NU Set To Battle Illinois In Sunday Matinee

Illinois (3-5, 1-5 Big Ten) at No. 8 Nebraska (5-4, 2-4 Big Ten)
Sunday, February 13 • 11:00 a.m. (CT)
Devaney Center
Lincoln, Neb.
 
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The No. 8 Nebraska wrestling team (5-4, 2-4 Big Ten) will return to the Devaney Center and host Illinois on Sunday. Action is slated to begin at 11 a.m. (CT) and will be televised nationally on BTN.

 

Illinois (3-5, 1-5 Big Ten) enters Sunday’s dual with a recent win over Indiana on February 6. The Fighting Illini were victorious in nine of ten bouts, recording pins in two matches. Illinois’ lineup features six wrestlers ranked inside the Top 30 of their weight class: No. 6 Lucas Byrd (133), No. 4 Dylan Duncan (141), No. 29 Christian Kanzler (149), No. 29 Danny Braunagel (165), No. 21 Zac Braunagel (184) and No. 16 Luke Luffman (HWT).

 

Competition will be fierce as five of ten bouts potentially feature matchups between ranked wrestlers. Seven Huskers enter the weekend ranked in the Top 25, including returning All-Americans No. 3 Eric Schultz (197), No. 6 Mikey Labriola (174), No. 8 Ridge Lovett (149), No. 9 Taylor Venz (184), No. 10 Chad Red Jr. (141) and No. 10 Peyton Robb (141). The All-American group boasts a collective 35-11 dual meet record and has scored 135 dual meet points for the Big Red this season.

History: Nebraska and Illinois meet for the 13th time in series history on Sunday. The Huskers lead the all-time series 8-4 and have won seven of the last eight matchups. In the most recent meeting between the two teams, Nebraska earned a 25-9 victory as NU won seven of 10 bouts.

 

Last Time Out: The Huskers return to action after battling No. 3 Michigan (Feb. 4) and No. 1 Penn State (Feb. 6). The Wolverines and Nittany Lions were victorious, but the Huskers recorded wins in a combined eight bouts.

Up Next: Nebraska will close out its 2021-22 conference dual schedule at home and celebrate Senior Night on Sunday, Feb. 20 at 6 p.m. CT. The meet will be televised by BTN.

No. 8 Nebraska’s Projected Lineup*:

125: Jeremiah Reno Fr. • Kansas City, Mo. (3-11)

133: Dominick Serrano Fr. • Windsor, Colo. (12-8)  

141: #10 Chad Red Jr. Sr. • Indianapolis, Ind. (10-3)

149: #8 Ridge Lovett So. • Post Falls, Idaho. (15-2) 

157: #10 Peyton Robb So. • Owatonna, Minn. (9-5)

165: #27 Bubba Wilson RFr. • Manhattan, Kan. (10-8) -OR- Tahjae Jenkins-Harris Fr. • North Las Vegas, Nev. (5-6) 

174: #6 Mikey Labriola Jr. • Easton, Pa. (14-2) 

184: #9 Taylor Venz Sr. • Farmington, Minn. (12-5)  

197: #3 Eric Schultz Sr. • Tinley Park, Ill. (12-1) 

HWT: #12 Christian Lance Sr. • Nixa, Mo. (12-5)

*InterMat rankings used 

 

Illinois’ Projected Lineup*: 

125:  Justin Cardani RSo. • Champaign, Ill. (10-7)  

133:  #6 Lucas Byrd RFr. • Cincinnati, Ohio (16-1)

141:  #4 Dylan Duncan RSr. • Winfield, Ill. (3-0) 

149:  #29 Christian Kanzler RSr. • Fox Lake, Ill. (11-8)

157:  Joe Roberts Fr. • Aurora, Ill. (10-11) 

165:  #29 Danny Braunagel RSo. • Belleville, Ill. (10-7) 

174:  DJ Shannon So. • Madison, Ill. (6-7)  

184:  #21 Zac Braunagel RSo. • Belleville, Ill. (9-5)

197:  Matt Wroblewski RJr. • Mt. Prospect, Ill. (4-6)

HWT: #16 Luke Luffman So. • Urbana, Ill. (13-5)

*InterMat rankings used 

 

Scouting the Fighting Illini:

• Illinois earned its first Big Ten win of the season as the Fighting Illini defeated Indiana 36-3 on February 6. This win also marked the first Big Ten victory for head coach Mike Poeta.
• Redshirt freshman Lucas Byrd (133) earned his team-leading 12th win of the season as he defeated Iowa’s Cullan Schriever on January 16.
• Last season, the Fighting Illini went 5-3, defeating three-straight ranked opponents in the month of January, and finished in 18th place at the NCAA Tournament.
• Coached by Mike Poeta (first season at Illinois); Record at UI: 3-5

Back Points
Quick Notes

• Nebraska won its fourth Cliff Keen Invitational team title in program history on December 4.
• Labriola was named the Big Ten Wrestler of the Week on Dec. 8 after winning his 14th-straight match and claiming the Cliff Keen individual title. This was Labriola’s second Big Ten weekly honor of his career and first for the Huskers since Venz garnered the award on Jan. 29, 2019.
• Nebraska has outscored its dual opponents by a combined score of 202-123.
• NU has won 54/90 (60%) individual dual meet matches this season. 
• With this season’s win over North Carolina on Nov. 17, Coach Manning picked up his 290th career victory.
• Team leaders by category among starters:
  

Nine Huskers Rated in Initial NCAA Coaches’ Panel Rankings

Schultz Shines for Huskers

• Eric Schultz (8-0) is undefeated in dual meet competition this season.
• Senior Schultz (197) is tied for the team-team with 30 dual points and 24 dual takedowns. The Tinley Park, Ill., native has also recorded two pins, one technical fall and one major decision.

Huskers Getting Close to the 100-win Milestone

Manning In 22nd Season as Head Coach

• The Huskers have a familiar face at the helm this season. The 2021-22 campaign is Coach Manning’s 22nd season leading the NU wrestling program. Manning is the all-time winningest coach in program history with a mark of 267-99-3. During his decorated coaching career, Manning has coached 61 of Nebraska’s 116 All-Americans and five of Nebraska’s 11 national champions. The Huskers have nine top-10 NCAA finishes overall during his tenure. Manning has also been instrumental in helping former Huskers Jordan Burroughs and James Green enjoy international success, as Burroughs won the Olympic Gold in 2012 and World Championship Gold five times, while Green earned World Championship Silver in 2017.

Nebraska To Host Big Tens

• The Big Ten Championships will take place at the Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Neb., March 5-6. It will be the first time the Huskers host the Big Ten Championships since joining the conference in 2011-12. Seeding for the tournament is determined by pre-seeds and finalized at the coaches’ meeting ahead of the tournament. A double-elimination tournament will be held at each weight, with the top team finisher being determined by tournament scoring. The first rounds, quarterfinals and consolation rounds will be held in Session I on March 5, while the quarterfinals, consolation second rounds and semifinals will be held in Session II on that same day. Session III will consist of the consolation semifinals and seventh-place matches on March 6, with the finals, third-place and fifth-place matches being contested in Session IV. The 2022 NCAA Championships will be held in Detroit, Mich. on March 17-19.

NU Welcomes Highly Touted Newcomers

• Eight wrestlers will don the Scarlet and Cream for the first time this season, including one transfer and seven freshmen.
• Redshirt junior Boo Dryden competed at Minnesota before transferring to NU, compiling 13 career victories and placing eighth at the 2021 Big Ten Championships and qualifying for the NCAA Championships.
• Nebraska natives Quinton Chavez, a two-time state champion, Blake Cushing, a state and district champion, and Joshua Licking, a state runner-up with a 31-1 record his senior year, look to make immediate impacts for the Huskers. After compiling a 141-26 high school record and capturing a Pennsylvania state title, Jagger Condomitti joins the Huskers for the 2021-22 campaign. Fellow Pennsylvania native Lenny Pinto also was a state champion and totaled a school record of 44 wins in the 2020 season. Jenkins-Harris and Adam Thebeau add to the impressive group of newcomers with Jenkins-Harris earning an undefeated season his senior year and Thebeau being named an all-state wrestler.