 "Photo: Tom Gannam | AP")
His hand raised after the 157-pound finals match, and Jordan Burroughs simply smiled.
Just like that, the best season in Nebraska wrestling history was over.
"I've been working for this for a long time. It's taken me three years, but I finally got it done," Burroughs said. "I was really excited, but I'm not really a guy that shows a lot of emotion out there on the mat. I like to stay reserved and just go out there and win."
The match ended in anti-climactic fashion. Both Burroughs and his opponent, Michael Poeta of Illinois, were known for their speed and scoring ability.
The final score read 5-1.
Burroughs scored a takedown with two seconds remaining in the first period, putting the first points of the match on the scoreboard.
"He relaxed a little bit on the edge of the mat, coming down toward the end of the period," Burroughs said. "I just took the opportunity. It allowed me to be able to relax a little bit and make him come after me."
He was then able to maintain control for the rest of the match, defending Poeta's attacks and holding on for the victory.
Burroughs' individual championship Saturday helped Nebraska secure a fourth-place finish in the NCAA Wrestling Championships, finishing with 78.5 points and bringing home an NCAA trophy for the second consecutive year.
Burroughs accounted for 26 of the team's total points off two major decisions, a technical fall and a pin on his way to the title and a 35-0 season.
Iowa won the team title for the second year in a row with 96.5 points. Ohio State finished second with 92 points followed by Iowa State with 84.5.
"Our kids wrestled really hard," head coach Mark Manning said. "I'm really proud of them. We left some points on the board, but I'm really proud of this group."
Four Cornhuskers earned All-American honors at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis.
Along with Burroughs, Craig Brester finished second at 197 pounds, Brandon Browne came in fourth at 174 pounds and Vince Jones placed sixth in the 184-pound weight class.
As Nebraska's only other wrestler to reach the finals, Brester squared off against Iowa State's Jake Varner for their fourth meeting this season.
After defeating Varner 4-3 for the Big 12 Conference Championship, Brester lost a tight 2-1 match decided by Varner's riding time advantage.
"Craig's a leader. He's a leader on our team, and he has really developed himself into a great wrestler in this last year," Manning said. "I think he's going to take this loss well and take his wrestling to another level."
Manning said he was proud of his team's overall performance, but he thought seniors Browne and Jones could have done better in the consolation bracket Saturday morning.
After Browne fought his way back into the third-place match, he fell to Missouri's Raymond Jordan, 4-0, whom he'd previously defeated in a 3-1 decision for the Big 12 title.
Jones was knocked into the consolation round by an 11-1 major decision loss in Friday's quarterfinals to eventual champion Jake Herbert of Northwestern.
The NU senior then suffered losses to Iowa's Phil Keddy and Wyoming's Joe LeBlanc in the consolation bracket.
"We're probably a little disappointed in how he performed on Saturday," Manning said. "But overall, he came in a 12th seed and finished sixth, he scored a lot of points for us and went out an All-American his senior year."
Scoring the rest of NU's points were redshirt freshman heavyweight Tucker Lane and junior Stephen Dwyer. Both went 2-2 in the tournament.
Manning said the fourth-place finish was good for his team, but that there will also be room for improvement, including more individual championships next year.
"We're going to go out and try to win another national title, and I think (Burroughs) has teammates who are going to try and do the same," Manning said. He's definitely going to stay motivated, because he's really motivated to help our team move up, too."
davehoufek@dailynebraskan.com
is a member of the 
1 comments
- Dwyer had the Mizzou kid mentally beat. Marable repeatedly stopped the match to ice his neck and catch his breath. Dwyer was leading in the 2nd OT when Marable tried a desperation Granby roll and was lucky enough to get the separation needed to complete the move. Without the large contingent of Mizzou fans, would Marable have had the spark to win? Maybe, but home field advantage definitely gave him a spark. (Home field advantage was also a big part of Jordan beating Jones, in my opinion)
- Varner went totally defensive on Brester. Brester did a great job of shooting and trying to create openings, but I have to give Varner credit for his blocking and stalling. Had Brester been able to sneak one takedown in, the Huskers would have finished in 3rd place and ISU in 4th.
- The team looked great, and they’ll have home field advantage next year. That’ll be a significant plus in tight matches.
- In the “coulda, woulda, shoulda” category, Paul Donahoe’s blunder last summer had a significant impact on the Huskers. If Donahoe had avoided trouble and still been on NU’s team, the Huskers would have gained 16 points that went to Edinboro. This would have put NU in 2nd place over Ohio State. If a couple of lucky breaks had gone in favor of any of the Huskers (excluding Burroughs, who executed to perfection), their additional score plus Donahoe’s score would have beaten Iowa. With all due respect for the wrestler’s accomplishments, I have to credit Coach Manning with developing the best environment in the country for building a winning wrestling program. I am already looking forward to next year. Congratulations to the whole Husker team for an incredible season!