Craig Brester stood in the middle of the mat an hour after his victory over Jake Varner in the 197-pound final. He was surrounded by friends and family still trying to piece together the events that had just transpired.
Brester smiled before reflecting.
“You know, a bunch of my fans were down here two weeks ago and watched me lose to (Varner),” Brester said. “It feels good to give them a win.”
Even after a win over the No. 1 ranked wrestler in the country, who had haunted him this year, and even after setting up Nebraska for a share of the Big 12 tournament title, Brester could only think of others.
That’s just how the wrestler from the small town of Howells operates. But Coach Mark Manning wasn’t bashful about celebrating Brester’s victory.
When the crowd roared following the title match, Brester was greeted by an enormous hug from Manning. The emotionally charged Manning grabbed Brester and raised him to the sky, like a proud father would of a son.
“I could have picked him up higher,” Manning said. “I was so jacked up.”
Manning was pleased to see Brester’s work ethic finally pay off.
“We needed (Brester’s win), obviously, but Craig needed it because he’s worked his tail off,” Mark Manning said. “There’s no one more deserving than Craig Brester because he’s a lot of the heart and fight of this team.”
Brester defeated Varner 4-3 to capture his first Big 12 title on Saturday. Brester battled Varner to a first period standstill of 0-0. He chose the down position to start the second. Brester quickly escaped and then snared a takedown to jump out to a 3-0 lead to end the second period.
Varner started in the down position in the third and escaped, bringing the score to 3-1. He shot at Brester and tackled him at the ankle, bringing him down.
Tied at 3-3, Brester was able to break free of Varner and held off the Cyclone wrestler for the 4-3 victory.
His victory also helped his team earn a share of the elusive Big 12 team title.
“It can’t get bigger than that,” Brester said of his victory.
Brester said he and the team were inspired by a locker room of all things.
“We sat down as a team and said, ‘We’ve got a chance at this,’” Brester said. “You know, we were dressing in the women’s volleyball locker room, and they’ve got that Big 12 trophy in there, so that was motivation, too.”
During the trophy ceremony, Brester learned he had another reason to celebrate: For the first time, despite many opportunities, Brester was named Most Outstanding Wrestler of the meet.
The victory was significant for bragging rights. Previously, Brester jokingly had said that he resented how teammate Jordan Burroughs has garnered all the attention and the awards. He said if he won one in the last two tournaments, it would quiet Burroughs down a bit.
“It feels good,” Brester said. “I’ve already given Burroughs a hard time about it.”
Brester will retain the bragging rights until the two compete at the NCAA Wrestling Championships in St. Louis on March 19.
“I’m sure we’ll be battling it out in two weeks,” Brester said. “It will be OK as long as one of us comes home with it.”
Helping Brester earn Most Outstanding Wrestler was a dominant performance that he gave during his opening match. Brester exorcised several Big 12 demons by defeating Missouri’s Max Askren 15-4. Askren had beaten Brester in the championships two years in a row during the title match.
“I felt good in that match,” Brester said. “If you get on a good streak like that, it pays off.”
While reflecting on the day’s events, Brester quickly let the feeling go, saying that he’d give himself a day to enjoy the victory before it would be out of his mind.
“I still got a big tournament in two weeks ahead,” Brester said. “You can’t get caught up in the moment.
“I worked all year for the tournament in two weeks and I don’t want anything to get in my way.”
MICHAELSCHAEFER@DAILYNEBRASKAN.com
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