#7 Husker Wrestling Falls 19-16 at #3 Iowa

In a tight Big Ten road battle, the No. 7 Nebraska wrestling team fell 16-19 at No. 3 Iowa on Friday night. Despite two upset bout wins, the Huskers lost their second conference dual of the season in Iowa City. 

The conference dual started at 125, with #8 Caleb Smith taking the mat against #26 Joey Cruz. Smith used an escape and the ride time point to push past the Hawkeye and get three on the board for the Big Red, winning 2-1, and notching his 99th career win. After a tough loss last weekend, #15 Jacob Van Dee met Iowa’s #3 Drake Ayala at 133. The tight top-15 bout ended in the Hawkeye’s favor, Ayala winning with a 4-2 decision.

Up at 141, #6 Brock Hardy notched bonus points over Cullan Schriever. The junior used takedowns, an escape and ride time to dominate the Hawkeye in a 14-2 major decision, pushing the team score to Nebraska 7, Iowa 3. A top-five battle was up next at 149, the third-ever meeting for #2 Ridge Lovett and #4 Kyle Parco. In a tight bout with a scoreless first period, Parco came out on top, defeating Lovett with a 3-2 decision. The loss was Lovett’s first in a dual this season, and third to Parco. At 157, #4 Antrell Taylor faced Miguel Estrada. Taylor defeated the Hawkeye with a 4-2 decision, putting another three on the board for the Big Red, and claiming his 40th career win.

Leading 10-6, and after an intermission, the top-10 bout at 165 started with #8 Christopher Minto and #2 Michael Caliendo. Caliendo took his 72nd career win over the redshirt freshman, with a 5-1 decision, cutting Nebraska’s lead to one. With the loss, Minto falls to 16-2 on the season. At 174, #14 Lenny Pinto pulled out a massive win over #6 Patrick Kennedy in a high-scoring bout. With less than 10 seconds in the third period and a tie-score with the Iowa ride time point, Pinto used four nearfall points to lock in the 15-11 win, and push the Big Red lead to four. The upset was Pinto’s 30th career dual win.

Taking the mat at 184, #8 Silas Allred and #5 Gabe Arnold met in a top-10 bout. After a scoreless first period, Allred took a 1-0 lead. Arnold evened the score, taking the match to sudden victory. The junior fought back, scoring with a takedown in overtime, to win 4-1, and extend the Huskers lead to seven. At 197, #20 Camden McDanel took on #1 Stephen Buchanan. The freshman battled Buchanan through three periods, but lost by fall in 6:52.

Only ahead by one, the heavyweights took the mat for the final bout of the night. Up against #11 Ben Keuter, Husker #21 Harley Andrews lost in a scoreless fight. Kueter defeated the sophomore 9-0, pushing the Hawkeyes ahead, to secure the 19-16 win.

The loss to No. 3 Iowa, by a margin of three, was the closest loss since 1987-88. The Huskers fell to 9-3, 4-2 Big Ten.

UP NEXT
The Huskers return home for their final home matchup of the season. Hosting #22 Indiana on Feb. 16 at 12:30 p.m., the dual will feature Senior Day celebrations and will be streamed on Big Ten Plus. 

No. 7 Nebraska 16, No. 3 Iowa 19
125: #8 Caleb Smith dec. #26 Joey Cruz (IOWA) 2-1 (NEB 3, IOWA 0)
133: #3 Drake Ayala (IOWA) dec. #15 Jacob Van Dee 4-2 (NEB 3, IOWA 3)
141: #6 Brock Hardy major dec. Cullan Schriever (IOWA) 14-3 (NEB 7, IOWA 3)
149: #4 Kyle Parco (IOWA) dec. #2 Ridge Lovett 3-2 (NEB 7, IOWA 6)
157: #4 Antrell Taylor dec. Miguel Estrada (IOWA) 4-2 (NEB 10, IOWA 6)
165: #2 Michael Caliendo (IOWA) dec. #8 Christopher Minto 5-1 (NEB 10, IOWA 9)
174: #14 Lenny Pinto dec. #6 Patrick Kennedy (IOWA) 15-11 (NEB 13, IOWA 9)
184: #8 Silas Allred dec. #5 Gabe Arnold (IOWA) SV-1 4-1 (NEB 16, IOWA 9)
197: #1 Stephen Buchanan (IOWA) pinned #20 Camden McDanel (6:52) (NEB 16, IOWA 15)
HWT: #11 Ben Kueter (IOWA) major dec. #21 Harley Andrews 9-0 (NEB 16, IOWA 19