Nebraska Wrestling Finishes Second at NCAA Championships; Ridge Lovett & Antrell Taylor Win National Titles

For the first time in program history, Nebraska is the national runner-up at the NCAA Wrestling Championships.

The Huskers finished second with 117 points, trailing only the 177 points for 15-time national champion Penn State. Those points for the Nittany Lions are a championship record.

The previous best finish for the Big Red was third in 1993.

Nebraska put three wrestlers into the finals, with Ridge Lovett and Antrell Taylor winning individual titles. Olympic gold medalist Jordan Burroughs was the last Husker to win a national championship back in 2011.

The last time Nebraska had two national champions in the same year was 1984: Jim Scherr (177) and Bill Scherr (190).

At 149, Lovett got an escape point early in the third period to go up 1-0 on Virginia Tech's Caleb Henson. Lovett was able to hold out and become Nebraska's first national champion in 14 years.

"Just find a way to get your hand raised," Lovett told ESPN after the match. "A lot of people did a lot of things for me to get here. I want to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, blessed me with the abilities, put many people around me to help get me to where I am. It's a surreal feeling.

"Big things coming from Nebraska. Go Big Red. Skers by 90."

In the very next match at 157, Taylor outlasted Purdue's Joey Blaze 4-2.

"(This moment) means everything," Taylor told ESPN. "I got my niece and nephew looking up to me. Everything I do is for these people right here next to me, my whole family.

"I'm here to stay. I'll be back here next year for the same thing."

In the other final that featured a Husker, Brock Hardy led 5-1 in the first period over Ohio State's Jesse Mendez. Mendez then put together a 10-1 run and held out for the 12-9 victory.

Other Huskers medalists include Christopher Minto (165) at fourth, Caleb Smith (125), Jacob Van Dee (133), and Silas Allred (184) at seventh, and Camden McDanel (197) at eighth.

Final Team Scores

1. Penn State 177
2. Nebraska 117
3. Oklahoma State 102.5
4. Iowa 81

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