Matt Keller Season 2004-05

NCAA Championships<?xml:namespace prefix="o" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"?>

2005-Matt Keller went 1-2 in his second trip to the NCAA Championships. He won his first-round match with a 2-1 decision over Joe Kemmerer of UNC-Greensboro.  He lost a tight battle in the second round, 5-3, to Andrew Hochstrasser of Boise State and an 11-6 decision to Robbie Preston of Harvard eliminated Keller.

 

2004-Keller fell one match short of becoming an All-American as a redshirt freshman.  He was defeated by Kyle Ott of <?xml:namespace prefix="st1" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"?>Illinois, 12-5 in the consolation round.  Keller started nationals as the No. 9 seed, and defeated Paul Gross of Stanford, 11-9.  Keller scored a takedown with two seconds to go in the match to clinch the first-round victory. In the second round, Matt Sanchez of Cal State-Bakersfield beat Keller by fall 4:57 into the match.  Keller started a three-match run through the consolation bracket with a 7-4 win over Purdue’s Rene Hernandez.  He then knocked off David Hoffman of Virginia Tech 11-6, to move one win away from All-America status.  Keller finished with a 3-2 record in his first trip to nationals.

 

Big 12 Championships

2005-Keller earned a first-round bye with his second seed, but was pinned by Coleman Scott of Oklahoma State in the second round. Keller rebounded for a 10-3 decision over Tim Kephart of Missouri to earn a trip to the NCAA Championships for the second consecutive season.

 

2004-Keller finished third at the 2004 Big 12 Championships, despite losing in the first round to IowaState’s Zach Roberson, 7-5.  Keller jumped out to a 5-3 lead against the 2004 133-pound national champion, but was unable to hang on.  Keller rebounded with a 12-3 major decision over Brett Watkins of Missouri.  Keller punched his ticket to nationals with a 6-3 win over Mimi Miller of Oklahoma.

 

Career Notes

2005-Keller finished the 2004-2005 season with an impressive 20-8 overall record, including 13-3 in duals. Keller racked up three major decision and four pins, with his quicket pin coming in just 38 seconds. Keller racked up 51 dual points for the Huskers as he earned 21 takedowns.

 

2004-Highlighted by an eight-match winning streak from Dec. 22 to Jan. 10, Keller’s first season of varsity competition was an impressive one.  Included in his eight-match winning streak were victories over three ranked opponents.   

 

In all, Keller finished with a record of 28-12 and was named Big 12 Wrestler of the Week for the week of Feb. 17-23 after defeating 18th-ranked Mimi Miller of Oklahoma by fall 5:24 into the match.  Keller's victory was the first match of the dual, which the Huskers won 25-12 to snap a five-dual losing streak to the Sooners.

 

The match against Miller was the fourth of five consecutive ranked opponents for Keller. Keller navigated that stretch with a 3-2 record, including three bonus-point victories.

 

Keller, who won seven of his 10 matches against ranked opponents during the regular season, tied John Buxton for sixth-most wins for a freshman in a season.  Keller finished seventh in the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational with a 6-2 record.

 

2003-Keller went 28-3 wrestling in open tournaments as a redshirt in 2003. Keller took individual titles at the Oklahoma, Dana and UNO Glen Brand Open, while adding a second-place finish at the Nebraska-Kearney Open and two third-place finishes at UNI and Missouri Valley Opens. Of Keller’s 28 wins, 14 came by pin with two technical falls and two major decisions.

 

Before Nebraska-Keller brought an impressive high school wrestling background to Nebraska.  A four-time state high school state champion, Keller suffered only two losses during his prep career.  He was a three-time All-American and Tennessee Wrestler of the Year.  Keller lettered four times in wrestling.

 

Personal-The son of David and Margie Keller, Matt was born on Aug. 22, 1983.  Matt has one brother Josh, 23, and one sister, Niki, 20.  He has not declared a major.