Huskers Head East for Journeymen Wranglemania

Bethlehem, Pa. – The Nebraska wrestling team looks to bounce back this weekend when it travels to Pennsylvania to take on Army and NC State at the Journeymen Wranglemania.
 
On Saturday, the Huskers will face Army at 12 p.m. (CT) and NC State at 4 p.m. (CT) with both matches being streamed on Rokfin (subscription required).
 
Nebraska and Army meet for just the second time in series history. The Huskers hold the 1-0 advantage after they defeated Army in 1982, 27-14. NU has faced NC State eight previous times and lead the all-time series, 5-3. Most recently, NC State defeated the Huskers in North Carolina, 18-17, in Dec. 2018.
 
Last Time Out: Despite five victories on the night in front of a crowd of 3,097 at the Devaney Center, the Huskers dropped their season-opening dual against NDSU, 20-16.

Up Next: The Huskers will stay on the road and face Navy on Saturday, Nov. 19 at 9 a.m. (CT).

 

#17 Nebraska’s Projected Lineup*

125 – #18 Liam Cronin (Gr.)

133 – #26 Boo Dryden (RSr.)/Kyle Burwick (RJr.)

141 – #29 Brock Hardy (RSo.)

149 – Dayne Morton (Sr.)

157 – #4 Peyton Robb (Jr.)

165 – Adam Thebeau (RFr.)/#30 Jagger Condomitti (RFr.)

174 – #3 Mikey Labriola (Sr.)

184 – Nathan Haas (RSo.)/#29 Lenny Pinto (RFr.)

197 – #24 Silas Allred (RFr.)

285 – #28 Cale Davidson (Sr.)/Harley Andrews (Fr.)

*Intermat rankings used

Army’s Projected Lineup*

125 – #30 Ethan Berginc (Fr.)

133 – Richard Treanor (So.)

141 – Julian Sanchez (Jr.)

149 – Matthew Williams (Jr.)

157 – #29 Nate Lukez (Jr.)

165 – #26 Dalton Harkins (So.)

174 – #21 Ben Pasiuk (Jr.)

184 – Sahm Abdulrazzaq (Sr.)

197 – Kyle Swartz (So.)

285 – Kade Carlson (So.)

*Intermat rankings used

 

#8 NC State’s Projected Lineup*

125 – #21 Jarrett Trombley (RJr.)/Troy Hohman (Fr.)

133 – #23 Kai Orine (RSo.)

141 – #20 Ryan Jack (So.)

149 – Jackson Arrington (Fr.)/Finn Solomon (Fr.)

157 – #6 Ed Scott (So.)

165 – Don Cates (So.)/Derek Fields (RFr.)

174 – Brock Delsignore (RFr.)/Matty Singleton (Fr.)

184 – #3 Trent Hidlay (RJr.)

197 – #18 Saac Trumble (So.)

285 – #24 Owen Trephan (RSo.)/Tyrie Houghton (Sr.)

*Intermat rankings used

Scouting Army

• In Army’s season opener last weekend, 32 wrestlers faced LIU, Oregon State and Queens in the Black Knight Scramble. Last season, the Black Knights have four NCAA qualifiers led by PJ Ogunsanya who made it to the third round of the consolation bouts.
• Army is coached by Kevin Ward who holds a 36-33 dual record in his eighth season. Former Husker All-American Taylor Venz serves as Ward’s volunteer assistant coach.  

Scouting NC State

• The defending four-time ACC Champions returns seven starters this season, while adding a No. 3 recruiting class. The Pack is coming off a recent 26-12 victory over Appalachian State at home last weekend.
• NC State is coached by Pat Popolizio who has led his team to three individual national championships and six NCAA finalists.  

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 34-wrestler roster as it begins official practice.
• About two-thirds of the Huskers’ 2022-23 roster are underclassmen, as 24 of Nebraska’s 34 wrestlers are either freshmen or sophomores.
• Included in Nebraska’s roster are also five seniors and five juniors.
• 23 Huskers on this season’s roster are returning letterwinners.
• This year’s Huskers come from 17 states, and six are Nebraska natives.