East Lansing, Mich. - Seven Huskers are alive for placement in the Big Ten Championships, including four still with a chance to wrestle for third place after Saturday's Session II at the Breslin Center.
The Huskers, who began the session in 10th place in the team standings, climbed to sixth place following Saturday's competition with 54 team points. Ohio State is first with 137.5 points, while Penn State is second with a total of 124.
A total of six Huskers have clinched automatic qualification to the NCAA Championships, which take place March 15-17 in Cleveland, Ohio. Jason Renteria (133) clinched a spot in the morning session, while Chad Red Jr. (141), Colton McCrystal (149), Tyler Berger (157), Isaiah White (165) and Taylor Venz (184) each won matches to punch a ticket to Cleveland in Session II.
Nebraska's only semifinalist, the fourth-seeded Renteria dropped a 19-3 technical fall to top-seeded Stevan Micic of Michigan. Renteria will face seventh-seeded Dylan Duncan of Illinois in Sunday's consolation semifinals.
McCrystal punched his ticket to his second NCAA appearance with a pin in 2:44 over Purdue's 11th-seeded Austin Nash in 2:44. He followed that win with his second win over Minnesota's ninth-seeded Steve Bleise this season by an 8-5 decision. He will face No. 3 Ryan Deakin of Northwestern in Sunday's consolation semifinals.
The All-American Berger will be making his third NCAA appearance after winning a 7-2 decision over Justin Alexander at 157 pounds in the consolation second round. Berger then won a 5-1 decision for his second win of the year over eighth-seeded John Van Brill of Rutgers to advance to the consolation semifinals. He is set to face second-seeded Jason Nolf of Penn State, but Nolf took a medical forfeit from the tournament in the championship semifinal match.
Venz, seeded sixth at 184 pounds, earned a trip to Cleveland with an 8-0 major decision over Norman Conley in the consolation second round. He also earned a major decision in the consolation quarterfinals, as he defeated seventh-seeded Ricky Robertson for the third time this season, this time an 11-1 major decision. Venz will face No. 4 Emery Parker of Illinois in Sunday's consolation semifinals.
Red defeated Alec McKenna by a score of 2-0 at 141 pounds in the consolation second round to clinch a spot in Cleveland. Red ran out of time in the consolation quarterfinals, as he fell to Iowa's Vince Turk by a 5-4 decision with Turk holding off a late rally. Red will face Maryland's Ryan Diehl in the seventh-place match Sunday.
White found bonus points with a win over Jacob Morrissey of Purdue, earning a 12-3 major decision to book his trip to the NCAA Championships. In his next match, White dropped a 3-1 decision to fifth-seeded Evan Wick of Wisconsin. White will face Minnesota's sixth-seeded Nick Wanzek in the seventh-place match Sunday.
Eighth-seeded Eric Schultz won an 18-4 major decision over Jake Kleimola at 197 pounds in the consolation second round, but fell to Wisconsin's fifth-seeded Hunter Ritter in 2:09 in the consolation quarterfinals. Schultz will wrestle seventh-seeded Zack Chakonis of Northwestern for seventh place on Sunday.
Heavyweight David Jensen was eliminated in the consolation second round after falling to fifth-seeded Youssif Hemida of Maryland in 45 seconds.
Mitchell Maginnis went 0-2 in Session I, but stayed alive for automatic qualification to the NCAA tournament with 10 Big Ten qualifying spots at 125 pounds. Maginnis dropped a 7-2 decision to 14th-seeded Carson Kuhn of Penn State in the ninth-place quarterfinal, and was elimanted from the tournament.
Beau Breske (174) also saw action for the Huskers at the Big Ten Championships Saturday, but was eliminated with 0-2 records.
Action at the Big Ten Championships continues with Session III (consolation semifinals and third-, fifth-, and seventh-place matches) on Sunday at 11 a.m. (CT). Action will be streamed live on BTN Plus and FloWrestling. The championship finals in Session IV are set for 2 p.m. (CT) and will be televised on BTN.
Big Ten Championships
March 3-4, 2018
East Lansing, Mich. (Breslin Center)
125 Pounds: Mitchell Maginnis - 0-3 (DNP)First Round: #6 Luke Welch (Purdue) dec. #11 Mitchell Maginnis (Nebraska), 6-2
Consolation First Round: #14 Carson Kuhn (Penn State) major dec. #11 Mitchell Maginnis (Nebraska), 12-3
*Ninth-Place Quarterfinal: #14 Carson Kuhn (Penn State) dec. #11 Mitchell Maginnis (Nebraska), 7-2
133 Pounds: #4 Jason Renteria - 2-1First Round: #4 Jason Renteria (Nebraska) pin Logan Griffin (Michigan State), 3:56
Quarterfinals: #4 Jason Renteria (Nebraska) dec. #5 Scott DelVecchio (Rutgers), 3-1
Semifinals: #1 Stevan Micic (Michigan) tech. fall #4 Jason Renteria (Nebraska), 19-3
Consolation Semifinals: #4 Jason Renteria (Nebraska) vs. #7 Dylan Duncan (Illinois)
141 Pounds: #4 Chad Red Jr. - 2-2First Round: #4 Chad Red Jr. (Nebraska) dec. Ryan Diehl (Maryland), 6-0
Quarterfinals: #5 Nate Limmex (Purdue) dec. #4 Chad Red Jr. (Nebraska), 6-4
Consolation Second Round: #4 Chad Red Jr. dec. (Nebraska) Alec McKenna (Northwestern), 2-0
Consolation Quarterfinals: Vince Turk (Iowa) dec. #4 Chad Red Jr. (Nebraska), 5-4
Seventh-Place Match: #4 Chad Red Jr. (Nebraska) vs. Ryan Diehl (Maryland)
149 Pounds: #4 Colton McCrystal - 3-1First Round: #4 Colton McCrystal (Nebraska) major dec. #13 Jwan Britton (Michigan State), 17-5
Quarterfinals: #5 Ke-Shawn Hayes (Ohio State) dec. #4 Colton McCrystal (Nebraska), 7-6
Consolation Second Round: #4 Colton McCrystal (Nebraska) pin #11 Austin Nash (Purdue), 2:44
Consolation Quarterfinals: #4 Colton McCrystal (Nebraska) dec. #9 Steve Bleise (Minnesota), 8-5
Consolaton Semifinals: #4 Colton McCrystal (Nebraska) vs. #3 Ryan Deakin (Northwestern)
157 Pounds: #5 Tyler Berger - 2-1First Round: #5 Tyler Berger (Nebraska) dec. Shayne Oster (Northwestern), 8-3
Quarterfinals: #4 Micah Jordan (Ohio State) dec. #5 Tyler Berger (Nebraska), 4-3
Consolation Second Round: #5 Tyler Berger (Nebraska) dec. Justin Alexander (Maryland), 7-2
Consolation Quarterfinals: #5 Tyler Berger (Nebraska) dec. #8 John Van Brill (Rutgers), 5-1
Consolation Semifinals: #5 Tyler Berger (Nebraska) vs. #2 Jason Nolf (Penn State)
165 Pounds: #8 Isaiah White - 2-2First Round: #8 Isaiah White (Nebraska) dec. #9 Te’Shan Campbell (Ohio State), 6-1
Quarterfinals: #1 Isaiah Martinez (Illinois) dec. #8 Isaiah White (Nebraska), 7-4
Consolation Second Round: #8 Isaiah White (Nebraska) major dec. #10 Jacob Morrissey (Purdue), 12-3
Consolation Quarterfinals: #5 Evan Wick (Wisconsin) dec. #8 Isaiah White (Nebraska), 3-1
Seventh-Place Match: #8 Isaiah White (Nebraska) vs. #6 Nick Wanzek (Minnesota)
174 Pounds: Beau Breske - 0-2 (DNP)First Round: #7 Joey Gunther (Iowa) tb-2 Beau Breske (Nebraska), 4-3
Consolation First Round: Josh Ugalde (Maryland) pin Beau Breske (Nebraska), 6:26
184 Pounds: #6 Taylor Venz - 2-1First Round: #6 Taylor Venz (Nebraska) bye
Quarterfinals: Domenic Abounader (Michigan) dec. #6 Taylor Venz (Nebraska), 6-4
Consolation Second Round: #6 Taylor Venz (Nebraska) major dec. Norman Conley (Indiana), 8-0
Consolation Quarterfinals: #6 Taylor Venz (Nebraska) major dec. #7 Ricky Robertson (Wisconsin), 11-1
Consolation Semifinals: #6 Taylor Venz (Nebraska) vs. #4 Emery Parker (Illinois)
197 Pounds: #8 Eric Schultz - 2-2First Round: #8 Eric Schultz (Nebraska) dec. Nick May (Michigan State), 3-2
Quarterfinals: #1 Kollin Moore (Ohio State) dec. #8 Eric Schultz (Nebraska), 10-4
Consolation Second Round: #8 Eric Schultz (Nebraska) major dec. Jake Kleimola (Indiana), 18-4
Consolation Quarterfinals: #5 Hunter Ritter (Wisconsin) pin #8 Eric Schultz (Nebraska), 2:09
Seventh-Place Match: #8 Eric Schultz (Nebraska) vs. #7 Zack Chakonis (Northwestern)
Heavyweight: David Jensen - 1-2 (DNP)First Round: #6 Conan Jennings (Northwestern) dec. David Jensen (Nebraska), 2-0
Consolation First Round: David Jensen (Nebraska) dec. Deuce Rachal (Illinois), 7-4
Consolation Second Round: #5 Youssif Hemida (Maryland) pin David Jensen (Nebraska), 0:45
*-Does not count toward team score
Team Scores
1. Ohio State 137.5
2. Penn State 124.0
3. Michigan 100.0
4. Iowa 78.0
5. Minnesota 57.0
6. Nebraska 54.0
7. Illinois 53.0
8. Wisconsin 50.5
9. Northwestern 48.0
10. Purdue 45.5
11. Rutgers 37.0
12. Maryland 27.5
13. Indiana 10.0
14. Michigan State 8.5
The Huskers, who began the session in 10th place in the team standings, climbed to sixth place following Saturday's competition with 54 team points. Ohio State is first with 137.5 points, while Penn State is second with a total of 124.
A total of six Huskers have clinched automatic qualification to the NCAA Championships, which take place March 15-17 in Cleveland, Ohio. Jason Renteria (133) clinched a spot in the morning session, while Chad Red Jr. (141), Colton McCrystal (149), Tyler Berger (157), Isaiah White (165) and Taylor Venz (184) each won matches to punch a ticket to Cleveland in Session II.
Nebraska's only semifinalist, the fourth-seeded Renteria dropped a 19-3 technical fall to top-seeded Stevan Micic of Michigan. Renteria will face seventh-seeded Dylan Duncan of Illinois in Sunday's consolation semifinals.
McCrystal punched his ticket to his second NCAA appearance with a pin in 2:44 over Purdue's 11th-seeded Austin Nash in 2:44. He followed that win with his second win over Minnesota's ninth-seeded Steve Bleise this season by an 8-5 decision. He will face No. 3 Ryan Deakin of Northwestern in Sunday's consolation semifinals.
The All-American Berger will be making his third NCAA appearance after winning a 7-2 decision over Justin Alexander at 157 pounds in the consolation second round. Berger then won a 5-1 decision for his second win of the year over eighth-seeded John Van Brill of Rutgers to advance to the consolation semifinals. He is set to face second-seeded Jason Nolf of Penn State, but Nolf took a medical forfeit from the tournament in the championship semifinal match.
Venz, seeded sixth at 184 pounds, earned a trip to Cleveland with an 8-0 major decision over Norman Conley in the consolation second round. He also earned a major decision in the consolation quarterfinals, as he defeated seventh-seeded Ricky Robertson for the third time this season, this time an 11-1 major decision. Venz will face No. 4 Emery Parker of Illinois in Sunday's consolation semifinals.
Red defeated Alec McKenna by a score of 2-0 at 141 pounds in the consolation second round to clinch a spot in Cleveland. Red ran out of time in the consolation quarterfinals, as he fell to Iowa's Vince Turk by a 5-4 decision with Turk holding off a late rally. Red will face Maryland's Ryan Diehl in the seventh-place match Sunday.
White found bonus points with a win over Jacob Morrissey of Purdue, earning a 12-3 major decision to book his trip to the NCAA Championships. In his next match, White dropped a 3-1 decision to fifth-seeded Evan Wick of Wisconsin. White will face Minnesota's sixth-seeded Nick Wanzek in the seventh-place match Sunday.
Eighth-seeded Eric Schultz won an 18-4 major decision over Jake Kleimola at 197 pounds in the consolation second round, but fell to Wisconsin's fifth-seeded Hunter Ritter in 2:09 in the consolation quarterfinals. Schultz will wrestle seventh-seeded Zack Chakonis of Northwestern for seventh place on Sunday.
Heavyweight David Jensen was eliminated in the consolation second round after falling to fifth-seeded Youssif Hemida of Maryland in 45 seconds.
Mitchell Maginnis went 0-2 in Session I, but stayed alive for automatic qualification to the NCAA tournament with 10 Big Ten qualifying spots at 125 pounds. Maginnis dropped a 7-2 decision to 14th-seeded Carson Kuhn of Penn State in the ninth-place quarterfinal, and was elimanted from the tournament.
Beau Breske (174) also saw action for the Huskers at the Big Ten Championships Saturday, but was eliminated with 0-2 records.
Action at the Big Ten Championships continues with Session III (consolation semifinals and third-, fifth-, and seventh-place matches) on Sunday at 11 a.m. (CT). Action will be streamed live on BTN Plus and FloWrestling. The championship finals in Session IV are set for 2 p.m. (CT) and will be televised on BTN.
Big Ten Championships
March 3-4, 2018
East Lansing, Mich. (Breslin Center)
125 Pounds: Mitchell Maginnis - 0-3 (DNP)First Round: #6 Luke Welch (Purdue) dec. #11 Mitchell Maginnis (Nebraska), 6-2
Consolation First Round: #14 Carson Kuhn (Penn State) major dec. #11 Mitchell Maginnis (Nebraska), 12-3
*Ninth-Place Quarterfinal: #14 Carson Kuhn (Penn State) dec. #11 Mitchell Maginnis (Nebraska), 7-2
133 Pounds: #4 Jason Renteria - 2-1First Round: #4 Jason Renteria (Nebraska) pin Logan Griffin (Michigan State), 3:56
Quarterfinals: #4 Jason Renteria (Nebraska) dec. #5 Scott DelVecchio (Rutgers), 3-1
Semifinals: #1 Stevan Micic (Michigan) tech. fall #4 Jason Renteria (Nebraska), 19-3
Consolation Semifinals: #4 Jason Renteria (Nebraska) vs. #7 Dylan Duncan (Illinois)
141 Pounds: #4 Chad Red Jr. - 2-2First Round: #4 Chad Red Jr. (Nebraska) dec. Ryan Diehl (Maryland), 6-0
Quarterfinals: #5 Nate Limmex (Purdue) dec. #4 Chad Red Jr. (Nebraska), 6-4
Consolation Second Round: #4 Chad Red Jr. dec. (Nebraska) Alec McKenna (Northwestern), 2-0
Consolation Quarterfinals: Vince Turk (Iowa) dec. #4 Chad Red Jr. (Nebraska), 5-4
Seventh-Place Match: #4 Chad Red Jr. (Nebraska) vs. Ryan Diehl (Maryland)
149 Pounds: #4 Colton McCrystal - 3-1First Round: #4 Colton McCrystal (Nebraska) major dec. #13 Jwan Britton (Michigan State), 17-5
Quarterfinals: #5 Ke-Shawn Hayes (Ohio State) dec. #4 Colton McCrystal (Nebraska), 7-6
Consolation Second Round: #4 Colton McCrystal (Nebraska) pin #11 Austin Nash (Purdue), 2:44
Consolation Quarterfinals: #4 Colton McCrystal (Nebraska) dec. #9 Steve Bleise (Minnesota), 8-5
Consolaton Semifinals: #4 Colton McCrystal (Nebraska) vs. #3 Ryan Deakin (Northwestern)
157 Pounds: #5 Tyler Berger - 2-1First Round: #5 Tyler Berger (Nebraska) dec. Shayne Oster (Northwestern), 8-3
Quarterfinals: #4 Micah Jordan (Ohio State) dec. #5 Tyler Berger (Nebraska), 4-3
Consolation Second Round: #5 Tyler Berger (Nebraska) dec. Justin Alexander (Maryland), 7-2
Consolation Quarterfinals: #5 Tyler Berger (Nebraska) dec. #8 John Van Brill (Rutgers), 5-1
Consolation Semifinals: #5 Tyler Berger (Nebraska) vs. #2 Jason Nolf (Penn State)
165 Pounds: #8 Isaiah White - 2-2First Round: #8 Isaiah White (Nebraska) dec. #9 Te’Shan Campbell (Ohio State), 6-1
Quarterfinals: #1 Isaiah Martinez (Illinois) dec. #8 Isaiah White (Nebraska), 7-4
Consolation Second Round: #8 Isaiah White (Nebraska) major dec. #10 Jacob Morrissey (Purdue), 12-3
Consolation Quarterfinals: #5 Evan Wick (Wisconsin) dec. #8 Isaiah White (Nebraska), 3-1
Seventh-Place Match: #8 Isaiah White (Nebraska) vs. #6 Nick Wanzek (Minnesota)
174 Pounds: Beau Breske - 0-2 (DNP)First Round: #7 Joey Gunther (Iowa) tb-2 Beau Breske (Nebraska), 4-3
Consolation First Round: Josh Ugalde (Maryland) pin Beau Breske (Nebraska), 6:26
184 Pounds: #6 Taylor Venz - 2-1First Round: #6 Taylor Venz (Nebraska) bye
Quarterfinals: Domenic Abounader (Michigan) dec. #6 Taylor Venz (Nebraska), 6-4
Consolation Second Round: #6 Taylor Venz (Nebraska) major dec. Norman Conley (Indiana), 8-0
Consolation Quarterfinals: #6 Taylor Venz (Nebraska) major dec. #7 Ricky Robertson (Wisconsin), 11-1
Consolation Semifinals: #6 Taylor Venz (Nebraska) vs. #4 Emery Parker (Illinois)
197 Pounds: #8 Eric Schultz - 2-2First Round: #8 Eric Schultz (Nebraska) dec. Nick May (Michigan State), 3-2
Quarterfinals: #1 Kollin Moore (Ohio State) dec. #8 Eric Schultz (Nebraska), 10-4
Consolation Second Round: #8 Eric Schultz (Nebraska) major dec. Jake Kleimola (Indiana), 18-4
Consolation Quarterfinals: #5 Hunter Ritter (Wisconsin) pin #8 Eric Schultz (Nebraska), 2:09
Seventh-Place Match: #8 Eric Schultz (Nebraska) vs. #7 Zack Chakonis (Northwestern)
Heavyweight: David Jensen - 1-2 (DNP)First Round: #6 Conan Jennings (Northwestern) dec. David Jensen (Nebraska), 2-0
Consolation First Round: David Jensen (Nebraska) dec. Deuce Rachal (Illinois), 7-4
Consolation Second Round: #5 Youssif Hemida (Maryland) pin David Jensen (Nebraska), 0:45
*-Does not count toward team score
Team Scores
1. Ohio State 137.5
2. Penn State 124.0
3. Michigan 100.0
4. Iowa 78.0
5. Minnesota 57.0
6. Nebraska 54.0
7. Illinois 53.0
8. Wisconsin 50.5
9. Northwestern 48.0
10. Purdue 45.5
11. Rutgers 37.0
12. Maryland 27.5
13. Indiana 10.0
14. Michigan State 8.5
