Nebraska
Nebraska cracked the top 10 at the NCAA Championships for the 5th straight season finishing in 10th place (51 points) with 4 All-Americans. The Cornhuskers finished in 5th place and qualified seven wrestlers at the Big 10 Championships with an eighth coming to the NCAAs with an at-large bid. Nebraska went 12-5 in dual meets with losses to Wisconsin, NC State, Penn State, Iowa and Ohio State. Their biggest win was a 31-9 drubbing at Rutgers and they also defeated the Gophers. They went to one in-season tournament, finishing 3rd at Cliff Keen.
Nebraska loses one AA (Berger) and one other qualifier (Moisey) from last season. They add Alex Thomsen and Peyton Robb off of redshirt and bring in a very good freshman class where one or two may end up cracking the lineup. The Huskers have not yet released their 19/20 schedule.
125
Alex Thomsen (Fr) <Underwood, IA>
Thomsen went 13-2 during his redshirt year. One of his losses was to fellow redshirt, Pat McKee (Minny). I wonder who Jammenz was cheering for in that one.
Last season, 125 was manned by outgoing senior Zeke Moisey. He was a 2-time AA (2nd – 2015, 8th – 2018) and transfer from West Virginia. Moisey went 13-12 and received an at-large bid for the NCAA Championships after going 0-2 and then forfeiting his 3rd match due to injury at the Big 10 Championships. He received the 18 seed and went 0-2.
133
Jevon Parrish (So) <Olathe North, KA>
Tucker Sjomeling (So) <Delano, MN>
Parrish went 20-12 as a true freshman (most of the wins came at opens at the beginning of the season before he became the starter). He just missed qualifying for the NCAAs, finishing 9th at the Big Ten Championships (8 allocations). <Bonus: 21.9%, RPI: .565>
Sjomeling was the starter at 133 early last season and went 15-5. He had one win against a NCAA qualifier, Montorie Bridges (Wyo).
141
Chad Red (Jr) <New Palestine, IN>
Red keeps on finding a way to get it done. Last season he became an AA for the 2nd time from a double-digit seed (this time from 16). Red went 23-14 and placed 2nd at the Big 10 Championships. <Bonus: 37.8%, RPI: .633>
149
Collin Purinton (Sr) <Banks, OR>
Purinton began last season as the starter and went 8-6. Jordan Shearer finished the season as the starter going 10-10 and missing the NCAAs after going 1-2 in the Big 10 Championships. (Shearer had a year of eligibility left but is no longer wrestling after getting accepted to medical school at North Dakota.)
157
Peyton Robb (Fr) <Owatonna, MN>
Robb had a busy and productive redshirt season going 22-3 mostly against lower division competition. His losses were to David Carr (ISU), Keegan Shaw (Iowa) and Steve Bleise (Minny).
Last season, Tyler Berger ended his collegiate career as a 3-time AA (2nd – 2019, 3rd – 2018, 5th – 2017, R12 - 2016). He also ended 0 for 6 versus Jason Nolf.
165
Isaiah White (Jr) <Oak Park & River Forest, IL>
White qualified for the NCAAs a second time after finishing 5th at the Big 10 Championships. He was seeded 7th at the NCAA Championships and was sent to the wrestlebacks for the second year in a row by Vincenzo Joseph. This time, White battled back to AA for the first time and placed 5th. <Bonus: 14.7%, RPI: .685>
174
Michael Labriola (So) <Bethlehem Catholic, PA>
Labriola had a strong first year as a starter for the Cornhuskers going 30-9. He placed 4th at the Big 10 Championships and received the 10 seed at the NCAA Championships. Labriola upset (7) Jacobe Smith (OSU) in the second round before being pinned by (2) Daniel Lewis (Mizzu) in the quarters. Labriola made his way back through the wrestlebacks and finished on the podium in 6th place. <Bonus: 38.5%, RPI: .677>
184
Taylor Venz (Jr) <Farmington, MN>
Venz will be looking to get back to the podium this season after coming up just short last season. He went 24-9 last season and placed 4th at the Big 10 Championships. Venz was the 9 seed at the NCAA Championships and lost to (3) Zach Zavatsky (VT) in the Round of 12. <Bonus: 36.4%, RPI: .648>
197
Eric Schultz (Jr) <Tinley Park, IL>
Schultz will be trying to get to the podium for the first time after two straight Round of 16 losses. Last season he went 23-13 and finished 4th at the Big 10 Championships. Schultz was the 14 seed at the NCAA Championships and lost to (6) Willie Miklus (ISU) in the Round of 16. <Bonus: 22.2%, RPI: .629>
Heavy
David Jensen (Sr) <Mobridge-Pollock, SD>
Jensen qualified for the NCAAs for the first time last season. He went 17-9 and placed 6th at the Big 10 Championships. Jensen was the 17 seed at the NCAA Championships and went 1-2. <Bonus: 38.5%, RPI: .624>
New Faces
Nebraska has four top-20 (in weight class) ranked recruits coming in this season:
Ridge Lovett <Post Falls, ID>
Lovett was an undefeated 4- time Idaho state champion with his latest championship coming @145. He also won the 2019 USAW Junior Folkstyle championship at 138. Lovett is ranked #3 at 138 by InterMat.
Kevon Davenport <Detroit Central Catholic, MI>
Davenport is a 4-time Michigan state champion and is ranked #4 at 145 by InterMat.
John Henrich <Akron-Westfield, IA>
Henrich is a 3-time Iowa 1A state champion and is ranked #17 at 160 by InterMat. He didn’t allow a point his entire senior season.
Isaiah Alford <Lincoln High, NE>
Alford is a 2-time Nebraska state champion and is ranked #12 at 170 by InterMat.
I was at a Washington Huskies - Nebraska football game one time when a drunk Huskies fan got on the field and took a run at Nebraska's bubble boy. I've never seen someone bounce so far (it was the Huskies fan that got bounced).
Nebraska cracked the top 10 at the NCAA Championships for the 5th straight season finishing in 10th place (51 points) with 4 All-Americans. The Cornhuskers finished in 5th place and qualified seven wrestlers at the Big 10 Championships with an eighth coming to the NCAAs with an at-large bid. Nebraska went 12-5 in dual meets with losses to Wisconsin, NC State, Penn State, Iowa and Ohio State. Their biggest win was a 31-9 drubbing at Rutgers and they also defeated the Gophers. They went to one in-season tournament, finishing 3rd at Cliff Keen.
Nebraska loses one AA (Berger) and one other qualifier (Moisey) from last season. They add Alex Thomsen and Peyton Robb off of redshirt and bring in a very good freshman class where one or two may end up cracking the lineup. The Huskers have not yet released their 19/20 schedule.
125
Alex Thomsen (Fr) <Underwood, IA>
Thomsen went 13-2 during his redshirt year. One of his losses was to fellow redshirt, Pat McKee (Minny). I wonder who Jammenz was cheering for in that one.
Last season, 125 was manned by outgoing senior Zeke Moisey. He was a 2-time AA (2nd – 2015, 8th – 2018) and transfer from West Virginia. Moisey went 13-12 and received an at-large bid for the NCAA Championships after going 0-2 and then forfeiting his 3rd match due to injury at the Big 10 Championships. He received the 18 seed and went 0-2.
133
Jevon Parrish (So) <Olathe North, KA>
Tucker Sjomeling (So) <Delano, MN>
Parrish went 20-12 as a true freshman (most of the wins came at opens at the beginning of the season before he became the starter). He just missed qualifying for the NCAAs, finishing 9th at the Big Ten Championships (8 allocations). <Bonus: 21.9%, RPI: .565>
Sjomeling was the starter at 133 early last season and went 15-5. He had one win against a NCAA qualifier, Montorie Bridges (Wyo).
141
Chad Red (Jr) <New Palestine, IN>
Red keeps on finding a way to get it done. Last season he became an AA for the 2nd time from a double-digit seed (this time from 16). Red went 23-14 and placed 2nd at the Big 10 Championships. <Bonus: 37.8%, RPI: .633>
149
Collin Purinton (Sr) <Banks, OR>
Purinton began last season as the starter and went 8-6. Jordan Shearer finished the season as the starter going 10-10 and missing the NCAAs after going 1-2 in the Big 10 Championships. (Shearer had a year of eligibility left but is no longer wrestling after getting accepted to medical school at North Dakota.)
157
Peyton Robb (Fr) <Owatonna, MN>
Robb had a busy and productive redshirt season going 22-3 mostly against lower division competition. His losses were to David Carr (ISU), Keegan Shaw (Iowa) and Steve Bleise (Minny).
Last season, Tyler Berger ended his collegiate career as a 3-time AA (2nd – 2019, 3rd – 2018, 5th – 2017, R12 - 2016). He also ended 0 for 6 versus Jason Nolf.
165
Isaiah White (Jr) <Oak Park & River Forest, IL>
White qualified for the NCAAs a second time after finishing 5th at the Big 10 Championships. He was seeded 7th at the NCAA Championships and was sent to the wrestlebacks for the second year in a row by Vincenzo Joseph. This time, White battled back to AA for the first time and placed 5th. <Bonus: 14.7%, RPI: .685>
174
Michael Labriola (So) <Bethlehem Catholic, PA>
Labriola had a strong first year as a starter for the Cornhuskers going 30-9. He placed 4th at the Big 10 Championships and received the 10 seed at the NCAA Championships. Labriola upset (7) Jacobe Smith (OSU) in the second round before being pinned by (2) Daniel Lewis (Mizzu) in the quarters. Labriola made his way back through the wrestlebacks and finished on the podium in 6th place. <Bonus: 38.5%, RPI: .677>
184
Taylor Venz (Jr) <Farmington, MN>
Venz will be looking to get back to the podium this season after coming up just short last season. He went 24-9 last season and placed 4th at the Big 10 Championships. Venz was the 9 seed at the NCAA Championships and lost to (3) Zach Zavatsky (VT) in the Round of 12. <Bonus: 36.4%, RPI: .648>
197
Eric Schultz (Jr) <Tinley Park, IL>
Schultz will be trying to get to the podium for the first time after two straight Round of 16 losses. Last season he went 23-13 and finished 4th at the Big 10 Championships. Schultz was the 14 seed at the NCAA Championships and lost to (6) Willie Miklus (ISU) in the Round of 16. <Bonus: 22.2%, RPI: .629>
Heavy
David Jensen (Sr) <Mobridge-Pollock, SD>
Jensen qualified for the NCAAs for the first time last season. He went 17-9 and placed 6th at the Big 10 Championships. Jensen was the 17 seed at the NCAA Championships and went 1-2. <Bonus: 38.5%, RPI: .624>
New Faces
Nebraska has four top-20 (in weight class) ranked recruits coming in this season:
Ridge Lovett <Post Falls, ID>
Lovett was an undefeated 4- time Idaho state champion with his latest championship coming @145. He also won the 2019 USAW Junior Folkstyle championship at 138. Lovett is ranked #3 at 138 by InterMat.
Kevon Davenport <Detroit Central Catholic, MI>
Davenport is a 4-time Michigan state champion and is ranked #4 at 145 by InterMat.
John Henrich <Akron-Westfield, IA>
Henrich is a 3-time Iowa 1A state champion and is ranked #17 at 160 by InterMat. He didn’t allow a point his entire senior season.
Isaiah Alford <Lincoln High, NE>
Alford is a 2-time Nebraska state champion and is ranked #12 at 170 by InterMat.
I was at a Washington Huskies - Nebraska football game one time when a drunk Huskies fan got on the field and took a run at Nebraska's bubble boy. I've never seen someone bounce so far (it was the Huskies fan that got bounced).
