Nebraska in seventh heading into final day of NCAA tourney
ST. LOUIS Nebraska came up on the short end of three close semifinal matches in Session IV of the NCAA Championships, but two Huskers advanced in the consolation bracket to guarantee NU a total of five All-Americans, the most for Nebraska since 1995. The Huskers currently sit tied for seventh place with 58 points in the team race.
Junior Paul Donahoe fell short in his attempt to repeat as a national champion at 125 pounds as he lost a 4-3 decision to Minnesota's Jayson Ness. Donahoe took a 2-1 lead with a takedown in the second period and looked to be in control with an early escape in the third period. Ness, the second seed, caught Donahoe on the edge of the mat, though, as the Gopher scored a takedown with less than 10 seconds left to knock Donahoe out of the winner's bracket.
Likewise, junior Brandon Browne lost a heartbreaking match at 174 pounds to Michigan's Steve Luke. Browne battled Luke to a 1-1 tie through regulation as neither could score a takedown. Luke prevailed with a takedown in overtime to secure the 3-1 sudden victory.
Sophomore Jordan Burroughs (149) squared off against top-seeded Brent Metcalf of Iowa and drew first blood with a takedown a minute into the match. However, Metcalf reeled off three straight takedowns as Burroughs had no answer and lost 8-4.
A win Saturday by all three would put them in the third-place match, while a loss means they wrestle for fifth place.
Sophomore Craig Brester (197) rebounded from a loss in the quarterfinals with two straight wins in the consolation bracket over Hofstra's Joseph Rovelli and Missouri's Max Askren. Brester held Rovelli scoreless to advance with a 7-0 decision and notched his first career win over Askren with a 9-2 decision. Brester was previously 0-4 against the Tiger. Brester can also qualify for the third-place match with a win Saturday.
Fellow sophomore Stephen Dwyer (165) defeated Zack Shanaman of Penn with a 5-4 decision in the consolation to claim his first All-America honors. Dwyer lost his next match as Moza Fay of Northern Iowa pinned him in 2:29, but Dwyer will wrestler Iowa State's Jonathan Reader for seventh place Saturday night.
Junior Vince Jones (184) ended his season with a 7-6 loss to Oklahoma State's Jack Jensen. Jones was up 6-1 during the second period before a furious rally by Jensen. Jones gave up a takedown in the third period that allowed Jensen to collect exactly one minute of riding time and earn the win with that point.
The Huskers conclude their season in Saturday's morning session, which begins at 10 a.m.
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