No. 3 Nebraska Wrestling Defeats No. 20 Wyoming 28-9

No. 3 Nebraska defeats No. 20 Wyoming 28-9

The No. 3 Nebraska wrestling team secured a decisive 28-9 victory over No. 20 Wyoming on Sunday, Nov. 8, at the Bob Devaney Sports Center in Lincoln.

The win serves as a season opener for the Huskers, while the loss drops the Cowboys to a 1-1 record.

Wyoming managed to claim three individual victories during the dual meet, but Nebraska’s dominance in the middle weight classes proved too much to overcome. According to reports from gowyo.com and The Daily Nebraskan, the Huskers’ ability to secure major decisions and technical falls allowed them to pull away from the visitors.

Willochell upsets Van Dee in early highlight

Wyoming’s No. 16 Luke Willochell provided the most significant momentum shift for the Cowboys at 133 pounds. He earned a 5-4 decision over Nebraska’s No. 7 Jacob Van Dee, utilizing a late takedown and a ride out to secure the win, gowyo.com reported.

The victory moved Willochell to 2-0 on the season and marked his first career win against a top-10 opponent. The result also served as redemption for Willochell, who had previously lost to Van Dee in the consolation round of last year’s NCAA Championships.

“That was awesome,” Wyoming head coach Mark Branch said of the upset. “That’s a couple-time All-American he beat. That was certainly the highlight.”

Novak and Neitenbach battle through adversity

Two other Wyoming wrestlers secured wins by navigating difficult match scenarios. No. 4 Joey Novak won a highly anticipated 197-pound matchup against Nebraska’s No. 5 Camden McDanel. Novak took a 4-1 decision after a defensive battle, improving his lifetime record against McDanel to 4-0, gowyo.com reported.

At 184 pounds, No. 6 Eddie Neitenbach also moved to 2-0 after a 13-8 decision win over Ethan DeLeon. Neitenbach faced an early deficit, falling to two takedowns before rallying to take the lead in the third period, The Daily Nebraskan noted.

While these individual performances offered flashes of success for the Cowboys, the lack of depth across the rest of the lineup prevented a comeback. Nebraska’s ability to score heavily in the middle weights created a mathematical gap that Wyoming could not close.

Match results by weight class

Weight	Winner	Score	Loser
125	No. 4 Vincent Robinson (NEB)	8-2	Isaiah Harrison (WYO)
133	No. 16 Luke Willochell (WYO)	5-4	No. 7 Jacob Van Dee (NEB)
141	Lincoln Sledzianowski (NEB)	11-2	Derek Barrows (WYO)
149	No. 5 Anthony Echemendia (NEB)	16-4	Austin Collins (WYO)
157	No. 3 Antrell Taylor (NEB)	17-4	Antonio Avila (WYO)
165	Meyer Shapiro (NEB)	18-3	Manny Rojas (WYO)
174	No. 2 Christopher Minto (NEB)	10-4	No. 32 Riley Davis (WYO)
184	No. 6 Eddie Neitenbach (WYO)	13-8	Ethan DeLeon (NEB)
197	No. 4 Joey Novak (WYO)	4-1	No. 5 Camden McDanel (NEB)
HWT	No. 9 Cade Ziola (NEB)	19-4	Winston McBride (WYO)

Nebraska’s transfer impact and dominance

The Huskers’ roster depth was bolstered significantly by recent transfers. The Daily Nebraskan highlighted the debut of senior 149-pounder Anthony Echemendia, a transfer from Iowa State, who secured a 17-4 major decision over Austin Collins. Additionally, Cornell transfer and three-time All-American Meyer Shapiro dominated the 165-pound bout with a 18-3 technical fall.

Nebraska Wrestling vs. Wyoming Photo No. 15 — Photo: dailynebraskan.com

Nebraska’s heavyweight presence was also felt through redshirt freshman Cade Ziola. Ziola secured a 19-4 technical fall against Winston McBride to close out the night, a performance Nebraska coach Mark Manning attributed to the athlete’s intense summer weight room commitment, The Daily Nebraskan reported.

The momentum in the Nebraska locker room was bolstered by the energy of the 125-pound division. The Daily Nebraskan reported that freshman Cade Ziola described No. 4 Vincent Robinson as the “most high-energy guy” he has ever met, noting that Robinson’s presence has been felt since they were children.

Upcoming schedule for Wyoming and Nebraska

The Wyoming wrestling team will look to rebound quickly as they continue their road schedule. The Cowboys are set to travel to face No. 7 Stanford on Nov. 15 for a 2 p.m. dual at the Cardinal’s outdoor softball stadium, gowyo.com reported.

Nebraska Wrestling 🎙️ Post-Match vs Wyoming

Nebraska faces an even steeper challenge in their next outing. The Huskers will travel to face No. 2 Oklahoma State on Friday, Nov. 13, at 7 p.m., with the match scheduled to stream on ESPN+, according to The Daily Nebraskan.

Whether Wyoming’s top-tier individual talent can translate into team-wide consistency remains the primary question as the season progresses.