Lovett, Taylor win titles as Nebraska wrestling finishes second at NCAA Championships
Nebraska wrestling finished off a dominant weekend at the NCAA Championships on Saturday. The Huskers placed second in the team standings, only behind powerhouse Penn State, with a program-record 117 points.
Eight Huskers earned All-American Status while Ridge Lovett and Antrell Taylor took home individual titles. No. 1 Brock Hardy finished second at 141 pounds, No. 12 Christopher Minto finished fourth at 165 pounds and three Nebraska wrestlers finished seventh in their weight classes.
Here is a recap of the final day of the NCAA Championships:
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Lovett wins 149-pound title
After a lengthy six-year career, Ridge Lovett finally broke through on Saturday night.
In the title bout, Lovett faced No. 1 Caleb Henson of Virginia Tech and narrowly escaped with a 1-0 win. The victory marked the Huskers’ first individual championship since Jordan Burroughs won in 2011.
After a scoreless first period, Hensen and Lovett started in neutral position to begin the second. After a back-and-forth battle, Hensen secured a clutch takedown with two seconds left in P2. Nebraska challenged the call, however, and it was overturned. The score remained 0-0 after five minutes.
Lovett started P3 on bottom and quickly escaped to take a 1-0 lead. That was all he needed, fighting off a late surge to win the National Title and tie a bow on his storied career.
Taylor wins 157-pound title
Taylor followed Lovett with an individual title of his own in the next bout. The Millard, Nebraska native defeated No. 8 Joey Blaze (Purdue) 4-2 to push Nebraska’s team total to 117 points.
After a back-and-forth first period, Taylor recorded an emphatic takedown and slam in the final moments. He still led 4-0 after P2 but was rapidly losing energy.
In the final period, Taylor gave up an escape and multiple stall calls. Nebraska head coach Mark Manning threw a challenge brick to give his 157-pounder a breather, and it paid off. Taylor wrestled defensively down the stretch, relenting a stalling point to Blaze, but had enough in the tank to win 4-2.
Hardy falls short in title match
No. 1 Brock Hardy fell to a familiar foe, No. 3 Jesse Mendez of Ohio State, in the 141-pound final, 9-12.
Hardy scored first with a takedown in the first and quickly added two near-fall points. Nebraska challenged for more but was unsuccessful. Despite trailing 5-0, Mendez fought back and turned the tide. The Buckey captured all of the momentum at the end of the period.
Mendez answered with back-to-back takedowns of his own and added four near-fall points. A 15-point swing put Mendez up 10-5 as he racked up 1:13 of riding time.
Hardy secured a late takedown but it was too-little-too-late, as he fell short, 9-12, and finished second.
Minto exceeds expectations
No. 12 Christopher Minto put on a show during his first NCAA Championships appearance. The redshirt freshman won his first three bouts in the 165-pound bracket, including a clutch last-second takedown in the quarterfinals to defeat No. 4 Terrell Barraclough, 8-7.
Minto was outmatched against No. 1 Mitchell Mesenbrink in the semifinals, but came back with vengeance on Saturday morning.
He defeated No. 7 Hunter Garvin of Stanford — his third top-10 upset of the weekend — to advance to the third-place match. Garvin led 2-0 after the second period, but Minto tallied a third-period takedown and four near-fall points to win 8-4.
In the third-place bout against No. 2 Peyton Hall of West Virginia, Minto came out hot with a takedown in the first 30 seconds. After multiple mat returns, Hall secured a reversal and dominated the rest of the way. Minto finished fourth with a 13-5 loss. The future is bright for the young 165-pounder.
Consolation bracket
***At 125 pounds, No. 9 Caleb Smith defeated No. 10 Stevo Poulin (UNCO) 18-5 to finish seventh. Smith led 3-1 after the first period but took full control in the second, cutting Poulin loose multiple times to secure a major decision victory.
***At 133 pounds, No. 17 Jacob Van Dee defeated No. 13 Tyler Knox (Stanford) 7-2 to finish seventh. Van Dee secured a takedown late in the first period after a long scramble, and rode Knox out in P2. The sophomore tore through the consolation bracket after losing his first bout of the weekend.
***At 184 pounds, No. 12 Silas Allred defeated No. 22 Donnell Washington (Indiana) 4-2 to finish seventh. Allred scored first with a takedown in the final 40 seconds of the first period. That proved to be the difference as he fought off a late surge from Washington.
***At 197 pounds, No. 20 Camden McDanel fell to No. 6 Mac Stout (Pitt) 12-3 to finish eighth. McDanel fought off Stout early but was taken down twice in the final half of the first period. He was outmatched on Saturday, but posted a strong finish, becoming the first true freshman Husker All-American since James Green in 2012.
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