Huskers claim top ten finish at NCAAs, secure four All-American Honors

LINCOLN, Neb. (Press Release) - Husker senior Mikey Labriola (174) ended his stellar run at the 2023 NCAA Championships with a runner-up finish, and the Nebraska wrestling team scored 54.0 points to claim eighth overall. Labriola, the second-straight NCAA finalist for the Huskers and first five-time All-American, wrestled in the championship bout, but was pinned by No. 1 Carter Starocci. Labriola concludes his Husker career with a NCAA Championship record of 18-7 and an overall record of 120-28, the ninth-most wins in Husker wrestling history.

Overall, Nebraska’s four NCAA All-Americans marks the fourth time in six years the program has had four or more claim the award. In the team standings, Penn State finished first (137.5), Iowa was second (82.5), while Cornell (76.5), Ohio State (70.5) and Missouri (64.5) rounded out the Top 5.

To start this morning’s competition, No. 3 Liam Cronin (125) ended his NCAA run with a fifth-place finish in the medal round. In the consolation quarterfinals, Cronin battled Lehigh’s No. 8 Anthony Noto. Cronin scored the escape, but Noto scored the takedown, sending Cronin to the fifth-place match where he won by medical forfeit over Iowa’s No. 1 Spencer Lee. The Orange, Calif., native and All-American finished his career with a 75-50 record and 24-6 record during his senior season.

No. 4 Brock Hardy (141) fell to North Carolina’s No. 10 Lachlan McNeil before he matched up with SDSU’s No. 11 Clay Carlson for the second time this season in the fifth-place match. Hardy forfeited due to injury and wrapped up NCAA Championship competition with a NCAA All-American honor and a sixth-place finish. Hardy ends the season with a 30-7 overall record.

Finishing competition in Session V this morning was No. 3 Peyton Robb at 157. After falling in the consolation quarterfinals to NDSU’s No. 4 Jared Franek by 3-1 decision, he moved on to the fifth-place match where Robb medically forfeited against NC State’s No. 8 Ed Scott and finished sixth. The three-time All-American concludes his junior season with a 28-3 record.

NCAA ChampionshipsBOK Center | Tulsa, Okla. Sessions I - VIMarch 16-18, 2023

125: No. 3 Liam Cronin (4-2) 5th First Round: No. 3 Cronin dec. No. 30 Antonio Lorenzo (POLY) 9-4Second Round: No. 3 Cronin dec. No. 19 Braxton Brown (MD) 8-4Quarterfinals: No. 3 Cronin dec. No. 27 Eddie Ventresca (VT) 3-1, SV-1Semifinals: No. 2 Pat Glory (PRIN) dec. No. 3 Cronin 8-2Cons. Quarterfinals: No. 8 Anthony Noto (LH) dec. No. 3 Cronin 3-1Fifth-Place Match: No. 3 Cronin dec. No. 1 Spencer Lee (IOWA) MFF

141: No. 4 Brock Hardy (3-3) 6th First Round: No. 4 Hardy major dec. No. 29 Jordan Titus (WVU) 12-4Second Round: No. 4 Hardy dec. No. 20 Jakob Bergeland (MINN) 5-1Quarterfinals: No. 4 Hardy dec. No. 12 Parker Filius (PUR) 7-0Semifinals: No. 1 Real Woods (IOWA) major dec. No. 4 Hardy 11-1Cons. Quarterfinals: No. 10 Lachlan McNeil (UNC) dec. No. 4 Hardy 5-2Fifth-Place Match: No. 11 Clay Carlson (SDSU) dec. No. 4 Hardy Inj.

157: No. 3 Peyton Robb (4-2) 6thFirst Round: No. 3 Robb tech. fall No. 30 Jared Hill (OU) 15-0 (6:11)Second Round: No. 3 Robb tech. fall No. 19 Garrett Model (WIS) 16-1 (5:40)Quarterfinals: No. 3 Robb dec. No. 6 Daniel Cardenas (STAN) 6-4Semifinals: No. 3 Robb dec. No. 2 Levi Haines (PSU) 5-2Cons. Semifinals: No. 4 Jared Franek (NDSU) dec. No. 3 Robb 3-1Fifth-Place Match: No. 8 Ed Scott (NCST) dec. No. 3 Robb MFF

165: No. 25 Bubba Wilson (2-2) DNPFirst Round: No. 25 Wilson dec. No. 8 Matthew Olguin (ORST) 3-1, SV-1Second Round: No. 9 Shane Griffith (STAN) maj. dec. No. 25 Wilson 10-0Cons. Second Round: No. 25 Wilson dec. No. 23 Connor Brady (VT) 5-2Cons. Third Round: No. 17 Austin Yant (UNI) major dec. No. 25 Wilson 10-0

174: No. 2 Mikey Labriola (4-1) 2ndFirst Round: No. 2 Labriola dec. No. 31 Tyler Stoltzfus (LEH) 9-6Second Round: No. 2 Labriola dec. No. 15 Demetrius Romero (UVU) 3-1Quarterfinals: No. 2 Labriola dec. No. 7 Peyton Mocco (MIZ) 4-3Semifinals: No. 2 Labriola dec. No. 3 Mekhi Lewis (VT) 3-1, TB-2Finals: No. 1 Carter Starocci (PSU) pinned No. 2 Labriola (2:46)

184: No. 13 Lenny Pinto (1-2) DNPFirst Round: No. 20 Neil Antrassian (UVU) dec. No. 13 Pinto 11-6Cons. First Round: No. 13 Pinto dec. No. 29 Deanthony Parker (NDSU) 7-1Cons. Second Round: No. 14 Will Feldkamp (CLAR) pinned No. 13 Pinto (4:30)

197: No. 8 Silas Allred (2-2) DNPFirst Round: No. 8 Allred dec. No. 25 Michael Battista (UVU) 13-7Second Round: No. 8 Allred dec. No. 9 Max Dean (PSU) 7-2Quarterfinals: No. 1 Nino Bonaccorsi (PITT) dec. No. 8 Allred 5-3Round of 12: No. 14 Jacob Warner (IOWA) dec. No. 8 Allred 1-0

Team Score (Points): 1 - Penn State (137.5)2 - Iowa (82.5)3 - Cornell (76.5)4 - Ohio State (70.5)5 - Missouri (64.5)6 - Michigan (58.5)7 - Arizona State (55.0)8 - Nebraska (54.0)9 - Virginia Tech (49.0)10 - NC State (48.0)