No. 3 UNO Resumes NCC Action at Minnesota State
UNO will resume NCC action this week when they travel to Mankato, Minn. for a 7 p.m. match against fourth-ranked Minnesota State, Mankato on Friday, Feb. 9. UNO is currently ranked No. 3 in the nation with a 5-4 overall record and a 1-0 mark in the NCC.
Records & Rankings
The Mavericks are ranked No. 3 in the National Wrestling Coaches Association top 20 poll released on Feb. 7. Seven Mavs are ranked among the top eight in individual rankings.
Four Mavericks are ranked No. 1 in their respective weight class, including: Cody Garcia (125), Todd Meneely (149), Ross Taplin (165), and JD Naig (174). Jacob Marrs (197) is ranked second, Sim Bribieseca (141) is ranked fourth, and Tony Lewis (285) is seventh.
The Coach
Mike Denney is in his 28th season as the UNO head coach. The Dakota Wesleyan graduate has a 267-105-5 career mark. He has twice been named the NCAA II National Coach of the Year and led the 1991, 2004, 2005, and 2006 Mavs to NCAA II national championships.
Last Week
Central Oklahoma won four of the first five matches then held on for a 22-14 win over UNO last Friday night at the Sapp Fieldhouse. Aided by three 2-point takedowns in the first period, Tyler Zuckerman cruised to a 7-3 decision in the opening match over Jimmy Ball at 125 to set the tone for the dual. Central Oklahoma scored two consecutive major decisions at 133 and 141 to increase its lead to 11-0. Top-ranked 149-pounder Todd Meneely got the Mavericks on the scoreboard with a 16-6 major decision over Colby Robinson, cutting the UCO lead to 11-4. Top-ranked Jason Leavitt increased the Broncho lead to 14-4 with a 9-3 decision over sophomore Henry Wahle at 157. Sophomore Ross Taplin, ranked No. 1 at 165 pounds, earned an 8-2 decision over eighth-ranked Justin Wood to slice the lead to 14-7. JD Naig earned bonus points, pulling the Mavericks to within three at 14-11 with a 15-3 major decision over Daniel Morrison. However, that is as close as the Mavericks would get. Freshman Austin Boehm lost by technical fall at 184 to fourth-ranked Jared Hess at 184 to give UCO a commanding 19-11 advantage. Second-ranked Jacob Marrs squeaked out a 7-6 decision over unranked Heath Jolley at 197 to pull UNO to within 19-14 entering the final match at 285. Josh LeadingFox, ranked second at 285 defeated seventh-ranked Tony Lewis, 3-1, to give the Bronchos the final 22-14 margin.
Before a standing-room only crowd Saturday night at Sapp Fieldhouse, Nebraska-Omaha fell to No. 1 Nebraska-Kearney, 18-16, in a dual meet that came down to the final match. UNK's Joe Ellenberger, ranked No. 7 at 157 pounds, pinned UNO's Henry Wahle with one second remaining in the second period to give the Lopers the victory. UNO was the beneficiary of the draw which put the 165-pounders at the top of the card, pitting top-ranked Ross Taplin against redshirt freshman Taylor May, with Taplin squeaking out a 4-3 win. The Mavericks put up JD Naig, also ranked No. 1, at 174 pounds, who handily defeated Dan Hospodka in a major decision, 9-1, giving UNO a 7-0 lead in the meet. Third-ranked Matt Farrell got the Lopers on the board with a 7-2 decision over UNO's Austin Boehm at 184 pounds, helped by a take-down and near fall in the second period. At 197 pounds, No. 2 Jacob Marrs scored the night's only shutout, topping No. 8 Kelsey Empting, 3-0, putting the team score at 10-3 for UNO. The heavyweight match saw No. 1 Tervel Dlagnev defeat No. 7 Tony Lewis, 11-5. It was Dlagnev's 40th win of the season, 23rd in a row, with just one loss. No. 3 Trevor Charbonneau scored a 9-4 decision over UNO's Jimmy Ball at 125 pounds. At that point of the meet, the Mavericks held on to a 10-9 lead. Mavericks freshman Jeff Rau narrowly missed a colossal upset in the 133-pound match, falling to No. 1 Brett Allgood, 12-11. Allgood was firmly in control of the match until midway through the second period when Rau caught Allgood off-balance for a two-point takedown, then scored three on a near fall. Allgood recovered and held on for the one-point win, giving the Lopers a 12-10 lead. Sim Bribieseca, ranked No. 8, gave the advantage back to the Mavericks, 13-12, scoring a crucial 3-1 decision over UNK's No. 5 Jeff Rutledge at 141 pounds. Bribieseca won it in the third tiebreaker with a double-leg takedown. UNO's third No. 1-ranked wreslter, Todd Meneely, scored an 8-4 decision over No. 8 Matt True at 149 pounds, scoring three takedowns in the third period. That made the score 16-12 for UNO, setting the stage for the dramatic final match. Wahle avoided being pinned in the first period, but Ellenberger was able to get Wahle's shoulders to the mat just before time expired in the second period for the victory. .
On Deck
UNO will close out the regular season when they host Augustana on Feb. 14 at 7 p.m.
Records & Rankings
The Mavericks are ranked No. 3 in the National Wrestling Coaches Association top 20 poll released on Feb. 7. Seven Mavs are ranked among the top eight in individual rankings.
Four Mavericks are ranked No. 1 in their respective weight class, including: Cody Garcia (125), Todd Meneely (149), Ross Taplin (165), and JD Naig (174). Jacob Marrs (197) is ranked second, Sim Bribieseca (141) is ranked fourth, and Tony Lewis (285) is seventh.
The Coach
Mike Denney is in his 28th season as the UNO head coach. The Dakota Wesleyan graduate has a 267-105-5 career mark. He has twice been named the NCAA II National Coach of the Year and led the 1991, 2004, 2005, and 2006 Mavs to NCAA II national championships.
Last Week
Central Oklahoma won four of the first five matches then held on for a 22-14 win over UNO last Friday night at the Sapp Fieldhouse. Aided by three 2-point takedowns in the first period, Tyler Zuckerman cruised to a 7-3 decision in the opening match over Jimmy Ball at 125 to set the tone for the dual. Central Oklahoma scored two consecutive major decisions at 133 and 141 to increase its lead to 11-0. Top-ranked 149-pounder Todd Meneely got the Mavericks on the scoreboard with a 16-6 major decision over Colby Robinson, cutting the UCO lead to 11-4. Top-ranked Jason Leavitt increased the Broncho lead to 14-4 with a 9-3 decision over sophomore Henry Wahle at 157. Sophomore Ross Taplin, ranked No. 1 at 165 pounds, earned an 8-2 decision over eighth-ranked Justin Wood to slice the lead to 14-7. JD Naig earned bonus points, pulling the Mavericks to within three at 14-11 with a 15-3 major decision over Daniel Morrison. However, that is as close as the Mavericks would get. Freshman Austin Boehm lost by technical fall at 184 to fourth-ranked Jared Hess at 184 to give UCO a commanding 19-11 advantage. Second-ranked Jacob Marrs squeaked out a 7-6 decision over unranked Heath Jolley at 197 to pull UNO to within 19-14 entering the final match at 285. Josh LeadingFox, ranked second at 285 defeated seventh-ranked Tony Lewis, 3-1, to give the Bronchos the final 22-14 margin.
Before a standing-room only crowd Saturday night at Sapp Fieldhouse, Nebraska-Omaha fell to No. 1 Nebraska-Kearney, 18-16, in a dual meet that came down to the final match. UNK's Joe Ellenberger, ranked No. 7 at 157 pounds, pinned UNO's Henry Wahle with one second remaining in the second period to give the Lopers the victory. UNO was the beneficiary of the draw which put the 165-pounders at the top of the card, pitting top-ranked Ross Taplin against redshirt freshman Taylor May, with Taplin squeaking out a 4-3 win. The Mavericks put up JD Naig, also ranked No. 1, at 174 pounds, who handily defeated Dan Hospodka in a major decision, 9-1, giving UNO a 7-0 lead in the meet. Third-ranked Matt Farrell got the Lopers on the board with a 7-2 decision over UNO's Austin Boehm at 184 pounds, helped by a take-down and near fall in the second period. At 197 pounds, No. 2 Jacob Marrs scored the night's only shutout, topping No. 8 Kelsey Empting, 3-0, putting the team score at 10-3 for UNO. The heavyweight match saw No. 1 Tervel Dlagnev defeat No. 7 Tony Lewis, 11-5. It was Dlagnev's 40th win of the season, 23rd in a row, with just one loss. No. 3 Trevor Charbonneau scored a 9-4 decision over UNO's Jimmy Ball at 125 pounds. At that point of the meet, the Mavericks held on to a 10-9 lead. Mavericks freshman Jeff Rau narrowly missed a colossal upset in the 133-pound match, falling to No. 1 Brett Allgood, 12-11. Allgood was firmly in control of the match until midway through the second period when Rau caught Allgood off-balance for a two-point takedown, then scored three on a near fall. Allgood recovered and held on for the one-point win, giving the Lopers a 12-10 lead. Sim Bribieseca, ranked No. 8, gave the advantage back to the Mavericks, 13-12, scoring a crucial 3-1 decision over UNK's No. 5 Jeff Rutledge at 141 pounds. Bribieseca won it in the third tiebreaker with a double-leg takedown. UNO's third No. 1-ranked wreslter, Todd Meneely, scored an 8-4 decision over No. 8 Matt True at 149 pounds, scoring three takedowns in the third period. That made the score 16-12 for UNO, setting the stage for the dramatic final match. Wahle avoided being pinned in the first period, but Ellenberger was able to get Wahle's shoulders to the mat just before time expired in the second period for the victory. .
On Deck
UNO will close out the regular season when they host Augustana on Feb. 14 at 7 p.m.
