Huskers Wrestlers visit Badgers, Wildcats

No. 14 Nebraska (3-2, 0-2 Big Ten) at No. 7 Wisconsin (7-0, 3-0 Big Ten)
Friday, January 21 • 7:00 p.m. (CT)
UW Field House
Madison, Wisc.

» Stream: B1G+
» Live Stats: uwbadgers.com
» Twitter Updates: @HuskerWrestling

No. 14 Nebraska (3-2, 0-2 Big Ten) at No. 21 Northwestern (2-3, 0-3 Big Ten)
Sunday, January 23 • 2:00 p.m. (CT)
Welsh-Ryan Arena
Evanston, Ill.

» Stream: B1G+
» Live Stats: nusports.com
» Twitter Updates: @HuskerWrestling

The No. 14 Nebraska wrestling team will hit the road for the second-straight weekend as it visits No. 7 Wisconsin on Friday and No. 21 Northwestern on Sunday. The battle with the Badgers is slated for 7 p.m. on Jan. 21 while the Huskers and Wildcats will wrestle beginning at 2 p.m. on Jan. 23. Both duals will be streamed online via B1G+ (subscription required).

No. 7 Wisconsin (7-0, 3-0 Big Ten) is coming off three-straight ranked conference wins against No. 12 Northwestern (Jan. 7), No. 16 Rutgers (Jan. 9) and No. 14 Minnesota (Jan. 16). The Badgers’ lineup features four wrestlers ranked inside the Top 10 of their weight class, No. 8 Eric Barnett (125), No. 8 Austin Gomez (149), No. 8 Dean Hamiti (165) and No. 8 Trent Hillger (HWT).

No. 21 Northwestern (2-3, 0-3 Big Ten) has recent losses to the Badgers (Jan. 7), Gophers (Jan. 9) and the top-seeded Hawkeyes (Jan. 14). The Wildcats are led by No. 9 Chris Cannon, who is 9-1 on the year with three recent wins over Big Ten opponents.

The Huskers (3-2, 0-2 Big Ten) return to action looking for their first conference win of the season. Nebraska is coming off its second dual loss of the season, as Minnesota defeated NU 19-13 on Jan. 14. Despite the loss, the Huskers recorded wins in four bouts, including Chad Red Jr.’s major decision victory over #17 Jake Bergeland.

History: Nebraska and Wisconsin meet for the 24th time in series history on Friday. The Badgers lead the all-time series 10-12-2, but the Huskers have won four of the last six matchups. In the last meeting between the two teams, Nebraska earned a 21-15 victory.

The Huskers will look for their 15th win over the Wildcats on Sunday, as Nebraska is 14-0 all-time against Northwestern.  In the last meeting, NU won 26-10 and recorded victories in seven bouts.

Up Next: The Huskers will host No. 3 Michigan (5-0, 1-0 Big Ten) on Friday, Feb. 4. The meet will begin at 8 p.m. and be televised by BTN.

No. 14 Nebraska’s Projected Lineup*: (dual/overall)
125: Jeremiah Reno Fr. • Kansas City, Mo. (1-3/3-7)
133: Alex Thomsen So. • Neola, Iowa (1-3/2-5) -OR- Dominick Serrano Fr. • Windsor, Colo. (0-0/11-5)
141: #9 Chad Red Jr. Sr. • Indianapolis, Ind. (2-1/7-2) -OR- Tucker Sjomeling Jr. • Delano, Minn. (0-1/2-3)
149: #4 Ridge Lovett So. • Post Falls, Idaho. (5-0/12-1) -OR- Jevon Parrish So. • Olathe, Kan. (2-0/5-1)
157: #5 Peyton Robb So. • Owatonna, Minn. (2-1/7-3)
165: Bubba Wilson RFr. • Manhattan, Kan. (3-2/8-7)
174: #5 Mikey Labriola So. • Easton, Pa. (2-1/11-1) -OR- Tahjae Jenkins-Harris Fr. • North Las Vegas, Nev. (1-1/5-5)
184: #11 Taylor Venz Sr. • Farmington, Minn. (3-1/10-3) -OR- Brandyn Van Tassell Fr. • Mapleton, Utah (0-1/4-4)
197: #3 Eric Schultz Sr. • Tinley Park, Ill. (4-0/8-1)
HWT: #11 Christian Lance Sr. • Nixa, Mo. (3-1/11-2)
*InterMat rankings used

No. 7 Wisconsin’s Projected Lineup*:
125: No. 8 Eric Barnett Jr. • Greenville, Wis. (7-1)
133: No. 25 Kyle Burwick RSo. • Hettinger. N.D. (9-8) -OR- Ethan Rotondo RSr. • Vancouver, Wash. (5-5)
141: Joseph Zargo Fr. • South River, N.J. (9-6)
149: No. 8 Austin Gomez RJr. • Carol Stream, Ill. (10-1)
157: No. 27 Garrett Model RSr. • Stoughton, Wis. (10-6)
165: No. 8 Dean Hamiti Fr. • Joliet, Ill. (14-0)
174: No. 22 Andrew McNally RSr. • Uniontown, Ohio (6-3)
184: Chris Weiler RSr. • Biglerville, Pa. (6-7)
197: No. 22 Braxton Amos Fr. • Mineral Wells, W.V. (13-3)
HWT: No. 8 Trent Hillger RSr. • Holly, Mich. (11-2)
*InterMat rankings used

Potential Matchups:

• #4 Lovett looks for his fourth Top 10 win of the season as he is set to battle #8 Gomez
• #11 Lance will face another tough test against All-American #8 Hilllger

Scouting the Badgers:

• Last season, Wisconsin went 1-6 and finished in 23rd-place at the NCAA Tournament.
• The Badgers’ recent victory over Minnesota marked the first win over the Gophers since the 2010-11 season and was also Coach Bono’s first win against UM.
• Coached by Chris Bono (Fourth season at Wisconsin); Record at UW: 28-18

No. 21 Northwestern’s Projected Lineup*:
125: #11 Michael DeAugustino Sr. • Palm Coast, Fla. (2-1)
133: #9 Chris Cannon RSo. • Oceanport, N.J. (9-1)
141: #32 Frankie Tal-Shahar So. • Delray Beach, Fla. (5-4)
149: #11 Yahya Thomas Gr. • Chicago, Ill. (7-3)
157: #2 Ryan Deakin Gr. • Broomfield, Colo. (6-0)
165: #29 David Ferrante So. • Huntley, Ill. (6-4)
174: Ankhaa Enkmandakh Jr. • Concord, Calif. (4-3)
184: Jack Jessen RJr. • Villa Park, Ill. (1-5) or Jon Halvorsen RSo. • Park Ridge, Ill. (1-3)
197: #29 Andrew Davison Gr. • Chesterton, Ind. (7-5)
HWT: #14 Lucas Davison RJr. •  Chesterton, Ind. (12-4)
*InterMat rankings used

Potential Matchups:

• #5 Robb matches up with another Top 5 opponent in #2 Deakin
• Rounding out the weekend, #11 Lance is set to battle his third-straight Top 15 opponent in #14 Davison

Scouting the Wildcats:

• Last season, Northwestern finished 2-6, with wins over Maryland and Wisconsin and finished in 10th-place at the NCAA Tournament.
• Senior Deakin (157) captured his second Big Ten Championship title in 2021 while securing his third All-American accolade. He is 6-0 on the year.
• Coached by Matt Storniolo (Seventh season at Northwestern); Record at NU: 33-48

Back Points
Quick Notes

• Nebraska won its fourth Cliff Keen Invitational team title in program history on Dec. 4.
• Labriola was named the Big Ten Wrestler of the Week on Dec. 8 after winning his 14th-straight victory and claiming the Cliff Keen individual title. This was Labriola’s second Big Ten weekly honor of his career and first for the Huskers since Venz garnered the award on Jan. 29, 2019.
• Nebraska has outscored its dual opponents by a combined score of 131-58.
• NU has won 33/50 (66%) individual dual meet matches this season.
• With this season’s win over North Carolina on Nov. 17, Coach Manning picked up his 290th career victory.
• Team leaders by category among starters:
  • Dual Record: Ridge Lovett (5-0)
  • Dual Points: Ridge Lovett (20)
  • Dual Takedowns: Christian Lance (15)
  • Pins: Taylor Venz (4)
  • Technical Falls: Taylor Venz (3)
  • Major Decisions: Christian Lance (5)
  • Quickest Pin: Mikey Labriola (1:31)

Lovett, Schultz Shine for Huskers

• Ridge Lovett (5-0) and Eric Schultz (4-0) are undefeated against dual meet competition this season.
• Lovett (149), a sophomore from Post Falls, Idaho, has scored 20 dual points for the Huskers and has recorded two pins and one technical fall victory.
• Senior Schultz (197) is tied for second on the team with 16 dual points and 10 dual takedowns. The Tinley Park, Ill., native has also recorded two pins.

Manning Begins 22nd Season as Head Coach

• The Huskers have a familiar face at the helm this season. The 2021-22 campaign is Coach Manning’s 22nd season leading the NU wrestling program. Manning is the all-time winningest coach in program history with a mark of 267-99-3. During his decorated coaching career, Manning has coached 61 of Nebraska’s 116 All-Americans and five of Nebraska’s 11 national champions. The Huskers have nine top-10 NCAA finishes overall during his tenure. Manning has also been instrumental in helping former Huskers Jordan Burroughs and James Green enjoy international success, as Burroughs won the Olympic Gold in 2012 and World Championship Gold five times, while Green earned World Championship Silver in 2017.

Nebraska To Host Big Tens

• The Big Ten Championships will take place at the Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Neb., March 5-6. It will be the first time the Huskers host the Big Ten Championships since joining the conference in 2011-12. Seeding for the tournament is determined by pre-seeds and finalized at the coaches’ meeting ahead of the tournament. A double-elimination tournament will be held at each weight, with the top team finisher being determined by tournament scoring. The first rounds, quarterfinals and consolation rounds will be held in Session I on March 5, while the quarterfinals, consolation second rounds and semifinals will be held in Session II on that same day. Session III will consist of the consolation semifinals and seventh-place matches on March 6, with the finals, third-place and fifth-place matches being contested in Session IV. The 2022 NCAA Championships will be held in Detroit, Mich. on March 17-19.

NU Welcomes Highly Touted Newcomers

• Eight wrestlers will don the Scarlet and Cream for the first time this season, including one transfer and seven freshmen.
• Redshirt junior Boo Dryden competed at Minnesota before transferring to NU, compiling 13 career victories and placing eighth at the 2021 Big Ten Championships and qualifying for the NCAA Championships.
• Nebraska natives Quinton Chavez, a two-time state champion, Blake Cushing, a state and district champion, and Joshua Licking, a state runner-up with a 31-1 record his senior year, look to make immediate impacts for the Huskers. After compiling a 141-26 high school record and capturing a Pennsylvania state title, Jagger Condomitti joins the Huskers for the 2021-22 campaign. Fellow Pennsylvania native Lenny Pinto also was a state champion and totaled a school record of 44 wins in the 2020 season. Jenkins-Harris and Adam Thebeau add to the impressive group of newcomers with Jenkins-Harris earning an undefeated season his senior year and Thebeau being named an all-state wrestler.
• Courtesy of Huskers.com