The Nebraska wrestling team, coming off a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Championships this past March, will host 12 dual meets and the Big 12 Championships at the NU Coliseum in the 2008-09 season.
KARL VOGEL / Lincoln Journal Star | Posted: Wednesday, July 16, 2008 7:00 pm
The Nebraska wrestling team, coming off a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Championships this past March, will host 12 dual meets and the Big 12 Championships at the NU Coliseum in the 2008-09 season.
The Huskers return eight starters from last year — seven of whom competed at nationals, and five of whom were All-Americans (Paul Donahoe, third at 125 pounds; Jordan Burroughs, third, 149; Stephen Dwyer, eighth, 165; Brandon Browne, fourth, 174; and Craig Brester, fourth, 197).
“We have a lot of marquee matchups,” Husker coach Mark Manning said. “We have a lot of teams that are vying for a national championship coming here to Lincoln.”
Opponents coming to Lincoln include seven schools that were ranked last season — Tennessee-Chattanooga (season opener on Nov. 20), Kent State (Dec. 20), Minnesota (Dec. 21), Michigan (Jan. 4), Pennsylvania (Jan. 23), Oklahoma State (Feb. 6) and Iowa State (Feb. 22).
The Big 12 meet will be March 7, and all five of the conference’s wrestling programs are expected to be nationally ranked this season.
In addition, the Huskers will have home duals against Augustana (S.D.) and Oregon State on Nov. 28, Northern Colorado on Jan. 4 (before the Michigan dual), and South Dakota State and Maryland on Jan. 18.
NU’s road trips this year will include stops at three prestigious tournaments — the Nov. 22 UNO Open in Omaha, the Las Vegas Invitational Dec. 5-6 and the National Duals in Cedar Falls, Iowa, on Jan. 10-11 — and duals against Central Michigan and Virginia Tech (both Jan. 25 in Mount Pleasant, Mich.), Missouri (Jan. 31), Oklahoma (Feb. 8) and North Carolina and UNC-Greensboro (both on Feb. 14 in Chapel Hill, N.C.).
The past two seasons, the Huskers have had a combined 12 home duals but have racked up tens of thousands of frequent-flier miles wrestling duals all over the country.
Manning said that was a good test for what was a young team and a way to build relationships with other programs. This home schedule, he said, is showing that work is paying off.
“Our guys have paid their dues the last couple of years, logged some miles and really tried to take the program on the road, spread the word about what we’re all about,” Manning said. “Plus, our alumni and fans all over the country come out and support us and have embraced the team.
“Now, we get a chance to build a strong home advantage.”