Husker Wrestlers Open Season at Home Against NDSU

No. 8 Nebraska vs. North Dakota State
Friday, November 4 • 6:00 p.m. (CT)
Devaney Center
Lincoln, Neb.

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The No. 8 Nebraska wrestling team will open the 2022-23 season on Friday, Nov. 4 at the Devaney Center against North Dakota State. The dual will begin at 6:00 p.m. and will be streamed on B1G+.

 

Friday’s dual marks the Huskers’ first competition since finishing in fifth place at the 2022 NCAA Championships.

 

The team returns 24 letterwinners from last season, including five NCAA qualifiers. All-Americans Ridge Lovett (149), Peyton Robb (157), Mikey Labriola (174), Bubba Wilson (165) and Liam Cronin (125) highlight a strong group of returners.

Up next, Nebraska will travel to Bethlehem, Pa., to take part in the Journeymen Wranglemania. The Huskers will face Army and NC State on Saturday, Nov. 12.

#8 Nebraska’s Projected Lineup*

125 – #20 Liam Cronin (Gr.)

133 – #24 Boo Dryden (RSr.)

   or – Kyle Burwick (RJr.)

141 – #28 Brock Hardy (RSo.)

149 – #4 Ridge Lovett (Jr.)

   or – Dayne Morton (Sr.)

157 – #4 Peyton Robb (Jr.)

165 – #13 Bubba Wilson (So.)

    or – Jagger Condomitti (RFr.)

174 – #3 Mikey Labriola (Sr.)

184 – #25 Nathan Haas (RSo.)

   or – Lenny Pinto (RFr.)

197 – #27 Silas Allred (RFr.)

285 – #28 Cale Davidson (Sr.)

*Intermat rankings used

North Dakota State’s Projected Lineup*

125 – Ryan Henningson (Jr.)

   or – Carlos Negrete Jr. (RFr.)

133 – Kellyn March (Jr.)

   or – McGwire Midkiff (Sr.)

   or – Fernando Barreto (Fr.)

141 – #9 Dylan Droegemueller (Sr.)

149 – Gaven Sax (So.)

   or – Michael Weber (Jr.)

157 – #9 Jared Franek (Sr.)

165 – #19 Michael Caliendo (RFr.)

174 – Riley Habisch (Jr.)

184 – #31 DJ Parker (So.)

   or – Lathan Duda (RFr.)

197 – #21 Owen Pentz (Jr.)

285 – #24 Brandon Metz (Sr.)

  or – Juan Mora (RFr.)

*Intermat rankings used

Scouting North Dakota State

• NDSU is looking to build on its 2021-22 season, where it went 10-4 and finished 34th at the 2022 NCAA Championships. The Bison have five NCAA qualifiers led by a Jared Franek who made it to the final elimination match.
• Friday night’s dual will be the first of six non-conference duals for NDSU, as the Bison will face Minnesota, Binghamton, Buffalo, Little Rock and Stanford.
• NDSU is coached by Roger Kish who holds a 98-66 record in his 12th season.

Nebraska to Face Strong Dual Schedule

• Nebraska posted a 6-5 dual record in 2021-22, its 12th consecutive winning season and 33rd in the last 35 years. This winter, the Huskers will look to continue that streak and build off a fifth-place finish at the 2022 NCAA Championships.
• NU will face a challenging schedule that features nine of the top-25 team finishers from last year’s NCAA Championships. The home schedule is highlighted by matchups against top-25 finishers Arizona State, Northwestern, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Rutgers. North Dakota State will also travel to the Devaney Center for the regular-season opener on Nov. 4. The Bison finished 34th at the NCAA Championships.
• Nebraska faces a grueling road schedule this season with a notable trip to the 2021 national champion Iowa. Early in the season, NU takes a road trip to Army and NC State. The Wolfpack, who the Huskers face on Nov. 12, finished 10th at last year’s NCAA Championships. Other road duals for NU include matchups against Navy, South Dakota State, Purdue and Ohio State.
• As for tournament action, NU will travel to the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Collegiate Wrestling Invitational Dec. 2-3. The Big Ten Championships will take place March 4-5 in Ann Arbor, Mich., where the Huskers will look to improve on last season’s seventh-place finish. The NCAA Championships are set from March 16-18 in Tulsa, Okla.

Labriola Looks to Earn Fifth All-America Award

• A 174-pound senior from Easton, Penn., Mikey Labriola returns looking to become the first-ever five-time All-American. Labriola is currently one of only three four-time All-Americans in the history of Nebraska wrestling. Last season, he finished fifth at the Big Ten Championships and his seventh-place finish at NCAAs cemented his All-American status.
• Labriola was second on the team last year with 23 wins, giving him a career record of 90-26. His performance on the mat in 2021-22 puts him just 10 wins away from joining Nebraska’s 100-win club. He would be the 30th all-time member of the 100-win club and would join former teammate Taylor Venz. All but one of Labriola’s losses last season were to wrestlers ranked in the top 10.

Veteran Bunch Returns to Lead NU

• Nebraska will be guided by a strong group of veteran returners in 2022-23. NU loses four senior starters, but returns six starters as they get set for this year’s campaign. Chad Red Jr., Taylor Venz, Eric Schultz and Christian Lance were all named All-Americans during their Husker careers.
• Eight total Huskers qualified for the NCAA Championships in 2021-22 and seven were seeded in the top 20 of their weight class. Three of these wresters return this season. At 149, junior Ridge Lovett returns after finishing second at the NCAA Championships, while Peyton Robb (157) ran the ladder of the consolation bracket and finished fourth.

NU Goes for Second-Straight Top Five Finish

Dual Experience A Plus for NU

• Nebraska returns 20 wrestlers with dual experience this season, including All-Americans Ridge Lovett, Peyton Robb and Mikey Labriola. Along with the three aforementioned wrestlers, sophomore Bubba Wilson returns as an NCAA qualifier who gained significant dual experience last season. As a team, NU won six of its 11 duals overall and three of its eight Big Ten duals.

Nebraska Welcomes Strong Crop of Newcomers

• Nebraska’s incoming class of newcomers features 12 wrestlers, including two transfers and 10 true freshmen. Highlighting the class is Wisconsin transfer Kyle Burwick, who has two years of eligibility remaining to compete for the Huskers. He’s a two-time NCAA Qualifier and finished fifth at the 2021 Big Ten Championships.

Roster notes

• Nebraska features a 36-wrestler roster as it begins official practice.
• About two-thirds of the Huskers’ 2022-23 roster are underclassmen, as 26 of Nebraska’s 36 wrestlers are either freshmen or sophomores.
• Included in Nebraska’s roster are also five seniors and five juniors.
• 24 Huskers on this season’s roster are returning letterwinners.
• This year’s Huskers come from 17 states, and six are Nebraska natives.