By: Brennan Stessman
The weather in Lincoln has been ice cold, but the Husker grapplers are looking to get a hot streak going against Stanford to build momentum heading into The Big Ten Championships. The Saturday dual has been moved up from 7pm to 1pm due to the possibility of inclement weather and will now go side by side with Husker Gymnastics, much like Tumble ‘n Rumble when Nebraska wrestled UNI. Before the action gets started Saturday, the Huskers will honor their five Seniors, including #2 Tyler Berger, as they finish their collegiate careers.
Action will get started at 125, where Nebraska Senior Zeke Moisey, and his #14 ranking will look to put up a strong performance against #18 Gabe Townsell. Moisey carries an 11-8 record with seven of the wins coming in duals.
At 133, expect to see either Javon Parrish or Tucker Sjomeling take the mat in an unranked matchup, which could provide crucial team points. Parrish comes into this dual with a 13-10 record with one dual win. Sjomeling on the other hand, carries a 13-5 record, going 3-3 in duals. There is also a chance Nebraska could send out Brian Peska, as he is a senior. Peska has wrestled in one dual where he was defeated by #3 Austin DeSanto from Iowa.
#20 Chad Red Jr. will take the mat at 141 against unranked Brandon Kier. It will be a great opportunity to pick up some bonus points for the Huskers. Red is coming in with a 14-10 record, but has been coming alive as of late and picking up some confidence. Expect to see a dominant performance.
At 149, Stanford will have #15 Requir Van Der Merwe. Their Sophomore will face off against Collin Purinton or Jordan Shearer. Shearer may get the nod, as the last time he took the home mat he upset the seventeenth ranked Tommy Thorn from Minnesota.
Senior and #2 ranked Tyler Berger is sure to get the home crowd on their feet when he squares off with either Dominick Mandarino or Paul Fox in the 157 pound bout.
#6 Isaiah White will have another opportunity to score bonus points against Sophomore Jared Hill, as White looks to pick up his eleventh dual win of the season.
Fresh off of picking up his 20th win of the season, the always exciting #9 ranked Mikey Labriola is looking to put on a show against unranked Senior, Rico Stormer, in the 174 pound match.
At 184, #6 Taylor Venz is sure to get back to his winning ways after taking a defeat to #1 Myles Martin from Ohio State. He will face off against either Colbey Harlan or Nainoa Calvo.
The match of the afternoon will be 197. #13 Eric Schultz squares off with #12 Nathan Traxler. Schultz is 18-8 on the season with ten wins in duals. Schultz lost a heart breaker last weekend in overtime against #2 Kollin Moore from Ohio State. Traxler has been having a quality sophomore season and will be coming to Lincoln with a 25-5 record. This match is sure to be worth the price of admission.
Capping things off, #13 David Jensen will be looking to pick up a win after a last second loss last week at the hands of #11 Chase Singletary. The 13-4 Mobridge, South Dakota native will take on Hadyn Maley who has put together a 20 win season.
Be loud and proud as the #6 Huskers send off the Seniors and get one final look as the team closes out the season. If you’re unable to catch the match in person, Flo will be streaming the dual live. Safe travels and GO BIG RED!