Kearney, Neb. – The 5th-ranked Nebraska-Kearney wrestling team closes out the 2015-16 regular season with a home dual Saturday against the 10th-ranked Lindenwood Lions.

The MIAA dual starts at 7:00 p.m. on the Buckle Court at the Health & Sports Center. Also on Saturday, around 10 Lopers will compete in the non-team scoring Rocky Mountain Collegiate Open at Colorado School of Mines.

UNK (12-2, 4-0) is the only unbeaten team during the MIAA regular season. A win would give the Lopers its second MIAA regular season title; last year, Lindenwood (8-2, 3-1) claimed the honor with a 5-0 dual record.

Prior to the Lopers and Lions, UNK will honor a special senior class. The seven-member group includes five current starters, national champions, All-Americans, national qualifiers and Academic All-Americans.

Top-ranked Daniel DeShazer (133 lbs.) and Romero Cotton (197 lbs.) are currently aiming to win their third national tiles. No Loper has ever placed first at the national meet three times.
Both Cotton (Hutchinson, Kan.) and DeShazer (Wichita, Kan.) have also placed second at the NCAA Championships.

Next, Devin Aguirre (165 lbs.) and Chase White (157 lbs.) hope to earn their second All-American honors this March. A fifth-year team member, White (Lincoln H.S.) is a two-time national qualifier and a 2013 All-American with Aguirre (Ponca City, Okla.) placing fourth at last year's NCAA meet.

A rare four-year starter, Connor Bolling (Central City) joins DeShazer as Lopers to have reached 100 career wins this winter. He was a national qualifier last year as well as being a two-time Wrestling Coaches Association National All-Scholar qualifier.

Fifth-year seniors Ryan Bauer (Kearney H.S.) and Brett LaBudda (Lincoln Southeast H.S.) are four-time Academic All-Americans and multiple year etterwinners. Both have seen plenty of time in varsity duals, mainly between 133-149 lbs.

UNK gets some time off before the MIAA Championships on Valentine's Day at Lindenwood.