D1WC released its 2012-13 preseason rankings for each weight class on Monday as six Nebraska wrestlers were named to the list. The top 25 Division I wrestlers in all 10 weight classes earned spots.
At 141 pounds, Ridge Kiley earned the No. 23 ranking. The senior started at 133 pounds last season for the Huskers, going 17-16 with an 11-8 record in duals. Kiley took eighth place at the Big Ten Championships and earned an invitation to the NCAA Championships.
Jake Sueflohn is No. 14 in the 149 weight class preseason rankings. As a freshman last season, Sueflohn went 25-11 and 13-4 in duals. After a fifth-place showing at the Big Ten Championships, the Watertown, Wis., native went 1-2 at the NCAA Championships. Additionally, Sueflohn finished second at the Nebraska-Kearney Holiday Inn Open and took third at the Cliff Keen Invitational.
Fellow sophomore James Green is ranked sixth at 157 pounds. Green was an All-American as a true freshman last season, earning a seventh-place finish at the NCAA Championships. Green won a team-best 34 matches in 2011-12, going 14-4 in dual meets. His 13 major decisions also led the team.
At 165 pounds, Robert Kokesh earned the No. 6 ranking. The sophomore from Wagner, S.D., went 30-7 as a redshirt-freshman in 2011-12. He led the Huskers with a 17-2 record in dual meets, compiling 68 dual points in the process. Kokesh finished third at the Big Ten Championships before going 2-2 at the NCAA Championships.
Senior Tyler Koehn is ranked 17th in the 174 weight class after going 20-13 last season. The Pittsburg, Kan., native went 13-5 in duals, earning 43 points for NU. Koehn was one of eight NCAA qualifiers on the Husker squad as a junior. In addition, Koehn finished second at the Nebraska-Kearney Holiday Inn Open.
Fellow senior Josh Ihnen is ranked sixth at 184 pounds. The 2012 All-American went 26-8 as a junior and 16-3 in duals. His 60 dual points were second on the team while his eight major decisions were third. Ihnen, who was named Nebraska’s Most Outstanding Wrestler in 2012, finished second at the Big Ten Championships before earning an eighth-place result at the NCAA Championships.
Amateur Wrestling News released its rankings last Monday. Kiley was ranked 15th at 133 pounds, Sueflohn earned the No. 10 ranking at 141, Green was No. 6 at 157, Kokesh ranked sixth at 165, while Koehn was 13th at 174 and Ihnen was sixth at 184.
The Huskers open their season on Nov. 4 at the Warren Williamson/Daktronics Open in Brookings, S.D.
— Conor Stange, Nebraska Sports Information