Nebraska
Wrestling: Team Nebraska Impresses in Fargo in Greco-Roman Behind Finalist Ornelas
After the 16U and Junior Freestyle portion at the Fargo National Championships, we did a big write-up for you outlining the performances of Nebraska’s commit Cade Ziola, some of the possible targets for Nebraska, and some in-state talent that turned some heads.
Between both freestyle age groups, Team Nebraska had a total of seven All-Americans (top-8 finish), led by Ziola making it to the final at 190 pounds and Abdi Unle placing third at 113. Nebraska finished 12th in the team race in the Junior division and 18th as a team in 16U.
The Greco-Roman portion of the tournament took place this weekend with Team Nebraska finishing in 9th-place in the 16U division and 30th in Junior. In total, seven more Nebraska wrestlers finished as All-Americans in the upper-body-only discipline.
Team Nebraska’s phenomenal finish in 16U was led by junior-to-be Zaiyahn Ornelas. A phenomenal high school wrestler who is a two-time undefeated state champion for Wilber-Clatonia in Nebraska’s Class C, Ornelas is very credentialed in Greco. This summer, he won Greco titles at both the USA Wrestling Northern Plains Regional as well as the Southern Plains Regional.
As the 1-seed at 113 pounds this weekend, Ornelas made it to the final by outscoring his first five opponents 34-1. However, Ornelas lost his final bout 14-5. This impressive finish combined with his folkstyle success should get him a lot more attention from college coaches going forward.
The Huskers have a major needs coming up at 141 and 149. I don’t know what weight class Ornelas will end up at in college, but I believe he’ll be a part of Nebraska’s plans.
Three Nebraska wrestlers earned double All-American status this weekend by landing on the podium in both styles — Preston Wagner, Riley Johnson and Cruzer Dominguez.
Out of Fremont, Wagner was really impressive in the 16U division wrestling at 285 pounds. After going 5-2 and finishing fourth in freestyle, he turned in another impressive tournament in Greco, going 6-1 while finishing third.
With his 11-3 record against national competition and his two podium finishes, Wagner certainly set himself up for more recruiting attention. He finished sixth at state in Class A as a sophomore with a 32-9 record.
Nebraska has a trio of heavyweights on the roster but not many with much experience at the Division I level. Wagner could very well be a target for Nebraska in the 2026 class after his performance in Fargo.
Out of Omaha Skutt, Johnson went 5-3 in both freestyle and Greco, finishing in 6th-place in both styles. In Greco, he knocked off the 2-seed JayDen Williams in the quarterfinal round.
A freshman-to-be, Dominguez had a great weekend at his first Fargo, capturing a pair of 7th-place finishes at 106 pounds in the 16U division. In freestyle, he went 7-2. In Greco, he finished with a 5-2 record.
Cruzer Dominguez wins and becomes one of the very few wrestlers in state history to earn Fargo AA before they’ve wrestled in HS. That list is very short!
— Huskermat™ (@Huskermat) July 17, 2024
Facing some of the best in the nation before even entering high school, Dominguez will be a highly sought-after prospect in the class of 2028.
The other All-American from Team Nebraska in the 16U division was JT Smith out of Creighton Prep. A Class A state finalist at 175 pounds as a freshman, Smith was up at 190 in Fargo. In freestyle, he went 4-2 and fell one win short of All-American status. In Greco, he was fairly dominant, going 6-1 for a 3rd-place finish. His only loss was a 9-0 setback against the 1-seed in the semifinal round. In the six matches he won, he outscored his opponents 55-0.
In the Junior division in Greco, Team Nebraska had two All-Americans in Logan Glynn of Millard South and Brayden Canoyer of Waverly.
Going into his senior season, Glynn is uncommitted and could be an option for the Huskers. A two-time Class A state champion, Glynn went 3-2 in freestyle but finished 7-3 in Greco to finish in 6th-place at 157 pounds.
Another senior-to-be, Canoyer is a Class B state champion for Waverly. In freestyle at Fargo, Canoyer went 4-2. In Greco, he finished with a 6-3 record and an 8th-place finish.
Nebraska
Nebraska Court of Appeals upholds conviction of Grand Island man in sexual assault case
GRAND ISLAND, Neb. — The Nebraska Court of Appeals has affirmed the conviction and sentencing of a Grand Island man charged with sexually assaulting a minor.
Cory Gilmore was sentenced in June to 36 to 48 years in prison on two counts of first-degree sexual assault. Court records said he was initially charged with first-degree sexual assault of a child, first-degree sexual assault and third-degree sexual assault of a child, but pleaded no contest to the two sexual assault counts as part of a plea deal.
According to an arrest affidavit, a report of a possible sexual assault came into the child abuse hotline that Gilmore sexually assaulted a minor girl when he was intoxicated.
A Grand Island police officer later interviewed the girl – who is younger than 19 years old – who said she was sexually assaulted by Gilmore from early 2021 to December 2023.
In his appeal, Gilmore claimed the District Court abused its discretion by imposing an excessive sentence. He also claimed his trial counsel was ineffective in failing to take the deposition of the alleged victim and failing to move to withdraw Gilmore’s plea before sentencing.
In its ruling, the Court of Appeals denied Gilmore’s claim of ineffective trial counsel. In his appeal, Gilmore said that at sentencing, he notified his counsel that he wished to withdraw his no-contest plea as he didn’t want to plead guilty or to say he did something he didn’t do.
The Court of Appeals said that at no point did Gilmore inform the District Court that he wished to withdraw his plea and that the District Court asked him if he made his plea “knowingly and voluntarily.”
The Court of Appeals also said in its order that at Gilmore’s sentencing hearing, the District Court looked at Gilmore’s risk to reoffend, his criminal history and the fact that he “showed no remorse for the trauma he has inflicted” in imposing its sentencing. The Court of Appeals said this was appropriate and that his sentencing was not excessive.
Nebraska
Nebraska collects $200k in child support from gambling winnings
LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services has collected more than $200,000 from gambling winnings to go toward child support arrears just three months after implementing the program.
The Gambling Winnings Setoff for Outstanding Debt Act was approved through the passage of Legislative Bill 1317 and signed by Gov. Jim Pillen in 2024.
“This program ensures funds are being used to help support kids across Nebraska,” said Gov. Pillen. “Parents have an obligation to their children, and we’re guaranteeing their well-being by collecting these winnings.”
The collections began Sept. 2, 2025. The act requires gaming operators to withhold a portion of winnings from individuals who have an unpaid debt with the state and remit the funds to the Department of Revenue.
From there, the collected funds are distributed to various agencies, including DOR, Department of Labor, Department of Motor Vehicles, and DHHS.
Within the first 13 weeks, $529,091.47 was dispersed to these agencies, with DHHS receiving $215,852.98 for the Child Support Enforcement Program.
“By administering these dollars directly to families, the Child Support Enforcement Program is setting our state’s children up for success,” said Shannon Grotrian, director of the Office of Economic Assistance. “It’s making an immediate impact on their livelihoods and making sure they have what they need to grow and thrive.”
For more information on Nebraska’s Child Support Program, visit the DHHS website.
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Nebraska
Big Ten basketball power rankings: Look out for Nebraska
Another week of college basketball action saw significant movement in the Big Ten Conference. Out of nowhere, the Nebraska Cornhuskers are 11-0 to start the season and are quickly ascending the national rankings. They dominated the Wisconsin Badgers on Wednesday night, handing Greg Gard the most lopsided loss of his coaching career.
Along with Nebraska, Michigan, Purdue, Michigan State and UCLA are tied atop the conference standings at 2-0. That top group will likely remain consistent over the next few weeks before the Big Ten schedule intensifies in early January.
As we enter the final stretch of nonconference play, here is an updated snapshot of the full conference power rankings. Michigan remains the leader.
Updated Big Ten Basketball Power Rankings (Dec. 15)
- Michigan Wolverines (10-0, 2-0 Big Ten; No. 1 in KenPom) — No change
- Purdue Boilermakers (10-1, 2-0 Big Ten; No. 6 in KenPom) — No change
- Michigan State Spartans (9-1, 2-0 Big Ten; No. 12 in KenPom) — No change
- Illinois Fighting Illini (8-3, 1-1 Big Ten; No. 14 in KenPom) — No change
- Nebraska Cornhuskers (11-0, 2-0 Big Ten; No. 21 in KenPom) — Up 6
- Iowa Hawkeyes (9-2, 1-1 Big Ten; No. 20 in KenPom) — No change
- USC Trojans (10-1, 1-1 Big Ten; No. 38 in KenPom) — No change
- Indiana Hoosiers (8-3, 1-1 Big Ten; No. 26 in KenPom) — Up 2
- Wisconsin Badgers (7-3, 1-1 Big Ten; No. 37 in KenPom) — Down 4
- Ohio State Buckeyes (8-2, 1-1 Big Ten; No. 39 in KenPom) — Down 1
- UCLA Bruins (7-3, 2-0 Big Ten; No. 31 in KenPom) — Down 3
- Washington Huskies (7-3, 1-1 Big Ten; No. 48 in KenPom) — No change
- Northwestern Wildcats (6-4, 0-2 Big Ten; No. 58 in KenPom) — Up 1
- Oregon Ducks (5-5, 0-2 Big Ten; No. 84 in KenPom) — Up 3
- Maryland Terrapins (6-5, 0-2 Big Ten; No. 100 in KenPom) — No change
- Minnesota Golden Gophers (6-5, 1-1 Big Ten; No. 108 in KenPom) — No change
- Penn State Nittany Lions (8-3, 0-2 Big Ten; No. 107 in KenPom) — Down 4
- Rutgers Scarlet Knights (5-6, 0-2 Big Ten; No. 147 in KenPom) — No change
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