The Nebraska wrestling team will compete in Laramie, Wyo., on Friday in its season-opening dual against Wyoming.
NU's starters will include 2007 national champion Paul Donahoe at 125 pounds, Curtis Salazar at the competitive weight class of 141 pounds and also Chris Oliver at 157 pounds. Oliver is a four-time high school state champion, who went undefeated in 130 matches.
NU Coach Mark Manning said he feels good about the team getting off to a solid start.
Six of the 10 Nebraska starters are returning qualifiers from past NCAA Championships. These wrestlers can use the experience from the tournament to their advantage to help score more as the season wears on. NU junior Craig Brester and sophomore Jordan Burroughs both took the trip to nationals last year and both are confident they will make it again, bringing home better results this time around.
So far in his college career Brester has gone 24-9 for his redshirt year and 19-7 last season with two pins and four technical falls. While ranked at No. 19 last season, he won nine consecutive dual matches, including the upset of No. 5 Kurt Backes of Iowa State. Brester then advanced to the NCAA Championships, where he went 2-2, losing to the eventual national champion. He said it is a good experience making it to nationals, but he wished he would have scored higher.
This year he wants better results.
"It gives you some confidence making it to nationals and it gives you motivation to get back there," Brester said. "I have just been thinking about the end of last year and how it didn't turn out so well."
As a freshman, Burroughs placed third in the Big 12 Championships, advancing to the national meet, where he went 1-2. Having the experience of making it that far, he said, now lets him know he can make it further and set more goals for himself.
"It has given me a little more confidence," Burroughs said. "I am aiming higher this year, not just to qualify, but to be an All-American."
NU will also bring 25 more wrestlers to Wyoming to compete in the Cowboy Open on Saturday. Some non-starters will wrestle "unattached," to the Nebraska team, meaning their scores don't count for the squad.
Manning said he knows from the intense practices the wrestlers are going to begin the season with good matches.
"We are just going to go out there and let it rip," Manning said. "They have trained hard and they are anxious to wrestle someone other than each other. We are going to be top performers."
With so many returning wrestlers with past successes Manning said he is expecting the team to start the year off strong. This weekend is the first opportunity to prove it.
"I think we are real confident," Manning said. "We have trained real hard and our preparation is good. We are ready to go as a team."
DANAAHRENS@DAILYNEBRASKAN.COM
is a member of the 
