HESKETT NAMED WRESTLING COACHFormer Ohio State Assistant, Four-Time All-American Joins Black Knights
 
WEST POINT, N.Y.  – Joe Heskett, a four-time All-American, national champion and former U.S. World Team member who spent the past four years as an assistant at Ohio State University, has been named the head wrestling coach at Army Athletics Director Kevin Anderson announced.Heskett, a 2001 graduate of Iowa State University, replaces Chuck Barbee who resigned following his 10th season to pursue other interests.
 
“I am very excited to have one of the young talents in collegiate wrestling as our head coach,” said Anderson. “Joe comes highly recommended from Athletic Director of the Year Gene Smith of Ohio State has unmatched credentials on the mat and his passion and dedication to the sport should pay immediate dividends. He has continued to advance his career and we are confident he can lead us to wins over Navy, EIWA Championships and national qualifiers.”
 
Heskett, who won the 165-pound national championship in 2002, is the ninth head coach in program history.
 
"Life will often surprise us with outstanding opportunities,” said Heskett. “I am humbled and honored to be able to lead and represent the Army wrestling program. I am inspired by what West Point represents and I graciously accept the challenge to mentor and motivate the cadet-athletes, improve their technical and tactical skills on the mat and to beat Navy. I would like to thank my family, Kevin Anderson, the West Point search committee, specifically Associate Athletic Director Gene McIntyre for his time and energy and the entire USMA athletic department."
 
Heskett, the eighth four-time All-American at Iowa State, graduated with a degree in speech communications and a career record of 143-9.
 
He was a three-time national finalist, winning one championship and finishing second and third. Heskett captured three Big 12 Championships, won the prestigious Midlands event on three occasions and graduated third on Iowa State’s all-time wins list.
 
Following his decorated collegiate career, Heskett earned a spot on the 2007 U.S. World Team after winning the U.S. Nationals and U.S. World Team Trials. He represented the United States at the ’07 World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan with a fifth-place finish. He dropped a tough, three-period battle with a two-time world champion from Russia in the semifinals before wrestling back to finish fifth and was one of five wrestlers to qualify at his weight for the Olympics. Earlier that summer, he won a silver medal at 163 pounds at the 2007 Pan American Games.Less than a week after returning from the World Championships, Heskett was forced to retire from competitive wrestling due to an injury and joined the Ohio State staff.Hired as the volunteer assistant in 2006, Heskett was training for the Olympics while assisting in recruiting, team academic support, cultivating donor and alumni relations and other operational duties. Shortly after his competitive retirement, he was promoted to full-time assistant on Tom Ryan’s staff as the chief recruiter. In addition to his work on the mat, Heskett also assumed responsibility for practice plans, academic progress and community service initiatives.
 
During his tenure at Ohio State, Heskett helped the Buckeyes to four top-10 team finishes at the NCAA Tournament, three NCAA champions and 15 All-Americans. He played a large role in securing the nation’s top recruiting class in 2006 and helped sign a host of top prospects.
 
Heskett began his coaching career at Cal Poly University where he was the head assistant wrestling coach an also earned his master’s degree with honors in Educational Leadership with an emphasis in Athletic Administration. He assisted in all facets of the program, including fundraising, and helped the Mustangs to their highest NCAA placement in nearly 20 years.
 
Leadership and leadership training is another passion of Heskett’s. He was Iowa State’s representative at the NCAA Leadership Conference, a board member of the Children’s Body Image, a former member of the Major Ray Mendoza Leadership Fund and an Ambassador and Public Awareness Speaker for the Ohio State Medical Center. He is the founder and Chief Visionary Officer for h Leadership in Columbus, Ohio, a firm with an array of industry expertsA native of Akron, Ohio, Heskett and his wife Tara have two daughters, Olivia and Ava, and are expecting a son in late July. They will reside at West Point.

This is a past article by Matt Diano, LighthouseWrestling.com about one of HSWrestling’s favorite “dark horses” from the 2010 Senior class. Lenzi passed on several other elite colleges before picking Penn and is excited to continue his career at the next level.

Wednesday evening, right around the time that the New York Yankees were surging to a 2-0 Game 6 lead by virtue of a Hideki Matsui home run, Lighthouse Wrestling was in the process of getting it confirmed that two-time defending CHSAA Catholic State/2008 NYS DI champion Andrew Lenzi had indeed officially come off of the market.

Responding to a Facebook message left for him, the two-time NYS finalist confirmed that earlier in the evening, he had contacted the University of Pennsylvania’s head wrestling coach, Rob Eiter, to inform him that he had decided to make the Philadelphia-based campus his home away from home for the next four years (commencing in the fall of 2010).

Lenzi becomes the first recruit from the current senior class to formally announce his intentions to join the Quakers.

A household name in New York since 2006 when he won the schoolboy state title in impressive fashion, teching nearly all of his opponents, the future student-athlete at the famed Wharton School of Business, has found himself on everybody’s radar ever since.

Electing to concentrate on the academic adjustment that accompanies matriculation at a top-flight college preparatory school in 2007, Lenzi and his family made the decision to forego the rigors of weight cutting. However, despite being pitted against physically more mature upperclassmen, the Ram wrestler compiled a more than respectable freshmen campaign, culminating with a third-place finish at the Catholic state tournament (CHSAA qualifier for the NYS tournament).

As a sophomore, Lenzi would distinguish himself as a true contender for the federation hardware at the Eastern States Tournament (considered by some to be a tougher tournament to win than the NYS title because it includes wrestlers from both divisions). Seeded 12th, Lenzi would go on to win his first four matches, including a 10-4 decision over top-seeded Brian Benton (currently at George Mason University), before bowing out in the finals to Dom Oddo. This would be a loss that Lenzi would study and learn from, avenging the defeat several weeks later in the quarterfinals of the state tournament�.a 14-5 major decision over Brandan McKeown in the semifinals would set the stage for a rematch with Benton, with the victor not only going the spoils, but claiming the 130-pound state crown as well. And, again, it would be the representative from the Catholic League that got his arm raised, emerging with the 5-3 decision. The win made Lenzi the first wrestler from the CHSAA to earn the top step on the podium since 2000 When St. Anthony’s Lucas Magnani (wrestled for Brown University and the University of Iowa) won the title as a sophomore. Lenzi would be an emphatic exclamation point on 2008, earning All-American honors at the NHSCA Sophomore National tournament, finishing sixth at 135-pounds.

Lenzi, rated as the No. 8 senior in the Empire State’s 2010 class, would wrestle his way back onto center state last season, winning his first three matches in Albany (including a thrilling 6-5 decision over former 2x NYS champion/Current Harvard freshman Paul Liguori). However, unlike his magical sophomore season, the future Quaker would have to watch as his opponent, Rocky Point’s Stephen Dutton (No. 3 senior in NYS; Verbal commitment to Lehigh University) would go on to get his first taste of glory, knocking the defending champion from his throne via a 10-1 major decision.

Now, just a month or so away from the beginning of his swan song, those of us who have chatted with Lenzi know how hungry he is to return to the top of the mountain. Should the FP captain succeed in his mission to recapture the gold, he will have made history, becoming the first wrestler from the Catholic League to win multiple state crowns. In doing so, he will immediately join the likes of the aforementioned Magnani in the discussion of the greatest wrestler in CHSAA history.

Projected as a 141-pounder on the next level, Lenzi chose the University of Pennsylvania over Ivy League rivals Columbia University, Harvard University, and Princeton University. When asked about the deciding factors, the two-time CHSAA State Most Outstanding Wrestler cited the quality of the coaching staff, saying “Coach Eiter and Coach Valenti are really good guys and really good coaches. I believe I will be able to achieve all of my goals under them. They are the type of people that would do anything for me or any other member on the team to help them achieve their goals.” Lenzi also spoke very highly of the camaraderie that he experienced during his visit to the campus, talking in detail about how he was impressed with the fact that all of the team members are friends off of the mat as well. To conclude, Lenzi commented about life after wrestling and how he felt the strength of the academics (especially the Business program) were ideal for him, saying “Wharton is the No. 1 business school in the nation. It will provide me with the opportunity to be most successful after my career on the mat is finished.”

With the addition of former two-time NCAA champion Matt Valenti to the UPenn coaching staff, coupled with the return of incumbent starter Bryan Ortenzio (133) and former blue-chip recruits Dan White and Zack Kemmerer, there should be no shortage of quality workout partners to reach the fullest extent of his potential.

On behalf of everyone at LHW, we offer our sincerest congratulations to Andrew and his family on this big moment. Coach Eiter is getting a great young man!!!

Pat Galbincea / Plain Dealer Reporter, December 12, 2009 8:55 p.m.

Any sport with a referee will always have a moment where a controversial call angers the crowd, and the Walsh Jesuit Ironman — arguably the nation’s best high school wrestling tournament — was no exception Saturday afternoon in a semifinal bout involving 119-pound state champions Ty Mitch of Aurora and Monroeville junior Hunter Stieber.

Mitch, a senior bound for Virginia Tech, had a 3-2 lead late in the match against Stieber, the No. 1 rated 119 in the nation. With 20 seconds left, Stieber took Mitch down in a scramble by throwing in a cross-body ride.

What happened after that put referee John Butch — a Pennsylvania official who lives in Youngstown — in a tough spot. Mitch appeared to have a reversal and near fall in the waning seconds, but was awarded no points. That brought boos from the overflow crowd and angered veteran Aurora coach Dick Bliss.

“I’ll say this . . . Hunter told me he thought he lost the match,” said Jeff Stieber, Hunter’s father.

So why no call from Butch?

“An awful lot happened in a short period of time, but Stieber never lost control of Mitch,” Butch said. “During that scramble, Stieber had his leg hooked in. Mitch could have gotten a defensive pin, but he had no reversal or near fall.”

Homecoming: California is a long way from North Royalton, so the Ironman was a welcome site for Boomer Fechko.

The former Bears state place winner as a junior — he then moved to and graduated from Brunswick his senior year — is now the head wrestling coach at Quincy High School in California. His 130-pound senior, Cody Pack, was the top seed at 130 pounds.

Retired North Royalton mat coach Paul Oberst came to the Ironman to see his former standout, but never made the connection.

“I looked in two gyms for Boomer,” Oberst said, “but with the massive crowds it was like trying to find a needle in a haystack.”

Not kind: No, the Ironman has not been kind to standout junior Chris Phillips of Monroeville since his freshman year, when he shocked St. Edward two-time state champ Brian Roddy in their final and won, 7-3.

The two-time Division III state champ and nation’s No. 1 rated 171-pounder lost his first match last year to Ed Ruth of Blair (N.J.) Academy in the semifinals.

He won his opening round bout Friday over Justin Lozano, a junior from Selma, Calif., but injured his elbow. Doctors recommended he withdraw from the tournament as a precautionary measure.

Phillips, who has yet to lose to an Ohio wrestler, has a chance to surpass the accomplishments of four-time state champ Johnny McGee of Coventry, generally considered the finest upperweight Ohio has produced in recent years.

Good genes: If St. Edward freshman Dean Heil’s last name seems familiar to veteran wrestling fans, it should because his father Mike was a state third and state fifth wrestling for Brooklyn High School.

Ironically, Heil, a Strongsville resident and the Eagles’ starting 103-pounder, lives only a few houses away from Joe Drago, the former Brooklyn coach who is now an assistant coach at Elyria.

Legacy award: The 2009 Ironman Legacy Award went to four-time Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy state champ Harry Lester, who has taken a sabbatical in his quest for a World Greco-Roman championship. Previous award winners were coaching greats — Mike Milkovich Sr. from Maple Heights, Gene Gibbons from John Marshall, Jeff Buxton from Blair Academy, Greg Urbas of St. Edward and Jeff Jordan of St. Paris Graham.

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern University is set to host the 2007 Midlands Wrestling Championships, Dec. 29-30 at Welsh-Ryan Arena. This year marks the 45th installment of one of the most prestigious events in collegiate wrestling. The annual tournament attracts hundreds of the most talented wrestlers from around the country in a two-day, four-session double-elimination tournament.

Founded by Northwestern's Ken Kraft, the Midlands Championships are held every December in Welsh-Ryan Arena. The tournament has historically brought together the very best in amateur wrestling, and has provided the springboard for 92 Olympic wrestlers.

Last year's champion, Iowa State, returns to the site of its victory for another shot at the title. The Big Ten had previously dominated the tournament as Illinois won the previous three Midlands Championships, while Iowa and Minnesota combined to win the nine before that, dating back to 1990.

Four top-10 teams are competing in Midlands "45," headlined by No. 1 Iowa, No. 2 Iowa State, No. 6 Central Michigan and No. 9 Northwestern, according to the latest release of rankings by the USA Today/InterMat/NWCA Division I Coaches Poll

Individually, the Midlands host a plethora of individual talents searching for an NCAA Championship at season's end, including defending Midlands Champions: Angel Escobedo (Indiana) at 125 lbs., Nick Simmons (Michigan State) at 133 lbs., Ryan Lang (Northwestern) at 149 lbs., Mike Poeta (Illinois) at 157 lbs., Jake Herbert at 184 lbs., Mike Tamillow (Northwestern) at 197 lbs. and Tervel Dlagnev (Nebraska-Kearney) at heavyweight.

"Midlands is one of the best events in college wrestling," Northwestern head wrestling coach Tim Cysewski said. "A Midlands championship, a Big Ten championship and an NCAA championship, that's the triple crown of college wrestling."

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern head wrestling coach Tim Cysewski has announced that John Schoen (Homer Glen, Ill./Marist) has signed a National Letter of Intent and will join the 'Cats for the 2007-08 season. The Wildcats are coming off a fourth-place finish at the 2007 NCAA Championships, the highest in program history.

Schoen, who projects to be a 197-pound wrestler for the Wildcats, compiled 118 wins in high school record while competing four seasons on the varsity squad. He broke Marist's career record for most takedowns. He led the Redhawks in wins, team points, takedowns and winning percentage. He is currently ranked 11th nationally at 215 lbs. by W.I.N. Magazine.

"John will compliment out upper-weights very well," Cysewski said. "Last season, we had the best 184, 197, 285 combination in the NCAA and John will help ensure that this trend continues."

In his senior year as Team Captain, Schoen was 44-4 with 22 falls and took first place at the Mahomet Seymour and IHSA Regionals. He was named Outstanding Wrestler at the East Suburban Catholic Conference (ESCC) where we won a conference championship at 215 lbs. He took second place at the IHSA sectionals and third at the Class AA state finals. During his junior year, Schoen was a state finalist.

Schoen also was a two-year starter at linebacker for Marist's football team and was a four-year honor roll student.

He joins Mike Benefiel (Aurora, Ill./Montini Catholic), Ben Kuhar (Concord Twp., Ohio/St. Edward) and Robert Kellogg (Sioux City, Iowa/Sioux City North) in this year's recruiting class.

Schoen's bio appears below:

John Schoen
6-1 ? 210
Homer Glen, Ill./Marist

High School: Career record of 118-38 ... Two-time ESCC champion at 189 and 215 lbs. in 2006 and 2007 ... Second place at Class AA state finals (2006) ... Third at state finals in 2006 ... Owns school records for takedowns and escapes ... First place at IHSA Regionals (2007) ... ESCC Outstanding Wrestler (2007) ... Ranked 11th nationally at 215 lbs. by W.I.N. Magazine ... Star Newspaper All Area Team (2007) ... Two-year starter in football at linebacker ... Four-year honor roll student.

Personal: Born John Michael Schoen on 8/22/1989 ... Son of Edward and Julie Schoen ... High school teammate in football of Jeremy Nash of the NU basketball team ... Chose Northwestern over Indiana, Purdue and Northern Illinois ... Plans to major in communications.

FRISCO, TX, MARCH 30, 2007: Centennial High School senior wrestler Lene? Wood will sign her letter of intent to wrestle for Oklahoma City University on Tuesday April 3, 2007. The signing will take place at 10:00 A.M. at the high school, located at 6901 Coit Road in Frisco. The signing and a brief reception afterwards will be in the auditorium foyer on the west side of the school.

Oklahoma City University is the first university in Oklahoma to create a women?s wrestling program and one of only six nationwide. OCU Head wrestling Coach Archie Randall will be on hand for the signing. Randall expects to have 30 women on the team by next year. ?One of our goals is to allow them the opportunity to pursue their Olympic goal,? Randall said.

Lene? capped off her three-year career with her second straight undefeated state championship, finishing her high school career on a 68 match winning streak and a 93-5 record in just three years of wrestling. She completed her senior season with a remarkable 101-0 takedown advantage as well as not allowing a single offensive point to an opponent.

Her efforts at the state tournament helped lead Centennial to a second place finish overall, the highest finish in Frisco ISD history. Lene?s outstanding season also earned her Female Wrestler of the Year for 2007 as chosen by the Dallas Morning News.

Lene? is also a two-time All-American in freestyle wrestling, the style she will continue at OCU and throughout the rest of her career. She will attempt to cap off her Folk style career this weekend as she wrestles in the Folk style National Championships in Livonia, Michigan.

Dual No. 13:

No. 22/20 Nebraska (7-5) vs. No. 4/4 Oklahoma State (12-4)

NU Coliseum?Lincoln, Neb.?Thursday, Feb. 1

Nebraska Returns Home to Take on Cowboys on Dollar Days

The 20th-ranked Nebraska wrestling team returns home to the NU
Coliseum for Dollar Days on Thursday, Feb. 1 as the Huskers take on
defending national champion Oklahoma State at 7 p.m. Both teams are
coming off road Big 12 losses, as NU fell to second-ranked Missouri,
31-11, and the Cowboys lost to third-ranked Iowa State, 21-12.

Oklahoma State has won the last 12 duals between the two schools since
a 18-18 tie on Jan. 13, 1995 at the Reno Tournament of Champions.
Still, Nebraska has been competitive with the Cowboys in recent years.
In two of the last three duals between the two schools, Nebraska has
had an opportunity to win the dual in the final match. In the
semifinals of the 2006 National Duals, the Huskers were within two
points of the Cowboys going into the heavyweight match at 16-14 before
a major decision win for OSU gave the Cowboys a 20-14 win. The 2005
regular season matchup between the two schools was even more hotly
contested. Then top-ranked Oklahoma State won, 19-18, but needed a
major decision victory at heavyweight to earn the winning margin.
Both the Cowboys and the third-ranked Huskers won five matches, but it
was Oklahoma State's four bonus-point wins that proved to be the
difference.

Last Time Out: No. 2 Missouri 33, No. 20 Nebraska 11, Jan. 28, 2006,
Columbia, Mo.

The 20th-ranked Nebraska wrestling team got early wins from Dominick
Moyer and Chris Oliver, but second-ranked Missouri defeated the
Huskers, 31-11. Moyer gave NU an early four-point lead by earning a
major decision win at 141 pounds over Ashtin Primus, 15-2. Moyer took
control of the match early with a takedown of Primus 40 seconds into
the match. Moyer rode Primus for the rest of the period and earned a
pair of three-point nearfalls.

Two matches later, Oliver would give Nebraska a 7-6 lead three matches
into the dual with his 4-3 victory over Michael Chandler at 157
pounds. Oliver tied the match at 3-all with a takedown with four
seconds remaining in the second period, then took the lead for good
with an escape 48 seconds into the third period after starting the
final stanza down.

Missouri won the next five duals in the match to build an 18-point
lead with two matches remaining. At 174 pounds, Marc Harwood fell to
top-ranked Ben Askren by major decision, 20-9. Harwood scored an
escape and a takedown midway through the second period to draw within
two at 8-6, but Askren would score five takedowns in the final three
minutes to earn the major decision.

At 125 pounds, Paul Donahoe broke Missouri's winning streak with a
19-7 major decision win over John Olanowski. Donahoe took control of
the match in the second period. After notching six points in the
first 38 seconds of the stanza, Donahoe would earn two more takedowns
to build a 9-2 lead heading to the third period, in which he would
score four more takedowns on his way to victory.

Scouting Oklahoma State

No. 4 Oklahoma State is in transition after having to replace five
NCAA Championships qualifiers from last year's national championship
squad. Still, led by top-ranked Johny Hendricks at 165 pounds, the
Cowboys field a potent lineup with three wrestlers ranked in the top
10 in their respective weight classes. Along with Hendricks,
133-pound wrestler Coleman Scott and 141-pounder Nathan Morgan return
after making significant contributions to OSU's championship run,
their fourth straight national championship. The Cowboys are coming
off a 21-12 loss at third-ranked Iowa State on Sunday.

Last Matchup: Oklahoma State 27, Nebraska 15, Feb. 3, 2006, Stillwater, Okla.

The fifth-ranked Nebraska wrestling team picked up pins from 197-pound
wrestler B.J. Padden and 141-pound wrestler Dominick Moyer, but it
wasn't enough as second-ranked Oklahoma State won seven of ten matches
and defeated the Huskers, 27-15 at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater,
Okla.

Oklahoma State took an early lead after a win by technical fall by
third-ranked Zack Esposito at 149 pounds. Nebraska answered in the
following match, as 16th-ranked Chris Oliver used a reversal earned
early in the third period to defeat 15th-ranked Kevin Ward, 3-1, at
157 pounds. Oliver started the period down 1-0 in the match, but
reversed Ward early in the third frame and rode Ward for the duration
of the match to earn the bonus point for riding time advantage.

After three straight losses, fifth-ranked B.J. Padden broke the losing
string with a pin of second-ranked Jake Rosholt at 197 pounds. The
fall marked Padden's third win in his last four matches against
Rosholt. Padden has won 16 of his last 17 matches and is now 11 wins
away from 100 in his career. The win brought NU to within six of the
Cowboys, but Oklahoma State would rebuild their lead, though, with
three straight wins.

In the final match of the night, Dominick Moyer pinned Justin Porter
49 seconds into the second period of their 141-pound match. Moyer,
the 19th-ranked 141-pound wrestler, took control of the match early in
the second period with a reversal, then earned the fall later in the
period. The win was Moyer's third straight win by fall and his fifth
straight win overall.

Husker Wrestling Adds Rice to Roster

After the season-ending injury to Jon May, Nebraska was left without a
heavyweight on the roster just one month into the season. Enter
Thomas Rice, a Lincoln East graduate who is a defensive end on the
Husker football team. Rice joined the NU wrestling squad soon after
the football team returned from the Cotton Bowl, and made his debut as
Husker wrestler with a 2-2 showing at the 2007 Dana College Open Jan.
6 in Blair, Neb. Rice made his dual debut for Nebraska at the
National Duals, moving into a heavyweight spot in which the Huskers
forfeited at heavyweight for five straight duals.

A member of two state championship teams at Lincoln East and a high
school All-American after a sixth-place finish at the Greco Roman
National Championships, Rice is not the first Husker heavyweight to
come over from the football ranks under head coach Mark Manning.
Mitch Manstedt also participated in both sports during his time at
Nebraska. A three-year starter, Manstedt joined the wrestling team
his freshman year in mid-January 2001 after the football season, then
wrestled full-time for the duration of his college career.

Experienced but Young Huskers Set to Tackle the 2006-07 Season

Nebraska was in a unique position entering the 2006-07 season. The
Huskers returned eight starters and seven NCAA qualifiers from last
year's team, which ranked among the highest total in those two
categories in Mark Manning's seven years as the Huskers' head coach.
However, the two seniors on Nebraska's roster matched the fewest that
Manning has had at NU.

Both experience and youth have proven valuable for Manning as
Nebraska's coach. When the Huskers had only two seniors in 2001-02,
they rebounded from an 8-9 regular season to take eighth at the NCAA
Championships, the program's 14th top-10 finish. The two times that
Nebraska returned eight starters (2004 and 2005), the Huskers won 19
duals and, in 2004, took fifth at nationals.

Three Accomplished Student-Athletes Join NU Wrestling

Nebraska head wrestling coach Mark Manning announced the signing of
three student-athletes during the early signing period that will join
the Huskers for the 2007-08 academic year. The three signees, Andy
Pokorny of Bennington, Neb., Tucker Lane of Nucla, Colo., and Chris
Hacker of El Reno, Okla., represent Nebraska's continued success in
wrestling both on and off the mat.

Pokorny is a two-time state champion, winning last year's class C
crown at 112 pounds after winning in 2005 at 103. A 2006 Junior
Freestyle All-American, Pokorny is the fourth-ranked 112-pound
wrestler in the nation by Wrestling USA and is the 52nd ranked high
school wrestler overall by Intermat. His accomplishments are not
limited to the mat, however, as he is currently second in his class
with at 3.935 GPA and a 30 on his ACT.

Lane also comes to Nebraska with glittering athletic and academic
credentials. A two-time state champion, Lane is the nation's
second-ranked 215-pound wrestler by Wrestling USA and is the 40th
ranked high school wrestler overall, according to Intermat, which has
recognized him as a four-star recruit. Lane also was a Junior
Freestyle All-American in 2006. Like Pokorny, Lane is also
accomplished in the classroom. He earned a 31 on his ACT and entered
his senior year at Nucla High School with a 4.25 GPA, tops in his
graduating class.

A four-time Cadet All-American and two-time Junior All-American,
Hacker also joins the Huskers with an impressive resume at both the
state and national levels. Hacker captured the Class 4A championships
at 152 pounds last year, and is the No. 6 152-pounder according to
Wrestling USA and is the 53rd-best high school wrestler in the nation,
according to Intermat. Hacker also received recruiting attention from
Oklahoma State, Oklahoma and Missouri, among others.

Tough Road To Detroit Awaits Nebraska

The Nebraska wrestling program has always dealt with a difficult
schedule in the Big 12 Conference. But few years have seen one
conference so thoroughly dominate the rankings. In both major polls,
three of the top four teams in the nation are from the Big 12. After
wrestling sixth-ranked Iowa and fifth-ranked Hofstra at the National
Duals, the Huskers' schedule now includes the top six teams in the
nation. The National Duals began a challenging stretch of the
schedule for Nebraska, in which they will face the top six teams in
the nation in a month-long stretch between Jan. 13 to Feb. 11. The
Huskers, one of only three teams in the nation to see five of the
preseason top six in the nation on their schedule,will have wrestled
eight of the top 10 teams in the nation after this month-long stretch.
11 of Nebraska's last 12 dual opponents are ranked, including a
stretch of 10 straight ranked dual opponents.

Non-Varsity Notes

Eight Nebraska non-varsity wrestlers finished in the top four in their
respective weight classes at the Glen Brand Open on Saturday, Jan. 20
in Omaha, Neb. Matt Vacanti won the championship at 125 pounds, while
Patrick Aleksanyan finished second at 133 and Andy Johnson took second
at 174. Cody Foust (165) and Casey Roberts (184) earned third-place
finishes, while Austin Baier (141), Casey Gubbels (149) and Rob
Plambeck (157) took fourth in their respective weight classes. The
Brand Open is the last scheduled non-varsity competition for NU
wrestlers this season.

In the first weekend of the season, Vacanti was the lone Husker to
place at the Harold Nichols Open. Vacanti took third with a 5-3 win
over Robert Struthers of Wartburg at 125 pounds. Baier advanced to the
semifinals at 141 pounds before he was defeated by Joey Slaton of
Iowa. Meanwhile, a pair of true freshmen earned gold medals at the
Cowboy Open in Laramie, Wyo. Curtis Salazar was 4-0 in a championship
run in the amateur division at 149 pounds, while Stephen Dwyer was 4-0
en route to the 165-pound amateur championship.

At the Kaufman-Brand Open on Nov. 18, the Huskers were led by Vacanti,
who dominated the field on his way to the championship in the
125-pound amateur bracket. He won his first three matches in the
tournament by fall in a total of 7:12. Vacanti defeated Terrance
Young of Iowa Central by decision, 3-1, before knocking off Oklahoma
State's Ben Ashmore, 3-2, in the finals. In addition to Vacanti's
title, a pair of Nebraska wrestlers earned third-place finishes in
their respective amateur brackets, including Salazar at 149 pounds and
Dwyer at 165 pounds. Jordan Burroughs took fourth at 149 pounds,
while Gubbels and Cameron Browne finished in fifth place at 141 and
197, respectively. Alex Ward finished sixth at 165 pounds. On Dec.
2, Vacanti earned a third-place finish at 125 pounds to lead the
Huskers' effort at the UNI Open. Salazar finished fourth at 149
pounds at the UNK Loper Open on Dec. 9 in Kearney, Neb.

Five Nebraska wrestlers earned top-four finishes at the Dana College
Open on Jan. 6 in Blair, Neb. The Huskers were led by Browne, who won
the 197-pound championship. Baier (133) and Robert Sanders (149)
finished third in their respective weight classes, while Derek Moyer
(149) and Foust (165) earned fouth-place finishes.

Next up: Nebraska vs. Oklahoma, Friday, Feb. 9, 2007, McCasland Field
House, Norman, Okla.

Nebraska returns to the road to take on 13th-ranked Oklahoma on
Friday, Feb. 9 at 7 p.m. at the McCasland Field House in Norman, Okla.
The 8-4 Sooners are led by top-ranked Sam Hazewinkel at 125 pounds
and second-ranked 149-pound wrestler Matt Storniolo. The series
between Oklahoma and Nebraska has been a hotly contested one, as three
of the last four duals between the schools have been decided by five
points or less. Two days later, the Huskers return home to take on
No. 1 Minnesota at the NU Coliseum at 1 p.m. Dustin Schlatter and
Cole Konrad are No. 1 at 149 pounds and heavyweight, respectively.
The Golden Gophers are 14-1 on the season and earned the NWCA National
Duals championship earlier this season.

STILLWATER, OKLA. - The National Wrestling Hall of Fame & Museum has announced the selection of the Class of 2007 Distinguished Members to be inducted at its annual Honors Weekend Banquet and Induction Ceremony June 2, 2007 in Stillwater, Oklahoma. The event will mark the 31st anniversary Class of the Hall of Fame & Museum.

Four wrestling greats will be added as Distinguished Members in 2007. They are:
Barry Davis of Madison, Wis.
Greg Gibson of Fontana, Calif.
Larry Kristoff of Bertholo, Ill.
William J. Weick of Chicago Ridge, Ill.

All four of these wrestling greats had major achievements at the Olympic Games and World Championships, three as athletes and one as a coach.
Davis won a silver medal at the 1984 Olympic Games in freestyle wrestling and competed on the 1988 U.S. Olympic Team. Gibson won a silver medal at the 1984 Olympic Games in Greco-Roman wrestling. Kristoff was a member of two U.S. Olympic freestyle wrestling teams.
Kristoff won five medals at the World Championships representing the United States, while Davis was a two-time World medalist during his career. Gibson won three World medals in freestyle wrestling, and was also a World champion in the sport of Sombo. Weick served on the coaching staff of a number of U.S. World and Olympic teams.
Three had successful careers in coaching, as well. Weick made his impact on the high school level in Illinois, earning more than 700 dual meet victories for three programs over the last four decades, including five state champion teams. Kristoff was a champion coach at the NCAA Div. II level, leading SIU-Edwardsville to three consecutive NCAA titles. Davis currently serves as the head coach on the Div. I level at the Univ. of Wisconsin.
All four were outstanding college wrestlers. Davis won three NCAA Div. I national titles for Iowa and Weick claimed a pair of NCAA titles for the Univ. of Northern Iowa. Kristoff won two NCAA Div. II national crowns for SIU-Carbondale and was a Div. I runner-up. Gibson was a two-time NCAA All-American for Oregon, including a runner-up finish.
The Hall of Fame's Board of Governors approved these selections at its semi-annual meeting held in Las Vegas in December 2006.
?I want to thank our Board of Governors and the various screening and selection committees involved in the six-month process that determines our honorees for induction. This is another exceptional class of inductees whose merits transcend our sport," said Lee Roy Smith, Executive Director of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame & Museum.
Davis becomes a Distinguished Member after a successful international career, as well as an impressive college background. He won a silver medal in freestyle wrestling at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, Calif., and earned a spot on the 1988 Olympic team which competed in Seoul, South Korea. Davis also claimed two World medals, a silver in 1987 and a bronze in 1985. He was a three-time NCAA champion and four-time All-American competing for the Univ. of Iowa, also winning four Big Ten titles. He currently serves as the head wrestling coach at the Univ. of Wisconsin.
Gibson is considered one of the most versatile wrestlers in history, winning World medals in three international styles: Greco-Roman, freestyle and Sombo. He won a silver medal at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles in Greco-Roman wrestling, and added World silver medals in freestyle in 1981 and 1983 and a World bronze in freestyle in 1982. He won his Sombo World title in 1981. Gibson was a member of a the 1981, 1982 and 1985 Greco-Roman World Teams. He was a Pan American Games champion in 1983, and won three Freestyle World Cup titles. Gibson served in the U.S. Marines for more than 20 years, and is considered the greatest U.S. military wrestler, winning 19 Armed Forces titles in the two styles. He also won numerous national titles in both styles. Gibson had a successful college career, earning All-American honors twice for the Univ. of Oregon, including a runner-up finish in 1976.
Kristoff was one of the greatest heavyweight wrestlers in American history, with dominant performances on the national and international levels during the 1960?s. He won five World medals for the United States in international freestyle wrestling, capturing silver medals in 1966, 1969 and 1979 and bronze medals in 1965 and 1967. Kristoff competed on two U.S. Olympic teams, placed seventh at the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo, Japan and fifth at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City. He won a total of 13 Senior-level national titles, competing in both freestyle and Greco-Roman. As a college wrestler, Kristoff was a two-time NCAA Div. II national champion, and placed second in the NCAA Div. I National Championships. As a coach, he led SIU-Edwardsville to three NCAA Div. II national titles, coaching numerous champions and All-Americans.
Weick is regarded as one of the top wrestling coaches in the nation, with special achievements in international freestyle wrestling and on the high school level. He served on the coaching staff for a number of U.S. teams at the Olympic Games and World Championships. Weick was head coach of the 1975 Pan American Games team that won the team title, and also led U.S. teams to victory at the World Cup, the Junior World Championships and the World University Games. His high school coaching career is legendary, with a career record of 749-112-2 at Tilden Tech, Mount Carmel and Brother Rice High Schools in Illinois. Five of his teams won state team titles, and three were state dual meet champions, and Weick has coached 21 state champion athletes, three of which went on to win six NCAA Division IA Titles. He was a member of the first U.S. World Greco-Roman team in 1961. Weick won two NCAA titles competing for the Univ. of Northern Iowa.
Complete biographies of the inductees will be posted each day this week on TheMat.com (www.themat.com), with Davis on Thursday, Gibson on Friday, Kristoff on Saturday, and Weick on Sunday.
Additional honorees will be announced in the categories of Outstanding American, Order of Merit, Medal of Courage, and Outstanding Official next week.