Huskers To Defend Title At Cliff Keen

Las Vegas – The undefeated No. 9 Nebraska wrestling team heads to Las Vegas this weekend to partake in one of the premier wrestling tournaments of the year at the Cliff Keen Invitational.

The Las Vegas Convention Center will host the event, with action set to begin on Friday, Dec. 3 at 11 a.m. CT. Each weight class is set up in bracket format, with both the championship and consolation rounds of 64, 32 and 16 being contested until 6 p.m. Starting at 8 p.m., the championship quarterfinals and consolation first round of eight will take place.

Action resumes Saturday morning at 11 a.m. CT with the consolation second round of eight. The championship and consolation semifinals begin at noon, with the fifth and seventh-place matches following shortly thereafter. The championship and third-place matches are set for 5 p.m.

The tournament field features the defending champions from Nebraska along with 26 other Division 1 teams and over 100 ranked wrestlers. Nine of the nation’s Top-25 teams in the latest NWCA poll will take the mat in Las Vegas.

Live stream and stats will be available on FloWrestling (subscription required) starting at 11 a.m. CT on Friday, Dec. 3. Fans can also follow @HuskerWrestling on Twitter for live updates throughout the tournament.

 

• Last Time Out: The Huskers cruised past the Tar Heels of North Carolina 27-6 on Wednesday, Nov. 11 before traveling to the Daktronics Open the following week and claiming three first place finishes. 

 

• Up Next: NU will take two weeks off from competition before hosting the South Dakota State Jackrabbits at the Devaney Center on Dec. 18. The action is set to begin at 2 p.m., and tickets are available on Huskers.com.

 

#9 Nebraska Cornhuskers (3-0, 0-0 B1G) at Cliff Keen Invitational

Dec. 3 – Dec. 4, 2021

11 a.m. (CT) start on both Friday and Saturday

Las Vegas, Nev. (Las Vegas Convention Center)

 

Nebraska’s Projected Lineup*

*InterMat rankings used             

Quick Notes

• Nebraska has outscored its three dual opponents by a combined score of 103-21.

• Nebraska has won 24 of its 30 individual matches in dual competition.

• Seven starters have undefeated dual records to start the season. Returning All-Americans Mikey Labriola (174) and Taylor Venz (184) have combined to start the season 4-0 with 19 dual points between them.

• Peyton Robb (157) scored an upset victory over then-#2 Austin O’Connor (UNC) on Thursday, Nov. 17 and owns a perfect 2-0 dual record on the young season. He is ranked #6 in the latest InterMat poll.  

• Christian Lance (285) has amassed a team-leading 11 takedowns against dual competition while not allowing any. Lance has four major decision victories, which also leads the team.

 

Nebraska’s History at the Cliff Keen Invitational

• Nebraska has competed at the Las Vegas Invitational a total of 25 times, finishing first in 2003, 2008 and 2019. NU has also finished in second place five times: 1992, 1995, 2000, 2004 and 2013.

Last Time at the Cliff Keen Invitational: Dec. 6 – Dec. 7, 2019 (Las Vegas, Nev.)

• As a team, Nebraska finished in first place with 118 points, its first team title since 2008 and highest since its second place finish in the 2013-2014 season.

• Eight of the 10 Huskers who competed at the invite placed in the top seven of their weight class.

• Isaiah White (165) took home his second consecutive individual title, while Ridge Lovett (133) and Mikey Labriola (174) finished in third place.

 

Seven Huskers Ranked in Intermat Rankings

• Eight Nebraska wrestlers are currently ranked in the Top 20 of their weight class by InterMat. Mikey Labriola (174) and Peyton Robb (157) are the highest-ranked Huskers, as they are #3 and #6 respectively, in their weight classes.

• Ridge Lovett (149) jumped two spots to #12 after an upset over UNC’s then-#6 Zachary Sherman on Nov. 17.

• Eric Schultz (197) moved up two spots to #10 following wins over UNK’s Hayden Prince by pin (6:08) and UNC’s Mark Chaid (16-3).

• Liam Cronin (125) ranks #22, Chad Red Jr. (141) #11, Taylor Venz (184) #15 and Christian Lance (285) #13.

Roster Notes

• Over half of the Huskers’ 2021-22 roster are underclassmen, as 26 of Nebraska’s 37 wrestlers are either freshmen or sophomores. 

• Included in Nebraska’s roster are also five seniors and six juniors.

• 29 Huskers on this season’s roster are returning letterwinners.

• This year’s Huskers come from 17 states, and six are Nebraska natives.