Couple of Kansans CornHuskers - Tyler Koehn and
C.J. Napier at the Kaufman-Band Open
Huskers at Kaufman-Brand Open Omaha - Sophomore Tucker Lane was named Most Outstanding Wrestler and led three Huskers to individual crowns as Nebraska claimed six top-three finishes at the Kaufman-Brand Open at Omaha's Sapp Fieldhouse on Saturday.
Lane's 285-pound title was his second in a row at the Kaufman-Brand Open, winning all four of his matches by decision, including a narrow 3-2 victory over Iowa's Brad Rasing in the championship.
In addition to Lane, sophomore Chris Hacker claimed the 149-pound Elite Division title, using three major decision wins before an 8-4 victory in the championship over Luther's Jason Pyle.
Freshman C.J. Napier earned Nebraska's final title in the 133-pound Amateur Division with a 3-2 victory over Minnesota's David Thorn in the title match. All five of Napier's matches were won by decision.
Husker freshmen performed very well, as two more reached the championship finals in their respective classes with
Tyler Koehn and Caleb Kolb each earning runner-up finishes.
Koehn won his first three matches by decision in the 165-pound Elite Division, before falling to Old Dominion's Chris Brown in the finals, while Kolb used two major decision triumphs en route to the title match, where he was defeated by Minnesota's Kevin Steinhaus, 3-2.
A total of four NU freshmen finished in the top three, as David Klingsheim won the consolation final in the 125-pound Amateur Division, 8-3, over Chadron State's Dustin Stodola.
Nebraska wrestling is in action again Sunday as senior All-Americans Jordan Burroughs (157), Craig Brester (197) and Stephen Dwyer (184) are all set to take part in the 44th annual NWCA All-Star Classic in Fullerton, Calif. The trio is among 20 participants invited to the prestigious event.
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Mike Flynn
