Takedown Report

Huskers Finish Second at Cliff Keen

The Nebraska wrestling team claimed second at the Cliff Keen Invitational in Las Vegas, which concluded with final bouts on Saturday. The Big Red finished with 115 points, among the 30 programs competing at the tournament. Antrell Taylor (157) claimed his first Cliff Keen title, after winning his top-10 matchup in the final.
Finals:
No. 5 Ridge Lovett went 4-0 to start the tournament, as the reigning champ in the 149 weight class. Lovett tallied two ranked wins and two bonus point wins on his way to the championship match, where he faced No. 1 Caleb Henson of Virginia Tech. The familiar foes were tied at three-all, taking the bout to overtime, where Henson claimed the title with a takedown.
No. 3 Taylor went 5-0, claiming the 157 championship. Taylor took down four ranked opponents, and had a major dec. and pin along the way. Taylor faced No. 6 Ryder Downey of Northern Iowa in the final, where he persevered to a 4-3 victory. Taylor’s Vegas run improved his season record to 12-0.

Third-place Matches:
No. 2 Caleb Smith (125) took his first three matches and suffered his first loss against No. 11 Eddie Ventresca in overtime in the semifinal. Smith took his next match to stay alive, putting him in the consolation semifinals against No. 10 Brendan McCrone. Smith won in overtime, 6-3, but fell in the third-place match to No. 4 Troy Spratley. 
No. 4 Brock Hardy (141) opened the tournament with two major decisions. Hardy dropped his semifinal match against No. 10 Tagen Jamison, but bounced back in his final two matches to take third place. The junior sealed his podium finish with a 40-second fall, and improved on his previous sixth-place finish. Hardy’s 4-1 stretch also notched his 70th career win.
No. 20 Bubba Wilson (165) claimed two upsets in his 4-2 run to fourth place. Wilson opened with three wins, including a 6-4 decision over No. 7 Sammy Sasso. The senior fell in overtime in his semifinal match, but took down No. 25 Drake Rhodes (South Dakota State) for a spot in the third-place match. … more at … https://huskers.com/news/2024/12/8/huskers-finish-second-at-cliff-keen-24

December 12, 2024 - Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | news, sports