University of Nebraska - Kearney Athletics

Dr. Bryce Abbey is one of six UNK wrestlers to be a four-time All-American. Competing at 125 pounds throughout his career, he placed fourth, third, third and fifth at the NCAA Championships.
 
Winning two RMAC (Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) and West Region titles, he also became UNK's all-time leader in career wins. His total of 134 broke the record of 121 that had stood for over a decade. Currently, only two-time Olympian, Tervel Dlagnev, has more wins (167) than Abbey.
 
The 2002 RMAC Freshman of the Year, Abbey was part of four teams that placed in the Top 10 at the NCAA Championships. That included 2003 when UNK notched its first-ever national runner-up finish, scoring 73.5 points in West Virginia.
 
Abbey also helped the Lopers win four straight RMAC/West Region titles and the 2003 National Duals in Ohio. To win national duals, UNK beat rival Nebraska-Omaha, 24-14, in the finals.
 
Off the mat, he was a four-time Wrestling Coaches Association All-Scholar team member, making the first-team three times. In 2005, Abbey became the first Loper wrestler to be awarded an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship.    

Abbey currently is an assistant professor and employee and wellness director in UNK's Kinesiology and Sports Sciences Department. He holds two degrees from UNK (B.S. in Exercise Science and Master's in Education) and a Ph.D. in Human Sciences from UNL.
 
He and wife, Erin, live in Kearney with their son, Kade, and daughter, Sloane.