It was the Bulls' 12th dual win of the year, tying the school record for dual wins in a season as a Division I program. It was also Buffalo's program-best fifth Mid-American Conference dual win.
Kyle Akins got the Bulls off to a great start by pinning NIU's Bryce West at 125 lbs. After nearly pinning West at the end of the first period, Akins finished the deal with 30 seconds left in the second period. It was Akins third pin of the season.
Derek Spann had a very impressive win at 133 lbs. The redshirt-sophomore earned a 10-0 major decision over Alijah Jeffery. With the win, Spann improved to a perfect 16-0 in duals on the season. He became just the second wrestler in program history to improve to 16-0 or better in a single season.
Bryan Lantry increased the Buffalo advantage to 13-0 with an 8-2 decision over Drew West. It was Lantry's 47th win of his career moving him into fifth in school history in career dual wins.
After dropping a decision at 149, Alex Smythe righted the ship with a 3-2 decision over Mason Kauffman at 157 to put the Bulls ahead in the dual, 16-3.
The Huskies made a run over the next three weight classes, winning two by major decision, to cut the UB lead to 16-14 with two bouts remaining. However, Brett Perry slammed the door on a NIU comeback with a 14-5 major decision over Max Ihry to extend the UB lead to 20-14.
Jake Gunning capped the victory with a 7-2 decision over Caleb Gossett in the heavyweight match. It was Gunning's 50th career dual win, making him just the fourth wrestler in program history to reach the 50-win plateau.
"We wrestled and performed really well today," head coach John Stutzman said. "It's been a good year and these guys showed up today. We're 12-4 going into Penn State and I'm really happy with these guys."
The Bulls improved to 12-4 overall and 5-2 in MAC duals on the year. The 12 wins tie the school record for dual wins in a season as a Division I program, matching the mark set in 2004. The five MAC wins are the most since joining the conference in 1998.
Buffalo will wrestle its final dual of the season at Penn State on Sunday.
Results:
125 - Kyle Akins (UB) won by fall over Bryce West (NIU), 4:30
133 - Derek Spann (UB) won by major decision over Alijah Jeffery (NIU), 10-0
141 - #15 Bryan Lantry (UB) won by decision over Drew West (NIU), 8-2
149 - McCoy Kent (NIU) won by decision over Jason Estevez (UB), 8-4
157 - Alex Smythe (UB) won by decision over Mason Kauffman, 3-2
165 - Cade McWhirter (NIU) won by major decision over Noah Grover (UB), 11-0
174 - #15 Brit Wilson (NIU) won by decision over Jake Lanning (UB), 8-6
184 - Will Fieldcamp (NIU) won by major decision over Logan Rill (UB), 13-2
197 - Brett Perry (UB) won by major decision over Max Ihry (NIU), 14-5
285 - #15 Jake Gunning (UB) won by decision over Caleb Gossett (NIU), 7-2
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