Home > Blogs > Official Husker Locker Blog > The Potential For Best Ever?
Official Husker Locker Blog
2008 Nov 19
The Potential For Best Ever?
2,195 views
Nebraska wrestling coach Mark Manning isn’t sure what to think of his team’s No. 6 national preseason ranking from InterMat. Too high for right now? Too low for what this team is capable of? Just right? The Cornhuskers entered 2007 in a No. 14 slot, and walked away from the NCAA Championships in fourth.
“You’re never quite sure why they rank you where,” Manning said outside his team’s practice room, a low-ceiling, rectangular hothouse just to the north of the Bob Devaney Sports Center’s basketball courts. “We’re really focused on getting better right now. We gotta get tougher and we gotta get better.”
An all-energy, no-frills kind of a guy, Manning enters this season having experienced a full life in the last year. He was named Big 12 Coach of the Year last spring. His team peaked at the NCAA Championships with a glut of then-underclassmen. He coached the U.S. Junior Olympic squad in Turkey.
All that behind him now, the coach can look forward to season largely spent in Nebraska. The Huskers have eight home meets – including duals against national powers Iowa State, Oklahoma State, Minnesota, Michigan and Pennsylvania – and host the Big 12 Championships in the NU Coliseum. Given that four of the Big 12 teams in the nation’s top seven and five are in the top 20, the Big 12 meet could be the nation’s best this side of the National Duals and the NCAA Championships.
The first of those home matches is against Tennessee-Chattanooga Thursday night at the Coliseum.
“It’s what our guys want,” Manning said. “And it’s what we want. It’s a great way for us to kinda showcase our program and get more fans and build our fan base and really show people how we compete.”
Junior Jordan Burroughs agreed.
“It’s always good to have home crowds cheering you on, having little kids run up to you after the match asking for your autographs,” he said. “It just gives you a little bit more inspiration when you get that takedown and crowd cheers.”
The Huskers are led by a quartet all ranked in the top five of respective weight classes: Burroughs is No. 3 at the ultra-competitive 149 pounds; junior Stephen Dwyer is No. 5 at 165; senior Brandon Browne is No. 3 at 174 pounds; and Craig Brester is No. 4 at 197 pounds. All finished inside the top eight at last year’s NCAA Championships to garner All-American status; this is the most returning Huskers with that honor since the 1995-96 season.
“Team unity is great,” Brester said. “I think we’ll really grow as a team. Every dual, every tournament, we’ll get better as we go along.”
After those four, NU fills in some of the spots with young pups. Redshirt freshman Andy Pokorny, from Bennington, looks like the starter at 125 pounds. Sophomore Curtis Salazar and freshman Jon Burns are battling at 141 points. Redshirt freshman Chris Hacker will start at 157 pounds and another redshirt freshman Tucker Lane, starts at heavyweight.
“That’s gonna be the fun part of our season,” Manning said. “To see how those guys come together.”
Said Burroughs: “Everybody takes their lumps. It’s just a learning experience. It’s a point where you have to stop being happy to just be there and actually want to win. “
Yes - we cover all Nebraska sports! Check our more coverage
“You’re never quite sure why they rank you where,” Manning said outside his team’s practice room, a low-ceiling, rectangular hothouse just to the north of the Bob Devaney Sports Center’s basketball courts. “We’re really focused on getting better right now. We gotta get tougher and we gotta get better.”
An all-energy, no-frills kind of a guy, Manning enters this season having experienced a full life in the last year. He was named Big 12 Coach of the Year last spring. His team peaked at the NCAA Championships with a glut of then-underclassmen. He coached the U.S. Junior Olympic squad in Turkey.
All that behind him now, the coach can look forward to season largely spent in Nebraska. The Huskers have eight home meets – including duals against national powers Iowa State, Oklahoma State, Minnesota, Michigan and Pennsylvania – and host the Big 12 Championships in the NU Coliseum. Given that four of the Big 12 teams in the nation’s top seven and five are in the top 20, the Big 12 meet could be the nation’s best this side of the National Duals and the NCAA Championships.
The first of those home matches is against Tennessee-Chattanooga Thursday night at the Coliseum.
“It’s what our guys want,” Manning said. “And it’s what we want. It’s a great way for us to kinda showcase our program and get more fans and build our fan base and really show people how we compete.”
Junior Jordan Burroughs agreed.
“It’s always good to have home crowds cheering you on, having little kids run up to you after the match asking for your autographs,” he said. “It just gives you a little bit more inspiration when you get that takedown and crowd cheers.”
The Huskers are led by a quartet all ranked in the top five of respective weight classes: Burroughs is No. 3 at the ultra-competitive 149 pounds; junior Stephen Dwyer is No. 5 at 165; senior Brandon Browne is No. 3 at 174 pounds; and Craig Brester is No. 4 at 197 pounds. All finished inside the top eight at last year’s NCAA Championships to garner All-American status; this is the most returning Huskers with that honor since the 1995-96 season.
“Team unity is great,” Brester said. “I think we’ll really grow as a team. Every dual, every tournament, we’ll get better as we go along.”
After those four, NU fills in some of the spots with young pups. Redshirt freshman Andy Pokorny, from Bennington, looks like the starter at 125 pounds. Sophomore Curtis Salazar and freshman Jon Burns are battling at 141 points. Redshirt freshman Chris Hacker will start at 157 pounds and another redshirt freshman Tucker Lane, starts at heavyweight.
“That’s gonna be the fun part of our season,” Manning said. “To see how those guys come together.”
Said Burroughs: “Everybody takes their lumps. It’s just a learning experience. It’s a point where you have to stop being happy to just be there and actually want to win. “
Yes - we cover all Nebraska sports! Check our more coverage
Permanent Link to this Blog Post
Tags: nu wrestling
Home > Blogs > Official Husker Locker Blog > The Potential For Best Ever?
My son wrestles here in South Carolina. I am planning to take him to Chapel Hill,NC in February to watch the Huskers. Look forward to my son signing with the Huskers 9-10 years. The high school he will wrestle for has a strong program.The Bearcats were state runner ups last year and are ranked #2 this year preseason.I hope the Huskers take home the title this year.
GBR
– Nov 20, 2008
Thanks for the wrestling article! I'm most interested to see how Vacanti does this year.
– Nov 19, 2008