Lincoln, Neb. — The Nebraska wrestling team begins its preseason push this weekend as it stays home for the 2022 Big Ten Championships. The two-day event kicks off on Saturday, March 5 at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Neb.
Session I starts at 10 a.m. (CT) on Saturday. Session II semifinal and consolation matches begin at 5:30 p.m. (CT).
Wrestling continues Sunday 11 a.m. (CT) with consolation rounds. Championship coverage begins at 3:30 p.m. (CT).
The Huskers (6-5, 3-5 Big Ten) have six wrestlers seeded fifth or higher in their conference championship lineup, led by top-seeded Eric Schultz at 197 pounds. Both Ridge Lovett (149) and Mikey Labriola (174) are three-seeds in their weight classes, while All-Americans Chad Red Jr. (141) and Taylor Venz (184) are seeded fourth. Peyton Robb received a five-seed at 157 pounds.
The Huskers’ Big Ten Championship lineup features three grapplers set to make their first career appearance at the event, including Jeremiah Reno (125), Dominick Serrano (133) and Bubba Wilson (165).
Live stats and brackets will be available on trackwrestling.com. Updates will also be posted to the Nebraska Wrestling Twitter (@HuskerWrestling) throughout the weekend.
Last time out: Nebraska finished the 2022 regular season with a close 20-15 loss to Iowa in Lincoln at the Devaney Center on Feb. 20. The Huskers closed the season with a 3-5 record in Big Ten competition.
Up next: NU has two weeks to prep for the 2022 NCAA Championships which are set for March 17-19 at the Little Caesar’s Arena in Detroit, Mich.
NEBRASKA’S BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIP LINEUP
With preliminary seeding
125: #13 Jeremiah Reno Fr. • Kansas City, Mo.
133: #10 Dominick Serrano Fr. • Windsor, Colo.
141: #4 Chad Red Jr. Sr. • Indianapolis, Ind. (11-3)
149: #3 Ridge Lovett So. • Post Falls, Idaho. (16-2)
157: #5 Peyton Robb So. • Owatonna, Minn. (10-5)
165: #8 Bubba Wilson RFr. • Manhattan, Kan.
174: #3 Mikey Labriola Jr. • Easton, Pa. (15-2)
184: #4 Taylor Venz Sr. • Farmington, Minn. (12-6)
197: #1 Eric Schultz Sr. • Tinley Park, Ill. (13-1)
HWT: #6 Christian Lance Sr. • Nixa, Mo. (13-5)
Quick Notes:
- Eric Schultz earns the tops seed at 197 pounds for the second time in a row. Last year, Schultz became the Huskers’ first one-seed at the Big Ten Championships since Robert Kokesh was seeded first at 174 pounds for the 2015 Big Ten Championships.
- Schultz finished undefeated in duals for the 2020-21 season. He defeated Hayden Prince (UNK) by fall on November 11 to continue his regular-season win streak into 2022 and improve it to 22 straight matches.
- After a loss against Wisconsin’s Austin Gomez, Ridge Lovett closed the season on a five-match win streak to finish 10-1 in duals this year.
- Stats leaders among starters:
Six Seeded Sixth or Better Ahead of Big Ten Championships
The Huskers’ Big Ten Championships lineup features six wrestlers seeded fifth or better. Eric Schultz leads the group with the top seed at 197 pounds. Both Ridge Lovett (149) and Mikey Labriola (174) are three-seeds in their weight classes, while All-Americans Chad Red Jr. (141) and Taylor Venz (184) are seeded fourth. Peyton Robb received a five-seed at 157 pounds.
The NU lineup features three grapplers set to make their first career appearance at the event, including Jeremiah Reno (125), Dominick Serrano (133) and Bubba Wilson (165).
Eight Huskers Ranked in Second NCAA Coaches’ Panel Rankings
The NCAA released the second coaches’ panel rankings for the 2021-22 wrestling season on February 11. The final rankings will be one of the criteria used as part of the selection process to determine qualifiers and seeding for the 2022 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships on March 17-19 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.
The rankings are determined by a vote of 14 coaches in each weight class with two head coaches from each of the seven conferences (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, EIWA, MAC, Pac-12 and SoCon).
141: Chad Red Jr. 7th
149: Ridge Lovett 6th
157: Peyton Robb 10th
165: Bubba Wilson 32nd
174: Mikey Labriola 6th
184: Taylor Venz 11th
197: Eric Schultz 3rd
HWT: Christian Lance 12th
Huskers Getting Close to the 100-Win Milestone
Mikey Labriola, a senior from Easton, Pa., is now 98-33 in his collegiate career, while Schultz is also bearing down on the milestone with a 97-39 career record.
Senior Chad Red Jr. owns a 94-42 record and a career dual record of 38-19.
Rounding out the group is Taylor Venz with a record of 95-37 and Christian Lance with a 95-35 career record.
Red Jr. Looks for Fourth Top-Four Finish at Big Tens
Headed into the 2022 Big Ten Championships, Chad Red Jr. last left the conference championship with top-four finishes in all of his previous appearances. He placed second in 2019, third in 2020 and fourth in 2021, and aims to improve on those finishes again this season. Red Jr. is a combined 13-6 at the conference tournament.
Schultz Carries Undefeated Season into B1G Weekend
Eric Schultz is the only Nebraska wrestler to finish undefeated in the 2021-22 dual meet competition. The senior earned three bonus point victories against UNK, UNC and Northwestern. He finished the season with a win by decision over Iowa’s Jacob Warner and has a team-leading 22 match win streak.
Labriola Aims to Extend 2021-22 Success into the Postseason
Mikey Labriola will make his fourth appearance at the Big Ten Championships and looks to improve on last year’s third-place finish. He is 10-6 overall at the tournament and finished the 2021-22 regular season with a 7-2 record in dual competition.
Venz Makes Fifth Big Ten Championship Trip
Taylor Venz is the most veteran Husker when it comes to experience at the Big Ten Championships. He has made four prior trips to the conference championship, never finishing lower than fourth. After two consecutive seasons finishing in fourth place, Venz earned a third-place finish at the 2020 event and a second-place finish in 2021. He is 13-6 overall at the conference championships.
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