Takedown Report

Lovett and Hardy B1G Champs, Huskers Take Second

Evanston, Ill. – Ridge Lovett (149) and Brock Hardy (141) claimed Big Ten Championships on Sunday evening, highlighting the Nebraska wrestling campaign for its second-place team finish. The Huskers wrapped the two-day tournament with 137 points, the most ever recorded by Nebraska in a conference tournament.
Lovett secured his second-straight title, the first Husker to do so since Robert Kokesh in 2014 and 2015. Lovett and Hardy’s wins made the duo the first in 11 years to bring home multiple champions for the Big Red (2014 – James Green and Kokesh). 
The runner-up Big Ten finish for the team is the highest since finishing second in 2020.
Four Huskers placed above their designated pre-seeds, No. 7 Camden McDanel in fifth, No. 3 Lenny Pinto in second and No. 3 seeds Hardy and Lovett taking home titles. Nine represented Nebraska on their respective podiums, and punched their tickets for the 2025 NCAA Championships in Philadelphia, Pa., with automatic qualifications. 
No. 7 Caleb Smith opened the championship bouts in Evanston, facing No. 8 Luke Lilledahl (PSU) in the final at 125. The Nittany Lion struck first, putting three on the board with a takedown in the first period. Smith used an escape to notch a point, and earned two more from PSU penalties, but with an extra escape from Lilledahl, the Husker fell after 7:00. Smith took two ranked wins en-route to his runner-up finish and will continue his postseason campaign in Philadelphia.
In the 141 final, No. 6 Hardy took on No. 8 Vance Vombaur (MINN). Hardy did not take long to strike with a takedown, but followed through to pin the Gopher in 1:59. The championship fall was the Husker’s fifth of the season, and his 50th career bonus-point win. Hardy leaves Evanston a Big Ten Champion, and an automatic qualifier for the NCAA Championships.
Going for back-to-back Big Ten titles, Lovett met Kannon Webster (ILL) on the mat at 149. The pair tussled, but in the end an escape from the Husker made the decision after regulation. Lovett won by 1-0 decision, becoming the first Husker since Kokesh in 2015 to claim consecutive Big Ten titles. The senior’s victory in the final also made it the first time in 11 years that the Big Red had two champions. … more at … https://huskers.com/news/2025/03/9/lovett-and-hardy-b1g-champs-huskers-take-second

March 11, 2025 - Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | sports, wrestling