By NU Athletic Communications
College Park, Md. - For the second-straight year, the Huskers have a Big Ten Champ as Ridge Lovett claimed the crown at 149 and the Nebraska wrestling team finished third at the 2024 Big Ten Championships with 118.0 team points.
The Huskers put eight wrestlers in the final, third-place and fifth-place bouts combined this weekend and clinched nine automatic bids to the NCAA Championships.
In a rematch of this year’s home dual against the Wolverines, No. 1 Lovett met No. 2 Austin Gomez in the finals. Gomez got the takedown in Period One, but Lovett responded with a move of his own and took a 5-3 lead to open the final period. Lovett gave up a stall point, but he hung on for the 5-4 victory and claimed the 149 Big Ten title.
At 157, after falling to Iowa’s No. 4 Jared Franek in the quarterfinals, No. 5 Peyton Robb won four-straight to finish third and qualify for the NCAA Championships for the fifth time. Then at 184, No. 2 Lenny Pinto secured a third-place finish after defeating Michigan’s No. 5 Jaden Bullock in the third-place match, 4-1 and is a two-time NCAA Qualifier. Rounding out the group of third-place finishers was No. 4 Silas Allred at 197. Allred recorded four victories, including an opening tech. fall, to earn his second-straight NCAA Qualification.
In his first career Big Ten Championships, No. 4 Jacob Van Dee (133) dropped to consolation after a tough-fought match against No. 5 Aaron Nagao (PSU) in the quarterfinals and won three-straight for a spot in the third-place match. He faced Nagao again and battled, but fell by pin in the first period and finished fourth.
Both No. 4 Brock Hardy (141) and No. 5 Antrell Taylor (165) finished fifth after commanding victories in their fifth-places matches. Hardy dropped two matches on the weekend, but bounced back with a pin over Rutgers’ No. 7 Mitch Moore in his final match. Taylor had an impressive performance in his first career Big Ten Tournament, going 3-2 and earning himself a spot at the NCAA Championships.
At heavyweight, No. 10 Nash Hutmacher had a successful showing, finishing sixth and securing a spot at the NCAA Tournament. Hutmacher won two-straight in consolation to secure the automatic qualification. No. 5 Caleb Smith (125) finished 2-3 with an eighth-place finish to secure his spot in Kansas City. Rounding out the Huskers competing at Big Tens was No. 12 Bubba Wilson at 174. He will await a potential at-large bid for NCAAs as he finished ninth with a 3-2 record.
Up next, NU has two weeks to prep for the 2024 NCAA Championships which are set for March 21-23 at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo.
Big Ten ChampionshipsXFINITY Center | College Park, Md.Sessions I-IVMarch 9-10, 2024
125: No. 5 Caleb Smith 8th (2-3) NCAA Qualifier First Round: No. 5 Caleb Smith (NEB) tech. fall No. 12 Massey Odiotti (NU) 24-8Quarterfinals: No. 4 Patrick McKee (MINN) dec. No. 5 Caleb Smith (NEB) 5-2Cons. Second Round: No. 5 Caleb Smith (NEB) dec. No. 14 Blaine Frazier (IND) 8-2Cons. Quarterfinals: No. 1 Matt Ramos (PUR) dec. No. 5 Caleb Smith (NEB) 5-2Seventh-Place Match: No. 3 Eric Barnett (WIS) tech. fall No. 5 Caleb Smith (NEB) 17-2
133: No. 4 Jacob Van Dee 4th (4-2) NCAA QualifierFirst Round: No. 4 Jacob Van Dee (NEB) tech. fall No. 13 Patrick Adams (NU) 21-5Quarterfinals: No. 5 Aaron Nagao (PSU) dec. No. 4 Jacob Van Dee (NEB) 4-3Cons. Second Round: No. 4 Jacob Van Dee (NEB) dec. No. 3 Nic Bouzakis (OSU) 10-8Cons. Quarterfinals: No. 4 Jacob Van Dee (NEB) dec. No. 10 Cayden Rooks (IND) 11-6Cons. Semifinals: No. 4 Jacob Van Dee (NEB) dec. No. 14 Brody Teske (IOWA) 9-6 SV-1Third-Place Match: No. 5 Aaron Nagao (PSU) pinned No. 4 Jacob Van Dee (NEB) (1:52)
141: No. 4 Brock Hardy 5th (4-2) NCAA Qualifier First Round: No. 4 Brock Hardy (NEB) pinned No. 13 Kolby McClain (NU) (1:48)Quarterfinals: No. 5 Sergio Lemley (MICH) dec. No. 4 Brock Hardy (NEB) 4-2Cons. Second Round: No. 4 Brock Hardy (NEB) dec. No. 11 Kal Miller (MD) 5-3Cons. Quarterfinals: No. 4 Brock Hardy (NEB) major dec. No. 10 Vance Vombaur (MINN) 10-2Cons. Semifinals: No. 3 Real Woods (IOWA) dec. No. 4 Brock Hardy (NEB) 8-4Fifth-Place Match: No. 4 Brock Hardy (NEB) pinned No. 7 Mitch Moore (RUT) (2:38)
149: No. 1 Ridge Lovett 1st (3-0) NCAA QualifierFirst Round: BYEQuarterfinals: No. 1 Ridge Lovett (NEB) pinned No. 8 Graham Rooks (IND) (3:57)Semifinals: No. 1 Ridge Lovett (NEB) dec. No. 4 Tyler Kasak (PSU) 4-0Finals: No. 1 Ridge Lovett (NEB) dec. No. 2 Austin Gomez (MICH) 5-4
157: No. 5 Peyton Robb 3rd (5-1) NCAA Qualifier First Round: No. 5 Peyton Robb (NEB) tech. fall No. 12 Michael North (MD) 15-0Quarterfinals: No. 4 Jared Franek (IOWA) dec. No. 5 Peyton Robb (NEB) 7-3Cons. Second Round: No. 5 Peyton Robb (NEB) tech. fall No. 11 Al Desantis (RUT) 15-0Cons. Quarterfinals: No. 5 Peyton Robb (NEB) dec. No. 9 Trevor Chumbley (NU) 5-0Cons. Semifinals: No. 5 Peyton Robb (NEB) dec. No. 3 Brayton Lee (IND) 2-1Third-Place Match: No. 5 Peyton Robb (NEB) over No. 4 Jared Franek (IOWA) MFF
165: No. 5 Antrell Taylor 5th (3-2) NCAA Qualifier First Round: No. 5 Antrell Taylor (NEB) dec. No. 12 Maxx Mayfield (NU) 7-2Quarterfinals: No. 5 Antrell Taylor (NEB) dec. No. 4 Caleb Fish (MSU) 8-5 SV-1 Semifinals: No. 1 Dean Hamiti (WIS) pinned No. 5 Antrell Taylor (NEB) (1:04)Cons. Semifinals: No. 6 Cameron Amine (MICH) dec. No. 5 Antrell Taylor (NEB) 3-2 TB-2Fifth-Place Match: No. 5 Antrell Taylor (NEB) dec. No. 11 Chris Moore (ILL) 4-1
174: No. 12 Bubba Wilson 9th (3-2) First Round: No. 5 Rocco Welsh (OSU) major dec. No. 12 Bubba Wilson (NEB) 14-4Cons. First Round: No. 12 Bubba Wilson (NEB) dec. No. 13 DJ Shannon (MSU) 7-3Cons. Second Round: No. 6 Jackson Turley (RUT) pinned No. 12 Bubba Wilson (NEB) Ninth-Place Bracket: No. 12 Bubba Wilson (NEB) major dec. No. 11 Dominic Solis (MD) 18-9Ninth-Place Match: No. 12 Bubba Wilson (NEB) dec. No. 13 DJ Shannon (MSU) 8-6
184: No. 2 Lenny Pinto 3rd (3-1) NCAA Qualifier First Round: BYEQuarterfinals: No. 2 Lenny Pinto (NEB) dec. No. 10 Roman Rogotzke (IND) 14-7Semifinals: No. 3 Bernie Truax (PSU) dec. No. 2 Lenny Pinto (NEB) 4-2Cons. Semifinals: No. 2 Lenny Pinto (NEB) dec. No. 4 Ryder Rogotzke (OSU) 15-9Third-Place Match: No. 2 Lenny Pinto (NEB) dec. No. 5 Jaden Bullock (MICH) 4-1 SV-1
197: No. 4 Silas Allred 3rd (4-1) NCAA QualifierFirst Round: No. 4 Silas Allred (NEB) tech. fall No. 13 Bobby Striggow (MICH) 19-4Quarterfinals: No. 4 Silas Allred (NEB) dec. No. 5 Garrett Joles (MINN) 5-4Semifinals: No. 1 Aaron Brooks (PSU) major dec. No. 4 Silas Allred (NEB) 14-2Cons. Semifinals: No. 4 Silas Allred (NEB) dec. No. 6 Luke Geog (OSU) Inj. 4:08Third-Place Match: No. 4 Silas Allred (NEB) dec. No. 2 Jaxon Smith (MD) 10-3
HWT: No. 10 Nash Hutmacher 6th (2-3) NCAA QualifierFirst Round: No. 7 Bradley Hill (IOWA) dec. No. 10 Nash Hutmacher (NEB) 4-2Cons. First Round: BYECons. Second Round: No. 10 Nash Hutmacher (NEB) major dec. No. 8 Bennett Tabor (MINN) 9-1Cons. Quarterfinals: No. 10 Nash Hutmacher (NEB) dec. No. 5 Seth Nevills (MD) 7-0Cons. Semifinals: No. 3 Lucas Davison (MICH) pinned No. 10 Nash Hutmacher (NEB) (3:46)Fifth-Place Match: No. 7 Bradley Hill (IOWA) dec. No. 10 Nash Hutmacher (NEB) 4-1
Team Score (Points):1. Penn State (170.5)2. Michigan (123.5)3. Nebraska (118.0)4. Iowa (110.5)5. Ohio State (89.0)