Nebraska
Loper Wrestling Win Second Straight, Sixth National Title
UNK finished with 83.0 points while Wisconsin-Parkside (78.0), McKendree, Ill. (76.5) and league rival Central Oklahoma (76.0) were very close behind. The Lopers entered the finals with a 79.0-72.0 edge over UCO. To secure a second straight and a sixth overall national title, UNK needed to win one of three title matches or see the Bronchos lose one of two.
Now three-time national champion Gabe Johnson of UCO didn’t let that happen at 157 pounds as he won in overtime. Fifth seeded Trenton Munoz (Santa Clarita, Calif.) was up next and trying to pull off a third straight upset. Already beating the fourth and first seeds in the 165-lbs. class, he couldn’t get by now three-time champ David Hunsberger of Lander (S.C.). The second seeded Hunsberger recorded a takedown six seconds in to record a 9-4 win.
That pitted third seeded Batsuuri (Mongolia) vs. top-seeded Hunter Jump of UCO in the 174-lbs. finals. The two met during the regular season with Jump winning 1-0 in January and Batsuuri leading a February match 3-2 in the third period. However, Jump was about to score and then won via fall at 6:24. A two-time national champion at Fort Hays State Northwest Tech, Batsuuri didn’t let things linger this time as he tallied a takedown 17 seconds into the match. He was up 4-1 late in the third before tallying another takedown to win, 7-3.
Finally, graduate and second seeded heavyweight Crew Howard (Clarinda, Ia.) squared off with top seed Doran Crosby of Gannon (Pa.) in the tourney’s final match. A two-time NCAA Division I qualifier for Bucknell (Pa.), Crosby edged Howard in last year’s third place match, 4-2. He did it again with a takedown in sudden victory, 4-1, to cap a six-year career. Meanwhile, Howard leaves a storied career as a three-time All-American.
The Lopers had six All-Americans with this title race the closest since 2021 when St. Cloud State (107.0) nipped the Lopers (105.05) thanks to a win in the 285 lbs. match. Finally, head coach Dalton Jensen, part of UNK’s 2012 and 2013 title teams as a wrestler, was tabbed as the National Tournament Coach of the Year.
133 lbs. – 9th seed Zach Ourada (14-7) scored 2.5 team points
- Prelim – Zachary Ourada won by decision over Drew Stanfield (Central Mo.) 17-8 (Dec 8-1)
- Champ. Round 1 – #5 James Joplin (Lander, S.C.) won by decision over Zach Ourada (Dec 10-6)
- Cons Rd 1 – Zach Ourada won by tech over Eli Carrington (Belmont Abbey, N.C.) (TF 6:00; 19-4)
- Cons. Round 2 – #6 Jakob Romero (Adams State) won by decision over Zach Ourada (Dec 5-3)
141 lbs. – 5th seed Joseph Airola (26-6) placed 5th and scored 9.0 team points
165 lbs. – 5th seed Trenton Munoz (26-7) placed 2nd and scored 15.0 team points
- Champ. Round 1 – Trenton Munoz won by decision over Kole Marko (Minnesota St.) (Dec 6-1)
- Quarterfinal – Trenton Munoz won by decision over #4 Grant MacKay (Gannon, Pa.) (Dec 4-1)
- Semifinal – Trenton Munoz won by decision over #1 Nolan Gessler (Tiffin, Ohio) (Dec 10-5)
- 1st Place Match – #2 David Hunsberger (Lander, S.C.) won by decision over Trenton Munoz (Dec 9-4)
174 lbs. – 3rd seed Otgonbayar Batsuuri (21-7) placed 1st scored 21.0 team points
- Champ. Round 1 – Otgonbayar Batsuuri won by dec over Cole Ritter (Maryville, Mo.) (Dec 9-3)
- Quarterfinal – Otgonbayar Batsuuri won by dec over #6 Emilio Arellano (Tiffin, Ohio) (Dec 14-10)
- Semifinal – Otgonbayar Batsuuri won by fall over Kydyn Lima (San Francisco State) (Fall 4:04)
- 1st Place Match – Otgonbayar Batsuuri won by decision over #1 Hunter Jump (Central Okla.) (Dec 7-3)
184 lbs. – 5th seed Kaden Hart (18-9) placed 6th and scored 9.5 team points
- Champ. Round 1 – Kaden Hart won by decision over Oliver Byerly (West Liberty, W.V.) (Dec 2-1)
- Quarterfinal – #4 Damon Ashworth (Central Mo.) won by decision over Kaden Hart (Dec 4-1)
- Cons. Round 2 – Kaden Hart won by tech fall over Cole Casilio (Kutztown, Pa.) (TF 7:00; 15-0)
- Cons. Round 3 – Kaden Hart won by decision over #1 Cole Glazier (St. Cloud State) (Dec 4-2)
- Cons. Semi – #2 Keegan Gehlhausen (Chadron State) won by decision over Kaden Hart (Dec 6-4)
- 5th Place Match – Sullivan Ramos (Wisconsin-Parkside) won by decision over Kaden Hart (Dec 11-8)
197 lbs. – 4th seed Jackson Kinsella (21-8) placed 6th and scored 9.0 team points
- Champ. Round 1 – Jackson Kinsella won by major decision over Ethan Farnell (Indianapolis) (MD 12-4)
- Quarterfinal – #5 Logan Kvien (McKendree, Ill.) won by decision over Jackson Kinsella (Dec 1-0)
- Cons. Round 2 – Jackson Kinsella won in sudden victory over Tyson Meyer (St. Cloud) (SV-1 4-1)
- Cons. Round 3 – Jackson Kinsella won by decision over #9 Jeremiah Larson (Maryville, Mo.) (Dec 7-2)
- Cons. Semi – #6 Mason Villwok (Chadron St.) won in tie breaker over Jackson Kinsella (TB-1 2-1)
- 5th Place Match – Joey Lyons (Gannon, Pa.) won in tie breaker – 1 over Jackson Kinsella (TB 1-1)
285 lbs. – 2nd seed Crew Howard (26-3) placed 2nd and scored 17.0 team points
The Nebraska softball team (40-6, 20-1) will hit the road and face the Penn State Nittany Lions (32-17, 11-10) this week to wrap up the final regular-season series of the season. The Huskers are ranked No. 3 in the NFCA Poll. NU is also No. 2 by Softball America, USA Softball and D1 Softball.
The Huskers are led by two-way star Jordy Frahm and Hannah Camenzind. Frahm is hitting .423 at the plate on the season with a 15-4 record with nine saves in the pitcher’s circle. Camenzind is hitting .408 and has a record in the pitcher’s circle of 5-0 with a 1.40 ERA.
The Big Ten Tournament will take place May 6-9 in College Park, MD.
Here’s how to watch the Nebraska-Penn State doubleheaders today, including time, TV schedule, and streaming information:
What channel is Nebraska-Penn State on today?
TV Channel: Game one: N/A Game two: BTN
Livestream: Game one: B1G+ Game two: Fubo (free trial)
Nebraska vs Penn State will wrap up the final regular-season series of the year on the Big Ten Network on Saturday afternoon. Streaming options for the game include B1G+ and FUBO, which offers a free trial to new subscribers.
Nebraska-Penn State Softball time today
- Date: Saturday, May 2 (doubleheaders)
- Start time: 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. CT
The Nebraska-Penn State softball doubleheader starts at 10 a.m. CT and 1:30 p.m. CT from Nittany Lion Softball Park in State College, PA.
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ASHLAND, Neb. (Nebraska Examiner) – Online trolls had a field day in March when Nebraskans got wind that a stiff breeze had taken a political sign that named a red barn along Interstate 80 in eastern Nebraska.
Much of the social media discourse centered on a combination of higher gas prices, tariffs, war, political fatigue and polling headwinds during the second term for President Donald Trump.
The barn’s owner, farmer Alan Volger, told the Nebraska Examiner at the time he probably couldn’t afford another red-letter “TRUMP” sign, nor could he physically put a new sign up.
“I gotta have somebody else put signs up,” he said. “I don’t care how high it goes, I gotta keep one foot on the ground.”
Volger said the timing seemed OK since the president is term-limited and cannot run again. He still had his signs up supporting property tax reform and opposing abortion.
But this week, Dr. Pat Castle of LIFE Runners, an anti-abortion group from Lincoln, and a friend of Castle’s who owns a lift, posted a new “TRUMP” sign on the “Trump Barn.”
They had funding help from a supporter of Nebraska Secretary of State candidate Scott Petersen, who paid for the sign and let his preferred candidate for Nebraska’s top election official take the credit.
Petersen and fellow Republican Secretary of State Bob Evnen have been in a pitched primary race over the future of counting votes in Nebraska elections. Both have expressed support for Trump.
So this week a different set of online trolls had a good day, punching back against the Nebraskans who had said they were ready to see something else driving from Omaha to Lincoln.
One said, “He made his barn great again.”
Critics also clapped back. One said, “Surprised they could afford to drive it there with the price of diesel.”
Volger, on Friday, said he had heard from a number of people who wanted the sign back up, and he said a bunch of people driving on I-80 when it went back up on Wednesday honked at them.
He said even the Nebraska State Patrol has used his barn as a landmark, recalling a lost man he saw wandering on his property that troopers said the barn helped them locate.
His goal for this year is to get the barn repainted so it looks a little nicer in the pictures people share online. He said his painter agreed to take the signs down and put them back up.
“I’m sure not doing it,” Volger said, laughing.
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Nebrasketball is one step closer to finishing off its roster construction for next season.
On Thursday, South Dakota State center Damon Wilkinson committed to the Huskers. He has two seasons of eligibility remaining.
Career Experience
The 6-foot-10, 245-pound Wilkinson spent the last three seasons at South Dakota State, developing into an All-Summit League-level player. Most recently, as a sophomore, the De Smet (SD) native averaged 13.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 1.3 assists for the Jackrabbits.
In total, he’s appeared in 59 games, including 19 starts. During the 2025–26 season, Wilkinson averaged 23.9 minutes per game while shooting 58.9% from the field and 72.0% from the free-throw line.
Nebraska is getting a player who scored in double figures in each of his final eight games, including a 19-point outing and three games with 18 points during that stretch. His career high, 24 points, came against UNO.
Where Wilkinson Slots in for the Big Red
Wilkinson has the potential to start for the Huskers next season. Regardless, he gives Fred Hoiberg some much-needed depth in the frontcourt. Nebraska has already signed Boston College transfer Boden Kapke, who stands 6-foot-11 and 255 pounds, but adding another experienced big man would help bolster the rotation for another potential NCAA Tournament run.
After establishing himself as one of the better bigs in the Summit League a season ago, Wilkinson’s production is well known. However, the jump to the Big Ten, widely regarded as the best conference in college basketball last year, will be a significant step up.
Still, his size and length would help replace what NU lost. Rebounding and interior scoring were two areas the Big Red struggled with despite all the success they saw. Wilkinson could provide an answer to both, helping Hoiberg stay more competitive against the top teams in the conference, like Michigan, Illinois, and Purdue.
NU’s Roster (With Wilkinson and Current High School Commits) Moving Forward
|
2026-27 |
2027-28 |
2028-29 |
2029-30 |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Cale Jacobsen- Sr. |
Will Cooper- Sr. |
Leo Curtis- Sr. |
Jacob Lanier- Sr. |
|
Henry Burt- Sr. |
Taj DeGourville- Sr. |
Braden Frager- Sr. |
Colin Rice- Sr. |
|
Pryce Sandfort- Sr. |
Damon Wilkinson- Sr. |
Jacob Lanier- Jr. |
Ty Schlagel- Jr. |
|
Connor Essegian- Sr. |
Leo Curtis- Jr. |
Colin Rice- Jr. |
|
|
Boden Kapke- Sr. |
Braden Frager- Jr. |
Ty Schlagel- So. |
|
|
Trevan Leonhardt- Sr. |
Jacob Lanier- So. |
||
|
Kadyn Betts- Sr. |
Colin Rice- So. |
||
|
Will Cooper- Jr. |
Ty Schlagel- Fr. |
||
|
Taj DeGourville- Jr. |
|||
|
Damon Wilkinson- Jr. |
|||
|
Sam Orme- Jr. |
|||
|
Leo Curtis- So. |
|||
|
Braden Frager- So. |
|||
|
Jacob Lanier- Fr. |
|||
|
Colin Rice- Fr. |
Husker Potential Starting Lineup
The window to enter the transfer portal closed April 21, but Nebraska is still not done adding to its roster. Even so, the foundation of next year’s lineup has already largely taken place.
Pryce Sandfort and Braden Frager are set to return, and the Big Red added Sam Orme, Kapke, Kadyn Betts, Trevan Leonhardt, and Taj DeGourville as well. That gives the Huskers multiple starting-caliber pieces to replace those that were lost from a season ago.
Frager and Sandfort are expected to start as off-ball guards, with Leonhardt likely taking over primary ball-handling duties. Orme and Kapke appear to be the leading candidates at the four and five spots, though both will still need to earn their roles. Either way, Nebraska has depth, and adding Wilkinson only strengthens it further.
Why Nebraska Makes Sense for Wilkinson
Even if he doesn’t fit into a starting role in 2026–27, the former Jackrabbit still has multiple years of eligibility remaining to develop in the Big Ten. And at the very least, he will factor into Nebraska’s rotation.
NU doesn’t have an abundance of players listed near the 7-foot range, so Wilkinson’s ability to score and rebound made him a clear priority on his visit this week. Besides those mentioned, Nebraska’s top – and only – returning frontcourt player is the 7-foot-2 Leo Curtis.
After leading Nebraska to a Sweet 16 appearance with an underfunded roster just over a month ago, the coaching staff has proven it can develop players at a high level. For a player like Wilkinson, with multiple years of eligibility remaining, Lincoln presents a strong opportunity to grow within a rising program.
The addition of Wilkinson leaves Hoiberg with one remaining roster spot for the 2026-27 campaign.
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