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3 Takes: Nebraska wrestling dominates No. 16 North Carolina

by: Bobby Schneider12/20/25bschneider33

No. 6 Nebraska wrestling (6-2) rolled past No. 16 North Carolina 27-9 for its third consecutive dual victory. Head coach Mark Manning’s squad won seven of their 10 bouts, securing another ranked win for the Huskers.

The Big Red’s offseason hype was on full display at the Bob Devaney Sports Center Friday night.

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Here are three takeaways from Nebraska’s ranked win:

Van Dee wins bout of the night

In the 133-pound division, No. 8 Jacob Van Dee against No. 15 Ethan Oakley was the highest-ranked matchup of the dual. The two met last season, where Van Dee lost a close 10-9 decision. However, he changed the narrative this time around.

The junior All-American scored a takedown in the first period to jump out to a 3-0 lead and had over two minutes of riding time at one point. Oakley escaped in the second to respond. But with a 3-1 lead entering the final period, Van Dee escaped and was awarded a bonus point for over a minute of riding time in a 5-1 decision.

With the victory, Van Dee improved to 7-1 on the season and notched his 50th career win as a Husker. Manning said it was quite the battle between the two top-15 foes.

“Jacob wrestled a really tough match,” the Nebraska head coach said. “Oakley is a tough kid, he’ll be a round of 12-type of guy. He’ll be an All-American-type of guy. So, good win, and I thought Jacob wrestled really well in all three positions.”

Other All-Americans deliver

Besides senior All-American Silas Allred (184) resting tonight against UNC, Nebraska’s other five All-Americans had their way on the mat. Defending national champion Antrell Taylor (157) opened the dual with a 13-2 major decision over Laird Root. Offense was quiet between the two until Taylor landed his first of four takedowns as the first period expired.

Meanwhile, No. 6 Christopher Minto (174) and No. 4 AJ Ferrari (HWT) obliterated each of their opposition. In fact, Minto delivered a 17-3 major decision to Collin Carrigan, while Ferrari pinned Mikey Calcagno with 45.9 seconds remaining in the final period.

Finally, No. 10 Camden McDanel (197) and No. 3 Brock Hardy (141) each controlled the mat to snag ranked wins. McDanel carried a 7-1 lead into the third period before scoring another takedown to defeat No. 33 Robert Platt 10-2. And Hardy shut out No. 19 Luke Simcox in a 5-0 decision.

Araujo picks up another ranked win

After two ranked wins against Missouri and Brown, redshirt freshman LJ Araujo (165) picked up another against No. 18 Bryce Hepner in a low-scoring battle. Araujo was nearly pinned to close out the first period, but escaped to start the second. But multiple stalemates left Araujo with only a 1-0 advantage entering the final period.

Hepner went down injured with 43 seconds remaining in the final period, and Araujo was awarded a point for another escape. Hepner was able to finish the match, but Araujo held him off to secure the 2-0 decision. He’s now 8-1 on the season, and his head coach couldn’t be prouder after three straight ranked victories.

“He’s really grown as a wrestler,” Manning said of Araujo. “He had a tough match with the Missouri kid –(Max) Mayfield, local guy, six-year guy – and (Hepner) is a six-year guy. He was at Ohio State for a long time. He’s tough; he’s been in a lot of battles. It’s really great to see a redshirt freshman figure out how to win those matches.”

Other Results

***Alan Koehler (125) lost to No. 16 Kysen Terukina by a 4-1 decision.

Kael Lauridsen will be in the 125-pound slot on Sunday against No. 5 Oklahoma State, Manning confirmed after the UNC dual.

***Scott Robertson (149) fell 4-1 in a sudden victory after Nate Askew scored a takedown.

Chance Lamer – ranked No. 5 in the 149-pound division – will make his Husker debut on Sunday, Manning confirmed post-dual.

***Tyler Eise (184) fell 8-4 vs. No. 24 Jake Dailey, filling in for Allred. Trailing 6-1 with 30 seconds remaining, Eise landed a takedown to make it 6-4. However, Dailey held his own to avoid the upset.

Nebraska returns to action at the Devaney Center on Sunday, Dec. 21, taking on No. 5 Oklahoma State at 1 p.m. CT. The Cowboys beat the Huskers 33-6 on Nov. 16 during the National Duals Invitational. It can be seen on the B1G Network.

“You don’t want to miss this match,” Manning said. “It’s going to be epic.”

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