- No. 28 Nolan Neves 

No. 5 Oklahoma State’s Projected Lineup
125- No. 7 Troy Spratley
133- No. 21 Ronnie Ramirez or Richard Figueroa II
141- No. 2 Sergio Vega
149- No. 17 Casey Swiderski
157- No. 2 Landon Robideau
165- No. 2 LaDarion Lockett
174- No. 13 Alex Facundo
184- No. 10 Zack Ryder
197- No. 7 Cody Merrill
HWT- No. 7 Konner Doucet

*Based off Intermat Rankings

Scouting North Carolina
North Carolina is undefeated this season at 6-0 and is coming off a ranked win over No. 17 West Virginia, 27-7, on Dec. 12. The Tar Heels have eight wrestlers ranked in Intermat’s top 33, including four in the top 20. 

Scouting Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State is 7-1 on the season, with six of its wins coming against NWCA top 25 opponents. The Cowboys are coming off a 34-3 win over No. 17 West Virginia on Dec. 14. Their lone loss came at the National Duals on Nov. 16, falling to Iowa, 18-16. All 10 Oklahoma State starters are ranked, including seven in the top 10.

Quick Notes 

• Nebraska won its fourth-straight Navy Classic team title on Nov. 2. 
• Jacob Van Dee enters the week one win shy of 50 career victories (49-23). 
• Chance Lamer is 10-0 while wrestling unattached this season and may make his Husker dual debut Sunday against No. 5 Oklahoma State. 
• In this week’s Intermat NCAA Wrestling Rankings, nine Huskers are ranked, led by seniors Brock Hardy, AJ Ferrari and Chance Lamer with top-five placements. Hardy sits third at 141 pounds, Ferrari is fourth at heavyweight and Lamer ranks fifth at 149 pounds. Antrell Taylor (157) and Christopher Minto (174) are each ranked sixth, while junior Jacob Van Dee checks in at No. 8 at 133 pounds. Additionally, Silas Allred (184) is ranked No. 9, LJ Araujo (165) at No. 10 and Camden McDanel (197) at No. 12. 
• Last month, the Big Red finalized its 2026 recruiting class. Davis Parrow, Jason Singer, Tad Forsyth, Zaiyahn Ornelas, Nikolas Rotella, Mason Petersen, Noah Bull, Nolan Fellers and Elijah Collick will join the program for the 2026-27 season.

Team leaders by category among starters: 

• Dual Record: Van Dee (4-0)
• Dual Points: Hardy (27)
• Dual Takedowns: Hardy (20)
• Pins: Van Dee / Hardy / Allred (2)
• Technical Falls: Hardy / Taylor (3)
• Major Decisions: Lamer (5)
• Quickest Pin: Lauridsen (1:13)