Honors & Awards
- 2nd Place (4-1 record) at NCAA Championships (2019)
- 2nd Place (2-1 record) at Big Ten Championships (2019)
- Nebraska Best Male Athlete (All Sports, 2019)
- Open Mat College Wrestler of the Week (Jan. 7, 2019)
- USA Wrestling Athlete of the Week (Jan. 7, 2019)
- Three-Time NCAA All-American (5th, 157, 2017; 3rd, 157, 2018; 2nd, 2019)
- Four-Time NCAA Championships Qualifier (2016, 2017, 2018, 2019)
- 3rd Place (6-1 record) at Cliff Keen Invitational (Dec. 2018)
- Nebraska Most Outstanding Wrestler (2017-18)
- Nebraska Most Improved Wrestler (2016-17)
- NWCA All-Academic Team (2017, 2018)
- Four-Time Academic All-Big Ten Honoree (2016, 2017, 2018, 2019)
- Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll (Spring 2015; Fall 2015, 2016)
- Tom Osborne Citizenship Team (2017, 2018, 2019)
- Big Ten Outstanding Sportsmanship Award (2019)
2018-19 (Senior)
NCAA Championships – 2nd (4-1) – 157 pounds
- First Round: Defeated #31 Ben Barton (Campbell) by tech. fall, 16-1
- Second Round: Pinned #15 Eric Barone (6:07)
- Quarterfinals: Defeated #7 Larry Early (Old Dominion) by decision, 5-2
- Semifinals: Defeated #6 Kaleb Young (Iowa) by decision, 5-3
- Championships: Lost to #1 Jason Nolf (Penn State), by major decision, 10-2
Big Ten Championships – 2nd (2-1) – 157 pounds
- Quarterfinals: Defeated #15 John Van Brill (Rutgers) in an 11-5 decision
- Semifinals: Defeated #8 Steve Bleise (Minnesota) by decision, 6-3
- Championships: Lost to #1 Jason Nolf (Penn State), by major decision, 12-4
Regular Season – 157 pounds
- 24-3 overall record (16-1 dual record)
- Won eight out of 17 duals by bonus points
- Second on the team with seven victories by major decision
- Finished 2nd at 2019 Big Ten Championships
- 3rd Place (6-1 record) at 2018 Cliff Keen Invitational
- Earned his 100th career victory on Dec. 15 at UNC, becoming the 28th Husker to win 100 matches
- Defeated #4 Hayden Hidlay (NC State) on Dec. 16 and #2 Ryan Deakin (Northwestern) on Jan. 5
- Took down #7 Kaleb Young (Iowa) in sudden victory on Feb. 3 to record his 107th career win
2017-18 (Junior)
NCAA Championships – 3rd (6-1) – 157 pounds
- First Round: Defeated Joe Velliquette (Penn) by decision, 9-3
- Second Round: Defeated #9 Archie Colgan (Wyoming) by tiebreaker-1, 2-1
- Quarterfinals: Lost to #1 Hayden Hidlay (NC State) by decision, 3-2
- Cons. Fourth Round: Defeated Paul Fox (Stanford) by decision, 6-3
- Cons. Quarterfinals: Defeated #13 Luke Zilverberg (South Dakota State) by decision, 6-0
- Cons. Semifinals: Defeated Micah Jordan (Ohio State) by sudden victory-1, 4-2
- Third-Place Match: Defeated #6 Michael Kemerer (Iowa) by injury default, 1:36
Big Ten Championships – 4th (4-2) – 157 pounds
- First Round: Defeated Shayne Oster (Northwestern) by decision, 8-3
- Quarterfinals: Lost to #6 Micah Jordan (Ohio State) by decision, 4-3
- Cons. Second Round: Defeated Justin Alexander (Maryland) by decision, 7-2
- Cons. Quarterfinals: Defeated #18 John Van Brill (Rutgers) by decision, 5-1
- Cons. Semifinals: Defeated #1 Jason Nolf (Penn State) by medical forfeit
- Third-Place Match: Lost to #19 Andrew Crone (Wisconsin) by decision, 6-2
Regular Season – 157 pounds
- 28-9 record overall (9-4 in duals)
- Bonus Points: two pins and four major decisions
- Went 7-0 in overtime matches
- Won Daktronics Open with a 4-0 record (Nov. 5)
- Placed fourth at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational (Dec. 1-2)
- Scored 15.5 team points at the NCAA Championships
- Had 13 wins against ranked or seeded opponents, while eight of his nine losses were to ranked or seeded opponents
- Prior to the season, placed second at 70 kg the USA Wrestling U23 World Team Trials
2016-17 (Sophomore)
NCAA Championships – 5th (4-2) – 157 pounds
- First Round: Defeated Ryan Mosley (Gardner-Webb) by decision, 9-2
- Second Round: Defeated Kyle Langenderfer (Illinois) by decision, 11-7
- Quarterfinals: Defeated #5 Joseph Smith (Oklahoma State) by sudden victory-1, 3-1
- Semifinals: Lost to #1 Jason Nolf (Penn State) by major decision, 13-5
- Cons. Semifinals: Lost to #2 Michael Kemerer (Iowa) by major decision, 10-1
- Fifth-Place Match: Defeated #7 Dylan Palacio (Cornell) by decision, 6-3
Big Ten Championships – 3rd (5-1) – 157 pounds
- First Round: Defeated Ben Sullivan (Northwestern) by technical fall, 16-1
- Quarterfinals: Lost to #10 Brian Murphy (Michigan) by sudden victory-1, 3-1
- Cons. Second Round: Defeated Justin Alexander (Maryland) by major decision, 10-1
- Cons. Quarterfinals: Defeated #19 John Van Brill (Rutgers) by decision, 6-0
- Cons. Semifinals: Defeated #9 Jake Short (Minnesota) by major decision, 13-2
- Third-Place Match: Defeated #10 Brian Murphy (Michigan) by decision, 5-2
Regular Season – 157 pounds
- 36-6 record overall (14-2 in duals)
- Bonus Points: three pins, seven technical falls and five major decisions
- Won Daktronics Open title (Nov. 6)
- Won Harold Nichols Cyclone Open title (Nov. 13)
- Finished second at the Midlands Championships (Dec. 29-30)
- Scored 10 team points at the NCAA Championships
- Led all Husker starters in wins (36)
- Five of his six losses on the season were to the top-two NCAA seeds (#1 Jason Nolf and #2 Michael Kemerer)
2015-16 (Redshirt Freshman)
NCAA Championships - Round of 12 (3-2) - 157 pounds
- First Round: Lost to #13 Edwin Cooper Jr. (Iowa) by decision, 8-3
- Cons. First Round: Defeated Aaron Walker (Citadel) by decision, 7-4
- Cons. Second Round: Defeated May Bethea (Penn) by decision, 7-4
- Cons. Third Round: Defeated Bryce Steiert (N. Illinois) by major decision, 12-2
- Cons. Fourth Round: Lost to #8 Nick Brascetta (Virginia Tech) by decision, 3-2
Big Ten Championships - 7th (2-2) - 157 pounds
- Quarterfinals: Lost to #2 Isaiah Martinez (Illinois) by decision, 14-11
- Cons. Second Round: Defeated Doug Welch (Purdue) by technical fall, 16-0
- Cons. Quarterfinals: Lost to #12 Richie Lewis (Rutgers) by decision, 5-3
- Seventh-Place Match: Defeated TJ Ruschell (Wisconsin) by decision, 12-5
Regular Season - 157 pounds
- 24-13 record overall (10-7 in duals)
- Bonus Points: two pins, three technical falls and four major decisions
- Won his first 10 matches, including a 7-5 sudden victory over #5 Mitch Minotti (Lehigh) on Nov. 15
- Won the Daktronics Open title (Nov. 1)
- Finished seventh at the Midlands Championships (Dec. 29-30)
2014-15 (Redshirt)
Regular Season - 149/157 pounds
- 29-5 record overall
- Bonus Points: five pins, five technical falls and five major decisions
- Won the Cowboy Open title (Nov. 8)
- Won the York College Open title (Dec. 13)
- Won the Briar Cliff Open (Feb. 7)
- Runner-up at the Warren Williamson/Daktronics Open (Nov. 2)
- Finished third at the Nebraska-Kearney Holiday Inn Open (Nov. 22)
- Finished sixth at the Southern Scuffle (Jan. 1-2)
Before Nebraska
- Wrestled at Crook County High School in Prineville, Ore.
- Career record of 198-3
- Four-time state champion
- Oregon Athlete of the Year (2013)
- Ranked No. 6 at 152 pounds nationally among recruits by InterMat
- Won the 2013 Freak Show Tournament (148)
- Two-time FloNationals champion
- Earned one letter in tennis during high school
Personal
- Born: Feb. 22, 1996
- Parents: Robert and Brenda Berger
- Sister: Breana
- Major: Psychology (Bachelor's Degree, May 2019)
Career Statistics
Year | Overall | Dual | Pins | TF | MD | NCAA | Big Ten |
2014-15* | 29-5 | 0-0 | 5 | 5 | 5 | -- | -- |
2015-16 | 24-13 | 10-7 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Rd of 12 (3-2) | 7th (2-2) |
2016-17 | 36-6 | 14-2 | 3 | 7 | 5 | 5th (4-2) | 3rd (5-1) |
2017-18 | 28-9 | 9-4 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 3rd (6-1) | 4th (4-2) |
2018-19 | 28-4 | 16-1 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 2nd (4-1) | 2nd (2-1) |
Career | 116-32 | 46-14 | 10 | 12 | 20 | 17-6 | 13-6 |
*Redshirt season does not count in career totals