What we learned from Nebraska wrestling's rout of Utah Valley in final dual of the season
No. 6 Nebraska wrestling (13-6, 5-3) throttled Utah Valley (5-8, 3-4 Big 12) in its final dual in Orem, Utah, Saturday night.
The Huskers won eight of their 10 bouts to secure a 32-6 victory. From four bonus-point wins to the gritty veteran resilience, the Big Red appears to be as hot as it has been all season. Medal time in March now looms.
Here are the three biggest takeaways from NU’s final dual…
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Taylor notches 70th career win
No. 3 Antrell Taylor’s terror since November remained in full force in his final dual competition of the season.
The 2025 NCAA Champion at 157 pounds crushed Ian Fritz to start the night. In fact, Taylor landed four takedowns and a 4-point near fall in the first period to build a 16-3 lead. The Millard, Nebraska, native opened the second period with his fifth takedown, sealing a 19-3 technical fall at 3:14. Taylor’s win notched his 70th career victory and 20th of his junior campaign. Of his 20 wins, 12 have included bonus points.
Unless there is a monumental upset at the Big Tens, Taylor will likely run into undefeated and No. 1-ranked Brandon Cannon of Ohio State, which will be must-see.
Ferrari rolls, Hardy wins homecoming, Lamer falls in finale
After the 10-minute intermission, No. 3 heavyweight AJ Ferrari’s 19-4 tech fall against No. 30 Jack Forbes marked his fifth straight victory. Only leading 3-2 entering the final period, Ferrari scored a whopping four takedowns to secure the tech fall. He finishes dual action 13-2 with his only two losses coming against No. 7 Nick Feldman of Ohio State. It’s going to be a dandy if they meet for the third time at the Big Tens.
No. 4 Brock Hardy (141) took down No. 19 Haiden Drury in his homecoming for the Brigham City, Utah native. An early takedown in the first and the riding time bonus point were enough for Hardy to hang on in a 5-1 decision. The 2025 NCAA runner-up heads into the Big Tens 18-4 and likely locks up the No. 2 seed at 141.
Meanwhile, No. 19 Chance Lamer (149) lost the bout of the night to No. 11 David Evans — UVU’s highest-ranked athlete — to close out the dual. Lamer scored a takedown in the first period and held a 5-4 lead over Evans entering the final frame. However, Lamer ran out of fuel as Evans landed a takedown with 10 seconds left to take the dogfight 8-5.
Minto, Lauridsen impress
No. 4 Christopher Minto (174) snagged his first bonus-point win since his 10-1 major decision over then No. 10 Jared Simma of UNI on Jan. 3. The NU sophomore nailed four takedowns, one of which came at the buzzer to secure a 15-7 major decision over Hudson Rogers.
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Meanwhile, after being pinned and tech-falled in his two matches last weekend, Kael Lauridsen (125) bounced back with an impressive 8-2 decision over Bridger Ricks. The redshirt freshman from Bennington, Nebraska, may make it interesting at the Big Tens if he can show up as he did against the Utah Valley senior.
Other Results
***No. 10 Jacob Van Dee (133) squeaked by Geronimo Rivera 4-1 for the 15th win of his junior year.
***No. 7 LJ Araujo (165) finishes his impressive redshirt freshman dual competition with a 13-6 record heading into the conference championships. In fact, Araujo pinned Zyon Trujillo in the second period.
***Tyler Eise subbed in for No. 6 Silas Allred at 184 to take on Caleb Uhlenhopp and fell by a 5-1 decision.
***At 197, Kael Bennie tested No. 10 Camden McDanel. The NU sophomore only led 7-4 in the final minute. However, McDanel’s strength secured a takedown in the final 30 seconds for a 10-5 decision for his 18th win.
Nebraska returns to the mat for the Big Ten Championships on Saturday, Mar. 7. The first session starts at 9 a.m. CT, followed by the second at 4 p.m. CT. The final session begins on Sunday, Mar. 8, at 11 a.m. CT. All matches will air on the Big Ten Network.
