Jason Powell Season 2003-04

NCAA Championships
2004-Powell became Nebraska's eighth national champion with an impressive 17-2 technical fall over Illinois' Kyle Ott. Entering the championships as the top-seed at 125 pounds, Powell began his run at the title with a 10-1 major decision over unseeded Chris Helgeson of Northern Iowa. Powell was just as dominating in the second round, as he defeated Drew Opfer of Kent State, 13-1.

Following a pin over Rob Rebman of Drexel, Powell faced off against 2004 Big 12 champion Sam Hazewinkel of Oklahoma, Hazewinkel led Powell, 3-1 in the third period, before Powell scored a late reversal and three-point nearfall to take the match and advance to the finals.

2003-Powell earned his second All-America honor with a third-place finish at 125 pounds. Powell went 6-1 with his only loss of the tournament to NCAA runner-up Chris Fleeger of Purdue. Seeded ninth, Powell won his first-round match over Minnesota's Bobbe Lowe, 8-6, and topped Rocco Mansueto of Cleveland in the second round, 3-2, before suffering a quarterfinal loss to Fleeger, 3-0.

After dropping into the consolation bracket, Powell rebounded with a fall over 12th-seeded Vic Moneno of Cal Poly in 2:39, before recording his second pin over Lowe in a time of 1:03. Assured of All-America status, Powell defeated third-seeded Ben VomBaur of Boise State, 7-2, before knocking off fourth-seeded, A.J. Grant of Michigan with a pin of 4:38.

In addition to finishing third, Powell earned the Gorrarian Award, which is given to the wrestler who records the most pins in the least amount of time at the NCAA Championships.

2002-Powell notched a 6-2 record, earning his first-ever All-America honor with a fifth-place finish. Seeded ninth, Powell advanced with a pin over Ohio State's Jesse Leng in 4:18. He suffered a second-round defeat to eighth-seeded Shaun Williams of Oregon, 6-3. Powell claimed an 11-4 win against Michigan State's Chris Williams in the consolation bracket, and advanced with a 5-3 decision over 11th-seeded Travis Lee of Cornell.

Assured of All-America status, Powell lost to fourth-seeded Chris Fleeger of Purdue, 5-0, but came back to knock off third-seeded and 2002 Big 12 champion Skyler Holman of Oklahoma State in the fifth-place match, 5-4.

2001-Riding the high of winning a Big 12 championship, Powell was a favorite to compete for All-America honors at the NCAA Championships. Seeded fourth, Powell looked winded in his first-round match with Duke's unseeded Tommy Hoang, but took a 10-7 lead late into the third period after he scored a three-point nearfall off a cradle.

However, Hoang reversed the hold and pinned Powell with 17 seconds remaining. In the consolation bracket, Powell was eliminated from the tournament with an 11-5 loss to Oregon State's unseeded Nathan Navarro.

Big 12 Championships
2004-Powell  claimed second after he topped Iowa State's Grant Nakamura, 8-2, in the semifinals, but was upset by Oklahoma's Sam Hazewinkel, 5-2, in the final.

2003-Entering the Big 12 Championships as the second seed, Powell upset by third-seeded Skyler Holman of Oklahoma State, 10-5, in the opening round. In the consolation bracket, Powell defeated Mark Bader of Missouri, 7-2, and then ousted fourth-seeded Grant Nakamura of Iowa State, 10-2, to earn a third-place finish.

2002-Second-seeded Powell was upset by third-seeded Matt Ridings of Oklahoma, 6-4, but Powell fought back with two victories to place third. Powell major decisioned fifth-seeded Ty Malia of Iowa State, 16-2, and knocked off fourth-seeded Mark Bader of Missouri, 7-0.

2001-Powell entered the Big 12 Championships as the third seed, and was reeling after dropping three of his last five matches, two of which came to the top two 125-pound seeds. In the semifinals, Powell knocked off Oklahoma State's second-seeded Matt Brown, 4-1. In the final, Powell used a second-period takedown and two-point nearfall to defeat top-seeded Matt Riding of Oklahoma, 5-1, and capture the Big 12 title.

Career Notes
2004-Powell went 26-2 to earn an NCAA title. He also claimed first place at athe Las Vegas Invitational, and a runner-up showing at the Big 12 Championships. He went undefeated through the regular season in Big 12 action. His only loss in the regular season came to Bryce Leonhardt at Wyoming, 3-1. Powell became the 15th member of Nebraska's 100-win club with a 7-5 decision over Cody Stites of Oklahoma State on Feb. 7.  He finished with a career mark of 109-24.

2003-Powell recorded one of the best regular seasons in school history by going 35-6 overall with a 20-2 dual record. His 35 wins placed him in a tie for 15th all time in single-season wins, while his 20 dual victories placed him in a tie for third all time on the season dual cart. Of his 35 wins, 14 went for bonus points, including in by pin and five by major decision.

Powell earned second-place finishes at both the Mat Town Invitational and Las Vegas Invitational, losing both championship matches to Chris Fleeger of Purdue. Powell went 9-5 against ranked opponents, leading NU in dual points with 82, and tying for the team lead in falls with nine.

2002-Powell finished the season with a 29-8 overall record and a 13-4 dual mark. Of his 29 victories, 18 went for bonus points, including 15 by pin, one by technical fall and two by major decision. He started the season by winning the Kaufman-Brand Open, recording four pins and a major decision. Powell finished second at the Las Vegas Invitational with his only loss of the invite to top-ranked and eventual national champion Stephen Abas of Fresno State. Powell went 7-6 against ranked opponents, ranked second on the team in dual points and led the team with 15 pins.

2001-Powell went 19-8 to take the 125-pound ranks by storm during his first varsity season. Starting the year unranked, Powell moved as high as fourth and became only the fifth freshman in school history to win a conference title. The end of Powell's season was a disappointment though, as he went 0-2 at the NCAA Championships as the No. 4 seed. He posted an 8-6 record against ranked opponents, including a 13-11 upset of third-ranked Leroy Vega of Minnesota on Jan. 11.

After dropping two dual matchups in Oklahoma in mid-February, Powell bounced back with a vengeance to take the title at the Big 12 Championships. Powell ranked second on the team in falls with six, four of which came in his first five matches of the season.

2000-Powell put together a 16-7 record while wrestling in open tournaments as a freshman. He finished third at the Northern Iowa Open and took fourth at the Harold Nichols Open and Great Plains Open. The summer after his redshirt season, Powell took second place at the FILA Junior World Championship at 119 pounds.

Before Nebraska-Powell was rated as the top recruit in the nation at 125 pounds by InterMat before coming to Nebraska. During his prep career, Powell put together three individual state championships. He also led Choctaw High School to the team title his senior year. Powell went undefeated during both his junior and senior years for Coach Benny Coleman. Powell's career record was 105-3. He was a two-time winner of the Junior National Freestyle Championships, and was also a three-time Junior National Greco-Roman champion.

Personal-The son of Lisa and Kenny Powell, Jason has one siter, Jennifer, and one brother, Carson. Jason was born on May 5, 1981. He is a sociology major.